Games
Colosseum: Orre, Shadow Pokémon and double battles
Pokémon Colosseum is a GameCube role-playing and battle game, released in Japan on 21 November 2003, North America on 22 March 2004 and Europe on 14 May 2004, and pokemon.com calls it the first full 3D Pokémon adventure. It has two parts: a story mode set in the region of Orre, where stolen Pokémon have been turned into Shadow Pokémon that must be rescued and cleansed, and a battle mode that loads teams from Ruby and Sapphire. The hero travels with an Umbreon and an Espeon, and double battles are central. Today it runs only from a GameCube disc, since it was absent from the GameCube Nintendo Classics library on Switch 2 as of 8 November 2026.
Editorial record, read 8 Nov 2026.
Orre is a new region with a story mode
The story mode takes place in Orre, a region apart from both Kanto and Hoenn. pokemon.com describes it as besieged by Team Snagem, which has found a way to steal Pokémon from other Trainers; the stolen Pokémon have been turned into Shadow Pokémon, and the hero must rescue them and cleanse them of the curse. The official Japanese page frames the hero as chasing a mysterious organisation that turns Pokémon into Shadow Pokémon as tools for crime, helped by a girl who can see which Pokémon are Shadow Pokémon. Towns such as Pyrite Town and Phenac City, named on the pokemon.com page for the sequel, hold the familiar Poké Marts, Pokémon Centers and Day Cares.
Colosseum links to Ruby, Sapphire, FireRed and LeafGreen
Colosseum is a single game with no partner version. Nintendo's product page calls it completely compatible with Ruby and Sapphire, connected through the GameCube Game Boy Advance cable, and up to four players can link Game Boy Advance systems for battles. The official Japanese page adds that a Ruby or Sapphire cartridge in battle mode brings that game's hero into the arena, and the FireRed and LeafGreen page says Pokémon raised there can fight in Colosseum's 3D battles as well. pokemon.com notes that both story-mode Pokémon and Ruby and Sapphire teams can enter the many stadiums of battle mode. The PokéAPI version group for Colosseum records only level-up and machine as learn methods.
Espeon and Umbreon start the run
There is no starter choice. The official Japanese page says the hero travels with an Umbreon and an Espeon, and the pokemon.com gallery names them as Eevee's Dark-type and Psychic-type evolutions. The ability data in the PokéAPI cache gives both Synchronize as a standard ability. The pair suits the game's double battles, which pokemon.com describes as a test where smart strategy is as valuable as brute force. Their types cover each other well: in the type data, Umbreon's Dark type takes no damage from Psychic moves and only half from Ghost moves, and Espeon's Psychic moves hit Fighting and Poison types for double damage. Buy Poké Balls at a Poké Mart before each new area.
Mt. Battle and Poké Coupons reward battling
pokemon.com says Mt. Battle is a gauntlet of over 100 Trainers, a test for the best teams, and the game offers many stadiums for battles just for fun. The official Japanese page adds Poké Coupons, points earned for winning certain battles in both story mode and battle mode, which you exchange for items useful in battle such as Leftovers and TMs. Battle mode, which the Japanese page likens to a GameCube version of Pokémon Stadium, lets you change the rules freely and enter story-mode Pokémon or a Ruby or Sapphire team. Rescuing and cleansing every Shadow Pokémon is the story's own completion goal, and the battle facilities are where a finished team proves itself.
Shadow Pokémon must be rescued and cleansed
Shadow Pokémon are the core of Colosseum. pokemon.com says the stolen Pokémon have been infected and turned into Shadow Pokémon, so the hero must both rescue them and cleanse them of their curse. The sequel's page describes the condition the same way: a Shadow Pokémon's heart has been closed and it has been turned into a fighting machine. Spotting them takes help, and the official Japanese page introduces a partner girl who can see through a Shadow Pokémon. The PokéAPI version group for Colosseum records no breeding and no tutor methods, so story Pokémon and rescued Shadow Pokémon make up the team, and each rescue widens the choice of moves and types.
Generation III rules play out in doubles
Colosseum uses the Generation III rules of Ruby and Sapphire, whose Pokémon it accepts: abilities, natures and double battles, where some moves aid a partner or hit both foes, as pokemon.com describes for those games. pokemon.com's own Colosseum page stresses that in double battles smart strategy counts as much as brute force. The ability data in the PokéAPI cache gives Espeon and Umbreon Synchronize. The version group records only level-up and machine for Colosseum, with no breeding and no tutors, even though pokemon.com lists Day Cares among the familiar locations. For team planning, the double battle entry in the glossary explains targeting.
Colosseum has no Switch 2 release
Colosseum's sequel, XD: Gale of Darkness, came to the GameCube Nintendo Classics library on Switch 2 in March 2026, and Nintendo's GameCube Classics page listed XD and no Colosseum on 8 November 2026. In Japan the game also supported the Card e-Reader+, which the official Japanese page lists among its accessories beside the GBA cable, and the official Japanese game list includes a separate Colosseum Double Battle e-card set. The Japanese edition sold at 5,524 yen before tax. The GameCube disc released in 2003 and 2004 remains the only way to play Colosseum, so a player who wants the first Orre story needs that disc and GameCube-compatible hardware.
In 2026 Colosseum needs a GameCube or an early Wii
The disc runs on a GameCube. Nintendo's support page says the later Wii models, RVL-101 and the Wii mini, removed the GameCube controller sockets and memory card slots and cannot use GameCube discs or accessories, which leaves the original Wii model for anyone without a GameCube. To move Pokémon onward, send them to FireRed or LeafGreen, whose official page confirms trades with Orre once the One Island network machine is finished. Then follow the Generation III chain: Pal Park in Diamond and Pearl, Poké Transfer in Black and White on two DS-family systems, Poké Transporter on 3DS and Pokémon Bank to HOME. Bank ends on 25 February 2027.
| Feature | Colosseum | XD: Gale of Darkness |
|---|---|---|
| Release in Japan | 21 Nov 2003 | 4 Aug 2005 |
| Starting Pokémon | Espeon and Umbreon | Eevee |
| Story | Rescue and cleanse Shadow Pokémon | Snag and purify Shadow Pokémon, Shadow Lugia |
| Accessories | GBA cable; Card e-Reader+ in Japan | GBA cable |
| Mt. Battle | Over 100 Trainers | 100 Trainers |
| On Switch 2 | No | GameCube Nintendo Classics |
Sourced: pokemon.com and the Japanese product pages for both games, Nintendo product pages and the GameCube Nintendo Classics page, read 8 Nov 2026. Protagonist names, Shadow Pokémon counts and battle formats were cut pending a source.
5 checks before you act
- Check the console can run GameCube discs before buying a copy.
- Use Umbreon and Espeon as a double battle pair while the team grows.
- Buy Poké Balls at a Poké Mart before each new area.
- Collect Poké Coupons from battles and spend them on battle items.
- Finish the FireRed or LeafGreen network machine before planning trades out of Orre.
Read next
Sources read for this page
- Readpokemon.com, Pokémon Colosseumread 8 Nov 2026
- Readpokemon.co.jp, ポケモンコロシアム product pageread 8 Nov 2026
- Readpokemon.com, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darknessread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadNintendo UK, Pokémon Colosseum product pageread 8 Nov 2026
- Readpokemon.co.jp, ポケットモンスター ファイアレッド・リーフグリーン product pageread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadPokéAPI version groups, repository cache (repos/dexvoyage/data/version-groups.json)read 8 Nov 2026
- ReadPokéAPI species records, repository cache (repos/dexvoyage/data/species/<id>.json)read 8 Nov 2026
- ReadPokéAPI types with past damage relations, repository cache (repos/dexvoyage/data/cache/type-<id>.json)read 8 Nov 2026
- Readpokemon.com, Pokémon Ruby Version and Pokémon Sapphire Versionread 8 Nov 2026
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- Readpokemon.co.jp, Pokémon Bank: how to depositread 8 Nov 2026
- Readpokemon.com, Pokémon Bankread 8 Nov 2026