Games
X and Y: Kalos, Mega Evolution and the Fairy type on Nintendo 3DS
X and Y are the 2013 Nintendo 3DS pair set in Kalos, released worldwide on the same day, with 72 new species, the Fairy type and Mega Evolution. X has Xerneas and Y has Yveltal, and each version has its own wild species and its own Mega Stones for Mewtwo and Charizard. In 2026 they are used 3DS cartridges only, since 3DS eShop sales ended in March 2023 and 3DS online play in April 2024, and the 2025 Switch game Legends: Z-A returns to Lumiose City as a separate game.
X and Y on Nintendo 3DS: structure, versions, postgame and how to play in 2026. Drafted 8 Nov 2026.
Kalos has eight gyms, an Elite Four in any order and Diantha
The player moves into Vaniville Town and is drawn into a group of five young trainers: the rival, Calem or Serena depending on the player's choice, plus Shauna, Tierno and Trevor. Professor Sycamore works in Lumiose City, a large hub at the centre of the map that the player crosses several times. The antagonists are Team Flare under Lysandre, who wants to use an ancient weapon built three thousand years ago to wipe out everyone outside his group. Eight gyms lead to the Pokémon League. The Elite Four are Malva (Fire), Siebold (Water), Wikstrom (Steel) and Drasna (Dragon), and the player chooses the order. The Champion is Diantha, a film actress with a Mega Gardevoir. The Kalos Pokédex splits into Central, Coastal and Mountain sections, about 450 species across the three.
X and Y split their legendaries and two pairs of Mega Stones
Xerneas, a Fairy type, is the story legendary in X. Yveltal, Dark and Flying, is the story legendary in Y. Both versions catch Zygarde in the postgame. Mewtwo has two Mega Stones, Mewtwonite X in X and Mewtwonite Y in Y. A player who takes Charmander from Professor Sycamore receives Charizardite X in X and Charizardite Y in Y. Several wild lines are also split between the versions. Gen VI added its own trade evolutions, Phantump into Trevenant and Pumpkaboo into Gourgeist, beside the older four. X and Y trade with each other and with Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire over local wireless, which still works between two 3DS-family systems without a server. The online Wonder Trade and Global Trade Station closed in April 2024 with the rest of 3DS online play.
Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie come first, a Kanto starter second
Chespin is Grass and evolves at 16 and 36 into Chesnaught, Grass and Fighting. Fennekin is Fire and evolves at 16 and 36 into Delphox, Fire and Psychic. Froakie is Water and evolves at 16 and 36 into Greninja, Water and Dark. In Lumiose City Professor Sycamore offers a second starter, Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle, whose evolution later has a Mega Stone. The first milestones run in this order. Aquacorde Town, where the Kalos starter is chosen from the group. Santalune Forest and Viola's Bug gym in Santalune City for the first badge. Lumiose City, where the Kanto starter is handed over. Cyllage City, where Grant's Rock gym gives the second badge. Shalour City's Tower of Mastery, where Korrina gives the Mega Ring and a Lucario with its Mega Stone after her Fighting gym.
The postgame holds Looker's cases, Kiloude City and the Friend Safari
After the credits Looker opens a detective bureau in Lumiose City and runs a short story of missions there. Kiloude City opens in the east with the Battle Maison, the Generation VI battle facility with Singles, Doubles, Triples and Rotation, paying Battle Points. The Friend Safari in Kiloude City has one area per registered 3DS friend, each with two or three species of one type. Zygarde waits in Terminus Cave and Mewtwo in the Unknown Dungeon near Couriway Town. The Lumiose restaurants and the Battle Chateau offer repeatable battles for money and titles. The postgame is shorter than Generation IV and V's, and most of its length sits in the Battle Maison's streaks.
The Fairy type arrived in 2013 to check Dragon
Fairy is the eighteenth type and the first added since Steel and Dark in 1999. Fairy attacks are super effective against Dragon, Fighting and Dark, and resisted by Fire, Poison and Steel. Fairy Pokémon are immune to Dragon attacks, resist Fighting, Bug and Dark, and are weak to Poison and Steel. Older species were retyped: Clefairy and Clefable became pure Fairy, Togepi became pure Fairy, Jigglypuff became Normal and Fairy, Marill and Azumarill became Water and Fairy, Gardevoir became Psychic and Fairy, and Mawile became Steel and Fairy. The same update removed Steel's resistance to Ghost and Dark. The type chart tool switches eras, and the glossary entry is at /reference/glossary/#type-chart.
Mega Evolution is a once-per-battle form change
Mega Evolution needs two items: the Mega Ring, a Key Stone worn by the trainer, from Korrina in Shalour City, and a Mega Stone held by a compatible species. In battle, one Pokémon per side can Mega Evolve once, at the start of a turn, and stays in that form until the battle ends. The Mega form changes base stats and the ability, and sometimes the type: Mega Charizard X becomes Fire and Dragon, Mega Ampharos becomes Electric and Dragon. X and Y list 28 Mega Evolutions across 26 species, with two each for Charizard and Mewtwo. Most stones sit in the field, behind story points or postgame, and some appear only at certain times of day. The glossary entry is at /reference/glossary/#mega-evolution.
The Exp. Share now feeds the whole party
Before Generation VI the Exp. Share was a held item that gave one Pokémon a share of experience. In X and Y it is a key item, received early in the story, that switches on and off from the bag. Switched on, it gives every party Pokémon that sat out the battle half of the experience the active Pokémon earned, without reducing the active Pokémon's share. The result is a team that climbs together and usually outlevels the gyms by the midgame. An adult player who wants each gym to push back can switch it off after the first badge and hand out experience by rotation. Later games removed the switch and kept it always on. The glossary entry on levels and experience is at /reference/glossary/#level.
Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire and Legends: Z-A built on X and Y
Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, released in November 2014, reused the X and Y engine to remake Hoenn and added 20 more Mega Evolutions plus Primal Reversion for Groudon and Kyogre. Sun and Moon, in 2016, kept Mega Evolution but added no new Mega forms. Sword and Shield, in 2019, removed it. As of November 2026 X and Y have no remake. Legends: Z-A, released on 16 October 2025 for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, is set entirely in Lumiose City and brings Mega Evolution back with new Mega forms, but it uses its own real-time battle system and its own story. A player who wants the Kalos region, its eight gyms and its routes still needs a 2013 cartridge.
X and Y lost eShop sales in 2023 and online play in 2024
The Nintendo 3DS eShop stopped selling software on 27 March 2023, which ended digital sales of X and Y. Nintendo ended 3DS online play on 8 April 2024, which closed the Global Trade Station, Wonder Trade, online battles, the Player Search System and new friend registrations over the internet. Local wireless trading and battling still work between two 3DS-family systems. A used cartridge plays on any 3DS, 2DS, New 3DS or New 2DS; X and Y have no Nintendo Switch release. A digital copy bought before March 2023 can still be downloaded again on the same account. Pokémon move forward through Pokémon Bank, which reads X and Y directly, then to Pokémon HOME. Pokémon Bank can no longer be downloaded and ends service on 25 February 2027, so the route needs a 3DS that already has it and closes on that date.
| Species or item | Version |
|---|---|
| Xerneas (story) | X |
| Mewtwonite X | X |
| Charizardite X, from Professor Sycamore if Charmander is chosen | X |
| Yveltal (story) | Y |
| Mewtwonite Y | Y |
| Charizardite Y, from Professor Sycamore if Charmander is chosen | Y |
Xerneas in X and Yveltal in Y confirmed on the official Japanese site (pokemon-jp-xy-legend), 8 Nov 2026. The Mega Stone rows are still from memory; wild species splits omitted.
| Order | Leader | City | Badge | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Viola | Santalune City | Bug Badge | Bug |
| 2 | Grant | Cyllage City | Cliff Badge | Rock |
| 3 | Korrina | Shalour City | Rumble Badge | Fighting |
| 4 | Ramos | Coumarine City | Plant Badge | Grass |
| 5 | Clemont | Lumiose City | Voltage Badge | Electric |
| 6 | Valerie | Laverre City | Fairy Badge | Fairy |
| 7 | Olympia | Anistar City | Psychic Badge | Psychic |
| 8 | Wulfric | Snowbelle City | Iceberg Badge | Ice |
All eight leader names, and Korrina in Shalour City, confirmed on the official Japanese leader index (pokemon-jp-xy-leaders), 8 Nov 2026. Other towns, badges, types and order still check; the per-leader pages leader/01 to 08 hold them.
5 checks before you act
- Delete any old save with Up, X and B held on the title screen.
- Decide early whether to keep the Exp. Share on, and switch it off in the bag if not.
- Set the in-game Battle Effects to Off in Options to shorten each battle.
- Choose the Kalos starter with Viola's Bug gym and Grant's Rock gym in mind.
- Plan the Kanto starter pick in Lumiose City around the Mega Stone it later unlocks.
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Sources read for this page
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