As the Pokémon franchise celebrates its 30th anniversary, more and more ROM hacks are crawling out of the woodwork. Aimed to celebrate some of Pokémon’s most iconic entries, whilst adding new and exciting content, quality-of-life improvements, and a return to some of our favorite regions, these ROM hacks are as much a part of the franchise as the official Nintendo entries.

That is definitely the case for Pokémon Decay, a ROM hack inspired by the first four generations of Pokémon. Created by AlmAchAndAlee and first uploaded back in January 2025, Pokémon Decay is a fully completed project that is now available to download for free, and it will be the perfect way for fans to return to a whopping four incredible regions.

Set in the Talem region, Pokémon Decay is “intended to give the player as much nostalgia as possible by referring to the storylines of the old games.” The story follows the player who wakes up with no memories and soon discovers that it is up to them to discover the truth behind the natural disasters that targeted the regions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. Following the disasters, the four iconic regions have now come together to form one: the Talem region.

Gameplay consists of defeating eight Gym Leaders and the Elite Four all whilst facing all of the beloved characters and evil teams first introduced in the first four generations of Pokémon. As such, the map features every Pokémon found in classic entries, as well as later evolutions. “For self-preservation reasons, they had to adjust themselves to the new environment,” the official ROM hack description reads. “That’s why many of them had to change their typing. Those Pokémon are known as Delta Species.”

Pokémon Decay welcomes 131 Delta Species and 40 Evolutions and Pre-Evolutions of pre-existing Pokémon, offering players a roster unlike any other. This includes new and improved versions of Gallade, Flygon, Pancus, and Krikestro.

To convince you to check out Pokémon Decay this weekend, here is the full features list:

• 25+ hours of gameplay
• Mechanics up to Generation 8
• New moves and abilities
• HMs as Key Items
• Costumizable Outfits
• Post-Game with facilities like in Emerald’s Battle Frontier
• Quality of Life Upgrades
• Nuzlocke Mode (Level Caps, Disabled EVs, Infinite Candies)

As mentioned, Pokémon Decay is now free to download. So, if you are a fan of classic Pokémon and want to immerse yourself in its magical world, make sure to check it out now.

Video Game(s)

Pokemon Red and Blue, Pokemon Yellow, Pokemon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Crystal, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokemon Sapphire, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Pokemon Platinum, Pokemon Black and White, Pokemon Black and White 2, Pokemon X and Y, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon Winds and Waves, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Pokemon Legends Z-A