How To Play Pokemon Games on PC Safely

With mobile gaming becoming more powerful and popular than ever, it's entirely possible to play Pokemon on PC. However, you'll need to download an Emulator and game files like Pokemon Soul Silver from non-Nintendo websites.

The first thing you'll need to do is ensure your PC or mobile device is outfitted with the proper specs. Here are the minimum specs needed to run an emulator and Pokemon games on your PC. Fortunately, the resources needed are not high and are found in most modern devices.

Specs Needed to Play Pokemon on PC

• 2GB of Ram

• 2 GB of Storage

• AMD Ryzen 3+, Intel i3+, Mac M1+, or equivalent chipset.

If you'd like to experience the joy of playing your favorite Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS Pokemon games on the go, the Microsoft Surface Go is the best tablet around for playing emulated games. Here's why:

Surface Tablets run the full Windows OS, not a watered-down variant

Now, Windows 10/11 certainly has a number of performance issues and bugs, but when it comes to offering the full power of its flagship OS in a tiny form factor, no one does it better than Microsoft. Even Apple can't compete as they run iPad OS instead of MacOS on iPad, resulting in several limitations in what you can do natively on the platform.

This is especially true when it comes to emulation. While you can certainly download an emulator on your iOS, iPadOS, or Android-powered device, you can't download any games on them without assistance from another device.

There are no such limitations on the Surface devices so you are free to install mods, cheat codes, games, and emulators to your heart's content. Another bonus is that you can typically find Surface Pro Go devices on sale for less than $300 USD.

That's right, for less than a 1/3 of the cost of the latest iPhone in any given year, you can own a portable, powerful emulation device with 128 GB of storage, 8GB, and LTE capabilities. Here are the simple steps you need to follow to get back to the golden era of Pokemon games.

1. Download a DS emulator from DES Emu right here.

2. Once the download finishes, unzip it into an easy-to-find folder like your Desktop.

3. Next, find a reputable site to download your favorite Pokemon games, like this one for Soul Silver.

4. Finally, boot up the DS or 3DS emulator of your choice, load/open the Pokemon ROM you downloaded, and enjoy hours of nostalgia!

If you don't like Windows OS, there is another Linux-based option that you might be interested in.

A first generation, refurbished Steam Deck for your emulation needs

Valve's first iteration of the Steam is a great, ergonomic portable gaming tool. You'll still need help from another device like your PC, but the device itself is powerful enough to run AAA titles like Elden Ring with ease.

If that was convincing enough, Valve now sells refurbished 64 GB Steam Decks for less than $300 USD. But if you want to play games other than emulated ones, you'll need extra storage, so opt for the 256GB ($320 at the time of writing) or the 512GB variant ($359 at the time of writing).

The process for downloading and playing 3DS and DS games on a Steam Deck is a bit more involved that it is on Windows systems. It involves loading the Steam Deck into desktop mode, transferring the ROMs from a USB stick or drive and booting back into the main gaming mode. Here is a step-by-step guide on how it's done.

1. Start the Steam Deck in Desktop mode - Do this by holding the power button and select the 'Switch to Desktop mode' option.

2. Open a browser and download EmuDeck - Since the Steam Deck runs Linux you can run whatever browser you choose.

3. Run through the installer and start Emudeck - Once you start EmuDeck, you'll be directed to a place to store your ROMs

4. Dowload your ROMs onto a USB drive - Use a USB stick or external hard drive to store the ROMs downloaded from your Windows or Mac machine.

5. Drag the files into the EmuDeck folder - Drag your ROM files to the appropriate Emudeck folder.

6. Switch back over to gaming mode and start gaming - Boot your device back into game mode and notice your retro gaming titles now in your Steam library.

For those who prefer not to participate in the emulation fun, there are a number of great Pokemon-like games that play natively on PC. Here is a list of the best ones I've played and the platforms that can be played on.

Pokemon or not, get your monster taming fix on PC

There are tons of options available for people wanting to tame and catch 'em all from the comfort of their PC or favorite mobile device. If you prefer to game on the Nintendo Switch, check out some of the best Pokemon-like games for Switch. And if you love Palworld, check out this Palworld World Name Generator that will randomize your difficulty settings and give you a unique name for your world.

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