Pokémon Diamond and Pearl: Sinnoh, the Nintendo DS and the overhaul that changed everything

A console with two screens, a Wi-Fi antenna, a mountainous region cut in two by Mt. Coronet, and a quiet reform that would redefine every battle in the series: Pokémon Diamond and Pearl aren't just the first main-series games released on Nintendo DS; they're the ones that brought the franchise into the online era. Dialga rules over time, Palkia over space, Team Galactic wants to remake the universe, and 107 brand-new creatures are waiting at the end of the Underground. Here's the complete guide.

Contents

• The console and its release context
• The story and the Sinnoh region
• What the game brings to the series
• The starter Pokémon
• The Legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh
• Version exclusives
• What players remember
• The numbers: the Nintendo DS's biggest hit
• The legacy of Diamond and Pearl
• Pokémon Diamond and Pearl at a glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

The console and its release context

Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl are the first Pokémon RPGs in the main series released on Nintendo DS. Developed by GAME FREAK and published by Nintendo, they kick off the fourth generation and take over from Emerald, which had stayed on Game Boy Advance.

Japan got them on September 28, 2006. North America had to wait until April 22, 2007, Australia until June 21, and Europe until July 27, 2007. Ten months separate the Japanese release from the French one: still a long wait, but already three months shorter than the one imposed for Emerald.

The move to the DS is no cosmetic detail. The console brings two screens, touch controls and above all a built-in Wi-Fi module, and all three sit at the heart of the game's design. The Pokétch lives on the bottom screen, the Underground is played with the stylus, and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection opens up trading to the whole world.

The box art follows the tradition set by Gold and Silver: each cover features the signature Legendary of its version. Dialga, the Pokémon of time, for Diamond; Palkia, the Pokémon of space, for Pearl.

Two years later, these games would get their own enhanced version, Pokémon Platinum, released in Europe on May 22, 2009. And in 2021, they would get remakes on Nintendo Switch, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl.

The story and the Sinnoh region

The adventure takes place in Sinnoh, a region crossed from north to south by Mount Coronet, which splits it into two halves with contrasting climates. You'll find mines, marshes, a snowy village and, at the very top, a plateau of standing stones: Spear Pillar.

❄️ Mines, marshes and a snowy village: you don't cross Sinnoh in a T-shirt, and our Pokémon beanies solve exactly the same problem when you head out the door in January.

It all starts with a TV report: research teams have spotted a Gyarados with red scales at the Lake of Rage. The player and their friend head out to look for one at Lake Verity, get attacked by a wild Starly , and pick their first Pokémon from Professor Rowan's abandoned briefcase.

You play as Dawn or Lucas, and the character you don't pick becomes the professor's assistant. The rival, blond and always in a rush, is Barry (named "Barry" or "René" depending on the French edition), and he pops up at regular intervals to demand a battle.

Standing against them is Team Galactic and its leader Cyrus, backed by Commanders Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Their goal isn't to steal Pokémon for money: Cyrus wants to create a new universe that he alone would rule, and for that he needs the power of the version's Legendary.

The plan runs through the three lakes of Sinnoh and their guardians. Lake Verity is home to Mesprit, Lake Valor to Azelf, and Lake Acuity to Uxie. Team Galactic blows up Lake Valor, captures the trio and forges the Red Chain.

At the top of Spear Pillar, Cyrus summons Dialga or Palkia and orders it to remake the world. The lake trio breaks the chain, the player faces Cyrus one last time, and can then catch the Legendary now set free. Then come the eighth Badge in Sunyshore City, Victory Road, the Elite Four and Cynthia, Champion of the Sinnoh League.

What the game brings to the series

The most far-reaching change doesn't show on screen: it's the overhaul of move categories. Up to the third generation, a move was physical or special depending on its type — every Fire move was special, every Rock move was physical. Starting with Diamond and Pearl, each move is classified on its own.

This change reshuffled the competitive deck in one stroke. Unusable Pokémon became viable, entire strategies were born, and the series has never gone back: it's still the rule today, as explained in our feature on move categories.

Next comes Wi-Fi play. The Global Trade Station, the famous GTS, lets you put a Pokémon up for trade and specify which one you want in return, down to its gender and level. The friend network allows battles, trades and messages via Friend Codes, and the Battle Tower lets you take on teams uploaded by other players.

The Sinnoh Underground makes the most of the console's other strength. You dig with the stylus to unearth fossils, spheres and traps, you set up a secret base there, and up to eight players can meet up underground.

The day-night cycle makes a big comeback after being absent since Gold, Silver and Crystal. Poffins replace Pokéblocks for Contests, and the Poké Radar lets you chain encounters: past forty or so identical encounters in a row, your chances of running into a Shiny Pokémon rise sharply.

For getting around, two new HMs appear — Defog and Rock Climb — replacing Flash and Dive. Flash lives on as a TM to light up caves. One last addition only becomes noticeable as you play: in Double Battles, a partner can now fight alongside the player, like Cheryl and her Chansey in Eterna Forest.

The starter Pokémon

Professor Rowan entrusts the player with one of Sinnoh's three starters: Turtwig for Grass, Chimchar for Fire and Piplup for Water. The rival will always take the one with the type advantage over yours.

This trio has a feature never seen before: each of the three final forms has a dual typing. Torterra becomes Grass and Ground, Infernape Fire and Fighting, Empoleon Water and Steel.

The choice matters more here than anywhere else, for a very concrete reason: Sinnoh's regional Pokédex in Diamond and Pearl contains only two Fire-type lines. One belongs to Chimchar, the other to Ponyta. Turn down the fire monkey and you go without the type for the entire adventure.

This Sinnoh Pokédex has exactly 151 entries, from Turtwig at number 001 to Manaphy at number 151 — the same total as the first-generation Pokédex, a coincidence players were quick to notice.

Another, more trivial curiosity: this is the first time that, in the very first battle, the rival's Pokémon isn't at level 5. And it's also the first time the Pokémon Professor doesn't live in the player's hometown.

The Legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh

Dialga, exclusive to Diamond, embodies time; Palkia, exclusive to Pearl, embodies space. Both are caught at Spear Pillar at the end of the main story, and both are Dragon type, paired with Steel for one and Water for the other.

The lake trio — Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf — can be caught after the adventure. Uxie waits patiently at Lake Acuity and Azelf at Lake Valor, but Mesprit starts roaming all over the region, which makes it one of the most frustrating catches of the generation.

The third dragon of local mythology is indeed there, contrary to a stubborn misconception: Giratina can be caught as early as Diamond and Pearl, in Turnback Cave, once you have the National Pokédex. You reach it via Spring Path, east of Route 214, past Sendoff Spring. However, it only appears there in its Altered Forme, and it isn't listed in the regional Pokédex.

The rest of the cast has to be earned after the League: Heatran at Stark Mountain, Regigigas asleep beneath the temple in Snowpoint City, and Cresselia which also roams. The National Pokédex is required to unlock these encounters.

😴 Regigigas sleeps beneath Snowpoint Temple, and you need the National Pokédex to go and disturb it: our Pokémon cushions set you up for the same nap on your couch, no unlock conditions required.

Finally, four creatures were reserved for the official distributions of the time: Manaphy, whose Egg came from Pokémon Ranger and which produces Phione through breeding, as well as Darkrai, Shaymin and Arceus. Those three can't be found during the adventure: Darkrai and Shaymin are caught in-game once you've received the item handed out during an official distribution, over a limited window, while Arceus was given out directly by distribution.

Version exclusives

As always, the two cartridges don't offer the same wildlife, and completing the Pokédex remains a two-cartridge project. The list is long and spans several generations, not just Sinnoh's newcomers.

Diamond's exclusives include Seel and Dewgong, Scyther and Scizor, Murkrow and Honchkrow, the line from Larvitar up to Tyranitar, Poochyena and Mightyena, the family of Aron, Kecleon, the fossil Cranidos and Stunky and Skuntank.

Pearl mirrors this with Slowpoke and Slowbro, Pinsir, Misdreavus and Mismagius, Slowking, the line from Bagon up to Salamence, Houndour and Houndoom, the family of Spheal, Stantler, the fossil Shieldon and Glameow and Purugly.

The split follows a clear logic: each version gets its own line of supremely powerful Pokémon, Larvitar on one side, Bagon on the other, and its own exclusive fossil, Cranidos's skull versus Shieldon's armor. The biggest difference, of course, remains Dialga versus Palkia.

Beyond that, the two cartridges differ more subtly: the box art, of course, and the encounter rates of certain species on the same routes.

What players remember

For many, the first memory is the opening up to the world. Putting a Pokémon up on the GTS and getting back a creature with a nickname written in Japanese or Korean was, in 2007, a new and slightly dizzying experience for a handheld game.

The second is Cynthia. The Sinnoh League Champion, with her Garchomp and her battle theme, is regularly cited as the toughest opponent in the entire main series. Many players remember exactly where they got stuck.

The third, less glorious, is the slow pace of the game. Diamond and Pearl's battle animations, especially when a Pokémon takes damage over several turns, left a painful memory. Platinum would largely fix this.

Players also complained a lot about the overly narrow regional Pokédex: few Fire types, no fourth-generation evolutions for most lines before the National Pokédex, and Gym Leaders who don't always use Pokémon of their own type. Here again, Platinum would answer every point.

Last but not least, there's the Underground and its bases, which kept entire schoolyards busy. Digging in groups of four, trapping each other, trading spheres: it's one of the few features in the series designed from the start for local multiplayer.

The press, for its part, was warm: the Metacritic average reaches 85 out of 100, IGN gave it 8.5 out of 10, Famitsu 35 out of 40 and Jeuxvideo.com 15 out of 20.

The numbers: the Nintendo DS's biggest hit

The official figures leave no room for doubt. On its sales-by-title page, Nintendo credited Pokémon Diamond and Pearl with 17.67 million units as of March 31, 2023, a total since confirmed by The Pokémon Company's cumulative data.

That total puts the pair in fifth place in the official ranking of Nintendo DS software, behind New Super Mario Bros., Nintendogs, Mario Kart DS and Brain Age. No other Pokémon game on the console does better.

For a sense of scale: on the same list, Pokémon Black and White Versions follow with 15.64 million, and HeartGold and SoulSilver with 12.72 million. The fourth generation dominates the DS era by a wide margin.

The launch came with promotional items that have since become collectibles. In Japan, preordering Pearl got you a Palkia figure by Kaiyodo, preordering Diamond a Dialga figure, and preordering both added a figure of the three starters. Elsewhere in the world, preorders came with a stylus featuring the version's Legendary.

🖊️ In Japan, preordering Pearl got you a Kaiyodo figure; elsewhere, the preorder bonus was just a stylus featuring the version's Legendary. With our Pokémon accessories, you get to choose the little item you keep close at hand, whatever cartridge is slotted into your DS.

The legacy of Diamond and Pearl

The main legacy is mechanical, and it's still in effect: the physical/special split introduced here still governs every Pokémon battle, twenty years later. No other overhaul in the series has had such a lasting impact.

The second legacy is social. The GTS laid the groundwork for everything that followed — Wonder Trade, Surprise Trade, Pokémon HOME — by establishing the idea that a player can complete their Pokédex without knowing anyone who owns the other version.

The fourth generation also served as a big catch-up session for older Pokémon: it gave evolutions to forgotten species, from Magnezone to Togekiss, from Mamoswine to Gallade, and two more Eeveelutions in Leafeon and Glaceon. Many of them, however, only made it into the regional Pokédex in Platinum.

As for Sinnoh, it has returned twice. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, in 2021, offer a faithful adaptation on Nintendo Switch, while Pokémon Legends: Arceus tells the story of the same region in the days of Hisui, centuries earlier.

Finally, it's hard to overstate how iconic some of the creatures born here have become. Lucario has become a mascot in its own right and Garchomp a fixture of competitive play. You'll find both of them widely featured in our plush toys and our figures.

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl at a glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• What's the difference between Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl?
  The main difference is the Legendary: Dialga, the Pokémon of time, can be caught in Diamond, and Palkia, the Pokémon of space, in Pearl. On top of that, each version has its own exclusive species, such as Larvitar and Cranidos in Diamond and Bagon and Shieldon in Pearl, as well as different encounter rates on certain routes.
• When were Pokémon Diamond and Pearl released in France?
  On July 27, 2007, as part of the European release. The games had been available in Japan since September 28, 2006 and in North America since April 22, 2007: ten months separate the Japanese release from the French one.
• What is the fourth generation's physical/special split?
  Up to the third generation, a move was physical or special depending on its type: every Fire move was special, every Rock move was physical. Since Diamond and Pearl, each move is classified individually. It has been the rule in every game since, and it redefined competitive play.
• Can you catch Giratina in Diamond and Pearl?
  Yes. Contrary to a common misconception, Giratina isn't exclusive to Platinum: you can already catch it in Diamond and Pearl, in Turnback Cave, reached via Spring Path east of Route 214 once you have the National Pokédex. However, it only appears there in its Altered Forme, and it isn't listed in Sinnoh's regional Pokédex.
• How many new Pokémon are there in Diamond and Pearl?
  107 new species, which make up the fourth generation. Sinnoh's regional Pokédex, for its part, has 151 entries, from Turtwig to Manaphy, and mixes newcomers with Pokémon from previous generations.
• How many copies did Pokémon Diamond and Pearl sell?
  About 17.67 million copies worldwide according to The Pokémon Company's cumulative data; that total of 17.67 million is the figure Nintendo publishes on its official sales-by-title page. It's the best-selling Pokémon game on the Nintendo DS, and the console's fifth-best-selling title in Nintendo's official ranking.

In short

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl hold a special place: they're both the games that brought the series into mainstream online play and the ones that quietly rewrote the most fundamental rule of Pokémon battles. Sinnoh may be a cold, rugged region, but it was home to the franchise's two most decisive turning points.

The game wasn't perfect — an overly narrow regional Pokédex, slow battles — and its flaws go a long way toward explaining the existence of Platinum. But its influence has never waned: the GTS and the move overhaul still shape the series today.

Want to keep Dialga, Palkia or Garchomp within reach? Our legendaries section and our selection of starter products cover Sinnoh's entire cast.