On September 21, 2026, the official Japanese account Poké Times posted a 30-second clip of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire with unusually crisp visuals. Fans read it as a hint of a Switch port, following the same pattern as FireRed and LeafGreen back in February. Nothing has been confirmed by Nintendo or The Pokémon Company.
I watched that clip a few times before writing this, and I get why people are excited. After fifteen years selling Pokémon-themed items, I know a stealth tease when I see one. Here is what the footage actually shows, separated from what fans want it to mean.
What does the Poké Times video actually show?
The clip shows the player inside Mr. Briney's house on Route 104, chasing his Wingull Peeko as it circles the table. The post's caption, translated from Japanese, reads "Hey, hey! Wait, wait, Peeko-chan!", tagged with the hashtags for Japan's Respect for the Aged Day and a nod to Mr. Briney's Japanese nickname, Hagi Roujin.
The clip runs exactly 30 seconds, the Switch's native video-capture limit, and the view counter was sitting at 19.7 million when I took the screenshot. Poké Times is not a fan account, it is an official news channel run by The Pokémon Company in Japan, which is exactly why every pixel of this post got picked apart.
Why do fans think this points to a Switch port?
The colours are noticeably more vivid than the original 2002 Game Boy Advance games, and crucially, they do not match the official footage of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the 2014 3DS remake. Several players instead compared it to a very specific look: the one from FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch, released just months earlier.
"This is definitely Gen 3 running on some kind of emulator," reads one comment picked up by Vice. Official Pokémon accounts are known for never posting emulated footage at random, which keeps the speculation alive. The more cautious explanation is that Poké Times simply used an in-house emulator for this celebratory post, with no link to an actual release.
The real precedent: FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch
FireRed and LeafGreen launched as a digital-only Switch eShop exclusive on February 27, 2026, at $19.99 each, for the franchise's 30th anniversary. The results beat expectations: over 4 million copies sold in four months according to TheGamer, ranking it among the best recent launches for an old Pokémon game.
That precedent, not just the September 21 video, is what really fuels the rumour. Nintendo Life reports that after the February launch, dataminers found code in the game referencing Switch support for Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald. Vice adds that insiders were already claiming back in August that an Emerald announcement was coming in September, though nothing has surfaced since. I covered this exact pattern of old games coming back in my piece on every Pokémon game released on Nintendo DS: Nintendo knows how to keep a generation alive long after its original release.
Two details stood out to me on the official screenshots of that port. First, the Pallet Town opening screen shows a new tagline, "Shades of your journey await", absent from both the Game Boy Advance and 3DS versions. Second, the post-Elite Four Sevii Islands content is fully there, sailable by Surf between the islands exactly as in the original. This is not a graphics-only reskin bolted onto the old code, it is the complete game.
What is confirmed, and what is not?
Nothing is official: neither Nintendo nor The Pokémon Company has announced a Ruby and Sapphire port, on Switch or Switch 2. What exists instead are three clues pointing the same direction without confirming each other.
First clue, the September 21 video and its unusual visual quality. Second clue, the code dataminers found after FireRed and LeafGreen launched in February. Third clue, the insider rumour about an Emerald announcement in September, which has led nowhere so far. Three threads that line up, zero confirmation: that is exactly where the FireRed and LeafGreen rumour stood before its official reveal.
| Version | Year | Platform | Status as of September 22, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby and Sapphire | 2002 | Game Boy Advance | Original, no longer sold new |
| Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire | 2014 | Nintendo 3DS | Official remake, 3DS eShop closed since 2023 |
| FireRed and LeafGreen | 2026 | Nintendo Switch (eShop) | Available, $19.99, over 4 million copies sold |
| Ruby and Sapphire on Switch | unannounced | presumed Switch | Rumour only, September 21 2026 video |
If the port happens, what would it change for players?
A port faithful to what FireRed and LeafGreen did would keep all of the original content, including Sky Pillar. That is where Rayquaza is caught post-game in the original Ruby and Sapphire, no Emerald required, a detail plenty of players missed back then without a guide. It is the same Pokémon behind our Mega Rayquaza crystal LED Poké Ball.
The other thread tying these games together is the Game Link Cable transfer. FireRed and LeafGreen let players send Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle over to Ruby and Sapphire, a mechanic that introduced a whole generation of Hoenn players to Charizard before they ever met one in the wild. Our Charizard crystal LED Poké Ball is a direct nod to that bridge between Kanto and Hoenn.
On timing, one TheGamer writer floats, with zero confirmation of any kind, a window around Pokémon Day in February 2027, exactly a year after FireRed and LeafGreen. That is a writer's guess, not a leak, and I would not print it without that word attached.
Until anything is announced, our light-up Poké Ball collection is still the best way to keep a piece of Hoenn on your desk, port or no port.
Frequently asked questions about Ruby and Sapphire on Switch
Are Ruby and Sapphire really coming to Nintendo Switch?
Nothing is confirmed. The September 21, 2026 video, the code found by dataminers after FireRed and LeafGreen's launch, and an insider rumour about Emerald all point the same way, but Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have made no announcement so far.
What does the Poké Times video actually show?
A 30-second clip of the player chasing Mr. Briney's Wingull, Peeko, around his house on Route 104. Posted on September 21, 2026, for Japan's Respect for the Aged Day, it reached 19.7 million views.
Did FireRed and LeafGreen really launch on Switch?
Yes, on February 27, 2026, as a digital-only eShop exclusive, priced at $19.99 each. The post-Elite Four Sevii Islands content is included, and the game passed 4 million copies sold in four months according to TheGamer.
Is Pokémon Emerald part of the rumour too?
Yes. Vice reports that insiders were claiming as early as August 2026 that an Emerald announcement was coming in September, and Nintendo Life mentions Emerald references in the code found by dataminers. Neither lead has led to a confirmation.
Where do you catch Rayquaza in the original Ruby and Sapphire?
At Sky Pillar, on Route 131, reachable post-game after beating the Pokémon League. You then need the Mach Bike to cross the crumbling floor sections leading to the top. That holds true for both the Game Boy Advance originals and the Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire remakes, no Emerald needed.
Can you still play Ruby and Sapphire today?
Only secondhand: original Game Boy Advance cartridges, or Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire on 3DS, whose eShop closed in 2023. Neither is sold new or available digitally right now.
Image credits: screenshot of the @poke_times post on X; Switch port screenshots of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen sourced from Nintendo Life; Ruby and Sapphire artwork sourced from Pokemon.com. Characters and games © Nintendo / Creatures / GAME FREAK / The Pokémon Company. Sources: Nintendo Life, Vice, TheGamer, GamesRadar+, Gaming Reinvented.
