Pokémon Gold & Silver vs. Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver: Full Comparison

Pokémon Gold & Silver are the sequels to Red, Green & Blue, some of the most successful video games of all time. They had big boots to fill, coming at a time when interest in the franchise was arguably at an all-time high.

Did they live up to the lofty expectations? The best way to explore is to compare them to Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver, remakes that came sometime after the release of the originals. Let’s dive straight in!

Pokémon Gold & Silver vs. Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver: Release Year and Platforms

When Pokémon Gold & Silver were released, they were the first installments of Generation II. The start of a new Generation is a huge deal within the franchise, and Pokémon Gold & Silver represented an opportunity to right any wrongs from Red, Green, & Blue. By 1999, Game Freak was no longer restricted to the Game Boy, and instead was dealing with the Game Boy Color. It was a hit, with Pokémon Gold & Silver going on to become some of the most beloved titles in the franchise.

Ten years after its initial release, Nintendo released Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver, faithful remakes of Gold & Silver for the Nintendo DS. Although they arrived three years after Generation IV’s Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, they belong to the same Generation. They use the same engine, proving to be a massive visual upgrade on the original Pokémon Gold & Silver.

Pokémon Gold & Silver vs. Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver: Sales

The consistent sales figures are one of the most impressive things about the entire Pokémon franchise. No matter what, gamers come out to support Pokémon, even almost three decades after the franchise began.

Pokémon Gold & Silver combined sold well over 23 million copies. In the franchise’s history, that puts it in third place, behind Pokémon Sword & Shield and Pokémon Red, Green & Blue. It makes sense that many of the older titles sit high on this list. In the late ’90s and early ’00s, the world was Pokémon-mad, a craze that is reflected in the sales figures.

Arriving a decade later, Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver have to date sold over 12.7 million copies. This makes it one of the lower-selling remakes the franchise has produced over the years, only eclipsing FireRed & LeafGreen (12 million). Despite this, you’d be hard-pressed to call Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver a failure – the numbers are still huge for any title.

Pokémon Gold & Silver vs. Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver: Available Pokémon

As remakes, the Pokédex in both titles are exactly the same. Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver didn’t rock the boat in this regard, as it has the potential to change how the games play massively.

Despite this, it did introduce the ability to trade Generation III and IV Pokémon into HeartGold & SoulSilver. This meant that while they weren’t featured in the base game, players would be able to obtain their newer favorites if they really wanted to.

Let’s take a look at all of the Pokémon featured in Gold, Silver, HeartGold, & SoulSilver:

Gold & Silver and HeartGold & SoulSilver Pokémon

Pokémon Gold & Silver vs. Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver: Main Characters

Pokémon Gold & Silver only allow you to play as Ethan, the male protagonist. HeartGold & SoulSilver give you the option to play as Lyra, a female protagonist earlier featured in Pokémon Crystal. It’s a great option that increases inclusivity, without affecting gameplay.

Beyond the protagonists, both games are pretty similar. Professor Elm remains the Pokémon professor in both, setting you out on your adventure. Silver is still the main rival throughout the game, while Team Rocket is the overarching threat in the story. This creates a sense of consistency throughout the games, with returning players knowing exactly what to expect.

Pokémon Gold & Silver vs. Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver: Pros and Cons

Even though functionally, Pokémon Gold, Silver, HeartGold & SoulSilver are the same games, there are still perks and downsides to each of them in 2023. Let’s take a look at the main pros and cons for each:

Pokémon Gold & Silver Pros

• Nostalgia
• Faster-paced gameplay
• Overall easier to complete

Pokémon Gold & Silver Cons

• Graphics and gameplay feel very dated

Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver Pros

• Much improved graphics
• Small amount of new locations
• First Pokémon in your party can follow you
• New minigame titled Pokéathlon allows you to compete in events
• Can battle with players in Pokémon Diamond, Pearl & Platinum
• New TMs
• Can trade with Pokémon Diamond, Pearl & Platinum to receive Generation III and IV Pokémon
• Can rematch the Elite Four
• Ability to play as a female main character

Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver Cons

• Runs slightly slower due to larger scale

Overall, if we’re choosing one to play in 2023, we have to go with Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver. The remakes are superior in most departments, simply because they’re so faithful. They don’t make any silly missteps as many remakes do – they’re simply the better games. Gold & Silver will always have the nostalgic edge, but beyond that, we don’t see many reasons to play them over the newer alternatives.

Pokémon Gold & Silver vs. Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver: The Final Details

We’ve covered a lot of what Pokemon Gold, Silver, HeartGold & SoulSilver have to offer. However, there are just a few more details to discuss.

First up is the region. All of these games take place primarily in the Johto region, which is based on the Japanese Kansai region. This is similar to Pokémon Red, Green, & Blue, where Kanto was based on a Japanese location. It wouldn’t be until later games that the franchise branched out into new inspirations.

What is most interesting about Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver‘s Johto is that it adds new areas not present in Gold & Silver. New places such as the Pokéathlon Dome, the Embedded Tower, the Frontier Front, the Battle Frontier, and the Safari Zone Gate give access to entirely new adventures and activities. In games like this, more content is never a bad thing, and are just another reason why Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver are superior.

Gold & Silver and HeartGold & SoulSilver Johto Gym Leaders

Gold & Silver and HeartGold & SoulSilver Kanto Gym Leaders

After you beat the initial games and their Elite Four, all of Gold, Silver, HeartGold & SoulSilver give you the opportunity to fly to Kanto, the region first featured in Pokémon Red, Green & Blue. There, you can battle many of the gym leaders found in the original games, with a couple of small differences. These are all of the Kanto Gym Leaders in Pokémon Gold, Silver, HeartGold & SoulSilver:

Once you’ve collected all eight of the gym badges from Johto, you can then move on to the Elite Four. At the back end of every game, the Elite Four represents the final test of your team of Pokémon, with battles that will challenge every aspect of your roster. In Gold, Silver, HeartGold & SoulSilver, the teams remain exactly the same – here they are:

Gold & Silver and HeartGold & SoulSilver Elite Four

In Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver, you have the ability to rematch the Elite Four after initially defeating them. It’s a feature that addresses one of gamers biggest complaints with Pokémon Gold & Silver. These battles are much more difficult, with each member having new Pokémon for you to defeat. All of them are higher level, too. We’ve got the lowdown on round two of the Elite Four in Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver:

HeartGold & SoulSilver Elite Four Round Two

That’s everything you need to know when deciding whether to pick up Pokémon Gold & Silver or HeartGold & SoulSilver. For us, the remakes are certainly the way to go, but that’s not to say the originals don’t have plenty to offer gamers in 2023.