9 Best Pokemon Ruby ROM Hacks of 2024

There are so many different Pokemon Ruby ROM hacks out there that it can be hard to know which ones you should play through. If you’re wondering which hacks are the best options, you’re going to love this article. We’ll be breaking down our list of the top ROM hacks, the features they have, and why they’re the absolute best of the best.

It’s incredible the amount of work and dedication that developers in the Pokemon game community put into these hacks. Some of them feel like entirely new games and when you look at everything in them, they honestly sometimes are.

Enough of a backstory, let’s jump into the games and get to playing.

What Are The Best Pokemon Ruby ROM Hacks?

1. Pokemon – Light Platinum

Despite this hack’s name, it’s actually not a Pokemon Platinum ROM hack, but instead Pokemon Light Platinum is a skillful remake of Pokemon Ruby that has lots of quality of life improvements and additions. It’s one of the best Pokemon ROM hacks for Ruby that exist. It transforms the original game into an entirely different experience. It borrows heavily from the 4th generation of Pokemon games and ultimately stands out with all of its rich features and solid gameplay..

In Pokemon Light Platinum, you get to explore the newly introduced region Zhery. In this area, players get to explore all around and challenge all new Gym Leaders and a difficult set of Elite Four members. This game is challenging, but not overly so to the point of it being a fault. It is difficult, but is done in such a way that it feels fair.

There are a lot of different Pokemon species from different regions here, like Johto, Kanto, Hoenn, and even the Sinnoh region. Because there’s such a diverse cast of Pokemon included in this hack, including starter Pokemon, the player really has the ability to assemble a solid team to take on challengers.

The game encourages players to explore and check out new areas to find hidden treasures and obscure rare Pokemon in different locations. The hack also includes legendary Pokemon and players that players can attempt to capture and add to their team.

Pokemon Light Platinum looks fantastic visually and in comparison to Ruby, it really does a good job of surpassing it with the new sprites and tiles that have been added to it. The added Pokemon World Championship is an awesome ending to a great game that leads to a quite satisfying moment when you are able to master it and conclude your epic journey.

Light Platinum is one of the best Pokemon games on our list and one that we highly recommend you check out. It’s first on our list of Ruby hacks for a reason after all!

2. Pokémon Quartz

Pokemon Quartz is a Pokemon ROM hack where players head out on an adventure across the Corna region and encounter and catch a wide range of distinct and rare Pokemon.

Along your journey across this new land you’ll meet up with all sorts of new Trainers that you haven’t seen before, each with their own quirky and unique personalities and characteristics. The attention to detail in this game is great and gives it a whole deeper sense of lore. Every single encounter with wild Pokemon and with random Trainers will bring all sorts of challenges your way that you’ll have to overcome as you progress.

This hack has a total of 386 entirely new Pokémon to find and try to catch. All of these new Pokemon will leave you wanting to continue to explore and see what others you haven’t yet found to add to your team. Some are more silly and charming while others are quite powerful and fierce, always keeping you on the hunt.

The Corna region is well designed with even more attention to detail placed on its layout and mapping. Across your journey, you’ll embark through jungles and forests, hike up mountains, travel through new and bustling cities, and of course no Pokemon game would be complete without the addition of caves.

3. Pokémon – Snakewood

This Pokémon hack allows its players to trek through different unique locations such as the Meathouse, the Isle of Calm, and the Hoenn University of Cinema. You’ll encounter Zombia Pokémon, six Denjuu, 40-50 “Fakemon”, some secret evolutions of existing Pokémon (which we won’t spoint), and even some evil legendary Pokemon.

In Pokémon Snakewood, five Isshu (Unova) Pokémon and seven Sinnoh Pokémon also make an appearance.

In Snakewood, a zombie invasion is taking place and most of the gyms in the area have been destroyed. Players will need to to earn badges in unique ways to progress through the story. Some Pokémon also have their types changed and without giving too much away, there’s also a mysterious pet store that’s run by a Count that you’ll discover.

You’ll meet some salty characters in the game who will go to any lengths to trick you and lead you into unexpected twists in the story. This ROM hack has all kinds of throwback numerous references to different films, manga, other game hacks, and various pop culture inuendos. It’s a fun play through that doesn’t exactly take itself too seriously and is a fun wacky time to play through.

The plot in Pokémon Snakewood is a bit darker yet slightly more challenging than most traditional Pokemon games you’ll be used to. Give it a shot, it’s a wacky, fun time.

4. Pokémon Orange – Pokémon Naranja

In case you didn’t catch the reference from this hack’s name, in Pokémon Orange – Pokémon Naranja, players go on an adventure to none other than the Pokemon Orange Islands. The Orange Archipelago is home to Pokémon from Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn regions and subsequently has tons of new Pokemon to encounter.

This game starts off at the beginning of the 2nd season of the Pokémon anime and throughout it, players will progress through Ash’s journey from the show. Your quest is to obtain all four of the badges that Ash picked up on his journey.

Pokémon in this game have higher levels and the game has plenty of 2-vs-2 Pokemon battles. The visuals are nice here and definitely one of the most noteworthy parts of the game. You’ll enjoy the designs as you explore through the area’s lush beaches, clear blue waters, and pass by its bushy palm trees.

You get to play as either Ash or Misty and other characters from the anime will tag along and make appearances throughout. Both the Mew VS Mewtwo and Pokémon 2000 movies are worked into the storyline and make things even more interesting.

Pokemon orange – Pokemon Naranja is a fun play through and has new maps, new Pokémon, and new trainers. Give it a shot, you definitely won’t be disappointed.

5. Pokémon Ruby Destiny I – Reign of Legends

Pokémon Ruby Destiny Reign of Legends is the first of a series of games in the Ruby Destiny trilogy of ROM hacks. This hack takes players to the Gento region where the game unveils a real-time chronology that really ads to the overall storyline. You’ll get to witness what is the insane Pokemon mega power of Dark Lugia, a Pokemon force that is ultimately bent on completely eradicating the Gento region of everything and disrupting the sheer balance of the entire world.

Sounds epic, right? The story in this hack is quite intricate and is set against the backdrop of the Gento region where Dark Lugia’s presence looms in the distance, threatening to wreak havoc and completely disrupt the world’s fabric of being. Your mission is to take on this challenge by crafting and honing your skills and ultimately taking down Dark Lugia’s while facing the diabolic forces you’re up against.

The Pokemon Ruby Destiny trilogy is known for its deeply compelling narrative driven gameplay which will leave you wanting to continue progressing to see what happens next. It takes numerous unexpected turns and will always leave you second guessing.

With the stakes this high, the region’s destiny and the very essence of life rests on your shoulders. No sweat though, because you’ve got this! As you play through, you’ll unveil the mysteries of Gento and engage in awesome action filled battles all while discovering the full extent of Dark Lugia’s destructive prowess and working to defeat him.

The rest of the trilogy also concludes the storyline and includes other games like Pokémon Prism and Pokemon Emerald Rogue which further expand the Pokémon universe and the game’s lore.

6. Pokemon – Battle Fire

In Pokemon Battle Fire, you and your family settle into the Macavayenn Town and everything seems normal at first, however, unbeknownst to you, a sinister group of baddies called Vyris begins to wreak havoc in the nearby Ernah Region. The plan they’re carrying out involves awakening Virus Lugia, a cybernetic replica of the the actual Pokemon Lugia, and using it to take control over the entire region.

The game has great visuals that have been revamped and the graphics are very nice to look at. There are a total of 202 newly introduced Pokemon for you to come across and catch to build out your team. You’ll also come across fresh new heroes in the game, newly introduced gym leaders, an elite E4 squad, and the evil group Vyris.

The Ernah region is well designed and laid out and and is set as a great backdrop as you go along your journey. There’s all sorts of new terrains to cover, hidden secrets to uncover, and various different obstacles to overcome as you overtake the evil Vyris’ plans.

7. Pokemon Topaz

In Pokemon Topaz, you play as a novice Team Rocket grunt recruit that’s sent on a mission by the man the myth the legend, Giovanni himself. The organization’s leader wants you to set out and capture rare Pokemon in the Topaz region. These creatures are crucial to research that is being performed and could lead to a financial windfall for Team Rocket if you succeed.

The story starts when you receive a promotion from Giovanni and end up in Shawford. The Pokemon Police make you head to your new home and begin exploring all that the Topaz region has to offer. The Topaz region is home to over 200 unique Pokemon for you to run into and try to catch for your mission.

The game is a bit challenging and is filled with characters that you’ll face off against. These include an array of trainers who will test your skills and strategies as a team. The maps of the Topaz region include hidden treasures and surprises for you to explore and find. Pokemon Mezame and Pokemon Weathered Ruby are also incorporated in this hack and add some additional playtime and story.

8. Pokemon Ultra Quartz – Lets Go! Blobbos

This enhanced version of the Pokemon Quartz hack takes the original 2006 ROM hack experience and kicks it up a few notches, giving it a more modern feel. The initial hack was crafted for the Le Ruse Bird drunken funtime twitch stream which most people reading this probably have absolutely no idea what that is. I sure didn’t and had to look it up!

The game is fun though and has plenty of updates and quality of life improvements. The game contains over 386 “Fakemon” with all new stats and movesets added, which isn’t anything to scoff. Unlike the original, where they merely had stats of the original Pokemon from the game that they replaced, the new Fakemon now have their own unique characteristics and feel like completely new creatures from the ground up.

You can immediately get the National Dex can can now find and capture nearly any Pokemon throughout the game.

This new hack is more difficult that the original and players can now look forward to more challenging battles and unique encounters as they progress throughout the game.

9. Pokémon: Ruby – Festa 2002 Demo Recreation

This rom hack brings back the Pokémon Ruby Demo that was originally shown at the Pokémon Festa 2002 event. It’s been created specifically for Ruby v1.0 and the authenticity of this hack’s recreation to stay true to the original demo is quite remarkable. It is primarily based on a translated Japanese fan site of the Festa 2002 event, some early demo gameplay footage, and a Festa Demo TCRF article.

This Pokemon ROM hack features a random selection of playable characters like Brendan or May and has updated move animations for certain moves like Absorb/Leech Seed, Surf, Gust, and also Confuse Ray. Trainer money and experience points gained are adjusted to those from the available demo materials. Bags now only contain Items and Berry pockets.

Some major and minor sprite improvements have been added and this ROM hack recreation also has some cool tilemap and tileset modifications. Taillow’s type has even been changed to now be only Flying type, that’s how deep the creator went to ensure that this hack was truly authentic to the original demo.

Summary

We’ve covered quite the assortment of Ruby ROM hacks in this article. Everything from Zombie Pokemon to recreations of the game’s demo from back in the day. There’s really something here for everyone and if you’re a Pokemon Ruby fan, you’re bound to have a great time playing through these.