Detective Pikachu is a mystery-solving game released on March 23, 2018 for Nintendo 3DS. Developed by Creatures, it follows Tim Goodman, who comes to Ryme City to find his missing father, and a talking Pikachu who wears a detective cap and loves coffee. Together, they question humans and Pokémon, gather clues and investigate a mysterious substance, R, that makes Pokémon aggressive.
An extended version of a game released in Japan in 2016, it inspired the 2019 movie Pokémon Detective Pikachu and got a sequel on Nintendo Switch, Detective Pikachu Returns, in 2023.
The guide
- Getting started: our review, the tech sheet, tips on getting started, the FAQ and the gallery.
- The walkthrough: the overview of the ten chapters, linked to our detailed walkthrough.
- The characters: the humans and Pokémon of Ryme City.
- Around the game: the 2016 Japanese game, the movie and the sequel and our archives.
Playing it today
Detective Pikachu exists only on Nintendo 3DS, as a physical copy: since the 3DS eShop closed in March 2023, the digital version can no longer be purchased. It is the essential starting point before Detective Pikachu Returns, which picks up its story directly.
