I'll be honest, most of the time in Pokemon games, especially in the Gameboy, DS & 3DS era, I either never notice or there isnt a location/background whenever you enter a battle. It's normally a blank screen/default battle screen where your Pokemon are present and all battle information is presented all over the screen. However, when Pokemon made a jump to 3D platforms, especially on the Gamecube & Switch, the location & battle screens are no longer a bore. You actually got to battle in the environment you're in and sometimes the environment interacts with you.

Here are some of my personal favorite battle locations throughout the Pokemon games.

1. Phenac Stadium-Pokemon Colosseum

Phenac City, a beautiful desert town filled with waterfalls and rivers galore, is inspired by real life Venice Italy. Phenac Stadium is the stadium located at the very back of the city and much like the rest of the town, this stadium is filled with water works. The entire stadium is surrounded by a channel of water, there's waterfalls and the centerpiece of this stadium is a large globe looking piece that gives those present in the stadium the feel as if they're beneath water. This stadium is the 1st stadium the player can challenge in Pokemon Colosseum's story mode & is the default stadium when playing in the Quick Battle mode. As a child till now, I've always dreamt of just how cool this place would be in real life and can just imagine just how awesome it'd be to actually battle in a stadium such as this.

2. Dr. Kaminko's Laboratory-Pokemom XD Gale Of Darkness

There ain't too many scary locations in the Pokemon universe but the fact that you can battle at a mad scientists lab is just awesome in and of itself from the gloomy atmosphere, the Frankenstein inspired laboratory in the background shooting electricity, the large dried up fountain with an ornamental Groundon statue in its center too, not to forget all the dead trees lining the property. This place is a horror or Halloween lovers dream to battle within not to forget how you get a truly unique experience battling a mechanical Groundon here as well! I loved how in Pokemon XD you were tasked with returning to this location a few times and each visit gifted us with a battle on such a spooky location.

3. Spikemuth/Piers' Concert-Pokemon Sword & Shield

The 7th gym badge in Sword & Shield tasks the player with traversing an icy ocean before they approach a city so small it can fit in a storage locker. No joke! Spikemuth is the equivalent of a gated community. Within Spikemuth the town is very dark, only illuminated with neon lights and signs. The entire town is over run with dark vibes, trash, Galarian Zigzagoon (of which is a raccoon Pokemon if you aren't aware. Thus it's a bandit looking Pokemon in an already shady town), rock n roll music and Marnie's fan club. This entire town/the entire Spikemuth Gym Challenge is such a treat in and of itself from having to figure out puzzles lied out by Team Yell, having fun banter with Yell and battling it out with them while at the end of it all lies Piers, the Dark Type Gym Leader, giving a concert for the town to enjoy.  His concert is decked out in chain link cages, neon lights, spotlights and musical amps and it's as if the player IS a part of the concert when they challenge Piers. It was so much fun getting a different Gym music theme of metal & Rock n Roll besides the overdone OG theme and its such a treat interacting with Piers while he multitasks between battling the player and giving his concert.

4. Wyndon Stadium-Pokemon Sword & Shield

Although MOST of the stadiums/gym challenges in Sword & Shield look almost exactly the same but with minor differences such as colors or which gym leader logo each stadium has on display, I will admit that the final stadium, the Wyndon Stadium, takes the cake. From how the outside of the gym is an architectural masterpiece as it's a gigantic neon rose from how the entire atmosphere of this stadium just defeats all the others. The stadium is much larger than the others, while you battle confetti decorates the atmosphere AND this place is for large events such as the Champion Battle or in the case in the anime, this is the Stadium that's hosting the Masters Eight Tournament aka The Tournament that decides who's the best trainer in the world. It's for the atmosphere alone that Wyndon Stadium is one of my favorite locations in the entire game.

5. Magma Colosseum-Pokemon Battle Revolution

Yup, I'm delving into a VERY forgotten Pokemon game. Although I've dumped 100+ hours into this game, I won't deny this game deserves to be forgotten as it is a boring game as an adult😅 However, one thing Battle Revolution did RIGHT was the sheer amount of beauty and detail they gave each Colosseum. Each Colosseum was breathtaking and unique in their own right. NOTHING that Pokemon had given us prior to its release such as an entire Colosseum inside of a planetarium or a waterfall. However, Magma Colosseum was something else entirely. This Colosseum was built INSIDE a volcano as the player and opponent battle atop a platform sitting atop lava. Not only did Pokemom go the extra mile to actually animate heat waves into the atmosphere to show just how painfully hot the inside of a volcano is, but the Master of Magma Colosseum is a man dressed in a Groundon Suit. Talk about themeing to its finest.

6. Crystal Colosseum-Pokemon Battle Revolution

Tagging along with the previous entry, Pokemon Battle Revolution had breathtakingly beautiful and expertly themed colosseums. Crystal Colosseum is a Colosseum built within a cave cavern that's FILLED with glowing crystals. This location, in my opinion, inspired other locations that came later in the Pokemon series such as Chargestone Cave in Pokemon Black & White or Reflection Cave from Pokemon X & Y. I've always loved Crystal Colosseum as it's a really cool location on top of how the all sounds from the Pokemon Battling or the game announcer would echo as it's, of course, in a cave!

7. Lusamine's Museum-Pokemon Ultra Sun & Moon

I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of this location in the games BUT it's a unique location to say the least. During your playthrough of Pokemon Ultra Sun & Moon, you approach Lusamine in her private room within the Aether Foundation in hopes to get Nebby back only to realize just WHAT is in Lusamine's room before she gladly explains what you're witnessing. This woman had forcefully put Pokemon into a statuesque state, JUST like the whole Carbonite thing in Star Wars. Lusamine even went onto explain how she feels sorry for the Pokemon BUT she did it to them for her own dirty and selfish interest. And then you enact a battle with Lusamine and right in the background of the fight you see all the Pokemon she had wrongfully experimented on. It's definitely a morbid battling location, but one to mention never the less.

8. The Energy Plant-Pokemon Sword & Shield

Although literally everything in the climax of Sword & Shield was over within the blink of the eye, this IS a pretty cool location. Too bad you only ever get to experience it once. As the player you force yourself into the underground energy plant where you find Chairman Rose who had successfully awakened a Legendary Pokemon from outer space. What you witness is the sheer amount of damage Eternatus had brought down onto the plant despite how ALOT of the plant is untouched. The place is riddled with bright light and technologically advanced equipment on top of how you face off against Rose in the middle of all the chaos. Let's not forget how you could Dynamax in this fight as well when prior it was only available during Gym battles. It was a location fitting for a fight against the mastermind of the game.

9. Mystery Carnival-Pokken Tournament

Moving away from the traditional Pokemon games, Pokken Tournament did have one location in particular that I've been in love with upon first sight! Mystery Carnival is a battle location that takes place in a Haunted House that's Halloween themed! From all the spiderwebs, the multitude of carved pumpkins, Halloween themed garlands and how ghost Pokemon watch over your fight as bystanders like Mimikyu & Gastly, this is just such a fun and lively location that I love to battle within!

10. Pyrite Colosseum-Pokemon Colosseum

The final battle location I'm featuring in this list is another revist to Pokemon Colosseum. Pyrite Colosseum cemented itself with the next to biggest presence in Pokemom Colosseum as it has such a unique exterior that reminded me of the Epcot Ball in Disney World. Pyrite Colosseum is located in a town filled to the brim with thugs, anarchy and illegal activity as the player takes part in the Pyrite Colosseum in the first place in order to win himself an illegal Shadow Pokemon. Meanwhile the battles in the tournament itself are admittedly a bit lackluster as you're facing level 20-30 Pokemon like Baltoy, Oddish & Spoink BUT just how cool this location is has me coming back in order to level grind my weaker Pokemon. From how the stadium flags are tattered and weather beaten, there's trash all over the place, the crowd is rowdy and eager to watch the match but also how the place has seen better days as you can see girders and an entire chunk of the roof is missing. The music too is just so fun and fits the dark rugged vibe of this Colosseum.

What are some of your favorite battle locations in the game series?