Officially, we’ve only seen a sliver of Pokémon Winds and Waves following its February 2026 reveal. We know what the Winds and Waves starters are, and have a general sense of the island-heavy region featured in the open-world RPG. But a recent leak might show the exact geography Pokémon Winds and Waves players will explore come 2027, when the Nintendo exclusives are slated to release.
The newest leak stems from the account Centro Leaks, which has been at the epicenter of a number of previous Pokémon leaks largely proven to be true. For example, the account correctly revealed the new games’ title and the starters ahead of their unveiling. Most of this data stemmed from the 2024 Game Freak breach that sketched out the Japanese company’s apparent plans for the next few years.
In 2025, leakers with access to that same data trove claimed that the new games would be loosely based on Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, which comprises over 17,000 islands. A game based on such a region would theoretically have many areas to explore, including the ocean that separates all those islands. Now that trustworthy Pokémon leakers are sharing a purported Winds and Waves illustration bursting with fragmented islands, there’s good reason to believe their claims are legitimate.
According to the map shared by Centro Leaks, Pokémon Winds and Waves will have around 17 islands and many water regions — including deep-sea areas. The map will reportedly include a number of Pokémon mainstays, like hotels, ruins, power plants, and summits. Based on this Pokémon Winds and Waves map, fans can also expect the following gym types: poison, flying, fighting, steel, dark, fairy, and normal. Additionally, there are a number of intriguing concepts in the leaked map, like an apparent wasteland area, a flowing water area, and a ghost island.
While the map might be completely legitimate, it’s worth remembering that the picture originates from a 2024 leak of a game still in active development. Some of these areas, should they make it into Pokémon Winds and Waves, might be implemented differently in the final game. Some geographic details depicted in the leak may not appear at all.
Pokémon leakers say that everything in the three-minute reveal trailer for Winds and Waves was largely based on the first in-game island. If the claims about the trailer are true, then it seems that Pokémon Winds and Waves is going to be massive. Given that this will be the biggest time gap between mainline Pokémon games, it wouldn’t be shocking if Winds and Waves turns out to be the largest game in the storied franchise yet.
Once Game Freak doles out more information and players get to experience the games, we’ll know if the leaks are true. But if even a fraction of what’s being claimed right now pans out, then Pokémon fans have a lot to be excited about come 2027.
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