Pokemon Crimson Red

“Pokemon Crimson Red” is a Completed GBA Rom Hack made by Noodle_00. Explore a tough ROM hack that reimagines classic gameplay with harder battles, smarter AI, and strategic twists.

Pokemon Crimson Red Completed GBA Rom Hack

• Creator: Noodle_00
• Base ROM: Completed
• Language: English
• Latest Version: v2.5.2
• Last Updated on: June 26, 2025
• Status: Completed

Also Check Out: Pokemon Emerald Mini

Description

Pokemon Crimson Red is a ROM hack of Pokemon FireRed that offers a fresh, more challenging experience. It takes the classic Pokemon gameplay and reworks it with tougher battles, smarter AI, and new strategies that will push even the most skilled trainers to their limits. This isn’t just another ROM hack—it’s made for hardcore players who want a real challenge!

Features

• Tougher Trainer Battles
• Gen 8 Pokemon & Mechanics
• Dexnav
• Better moves, items, and smarter AI for opponents
• Players get more Pokemon
• All held items available for purchase from city vendors
• 3 rivals to challenge
• Major map changes
• 400+ hidden items, including Poké Balls
• Optional boss battles for rewards like items or Pokemon
• Legendary Pokemon to catch
• Explore the Sevii Islands
• Post-game battles (Sevii Islands are part of the main story)
• New story/lore?
• Quality of Life (QoL) improvements
• Rare Candies available for easier leveling
• And more surprises!

What makes this game different to some other FireRed ROM hacks like Radical Red?

1. Improved Overworld Exploration

• Many early and some later routes are completely revamped with new NPCs, items, and hidden items.
• Hidden Items are scattered throughout the map under rocks. These can include battle items, berries, Poke Balls, and evolution items.

Example on Route 1:

• 3 rocks with hidden items:
  • 1 Protect Pad
  • 10 Elixir
  • 1 Ultra Ball
• A Mach Bike hidden in the grass in a Poke Ball.
• An NPC tutor teaches Vacuum Wave.

Not all routes are like this, but many offer new secrets to discover.

2. Tougher Trainers & Boss Battles

• Crimson Red isn’t meant to be an “impossible” hack, but it raises the difficulty compared to the base game, making trainers harder without being unfair.
• Gym Leaders have:
  • 6 Pokemon
  • Full held items
  • Diverse movesets
  • Advanced AI
  • Unique battle music

Some Gym Leaders may even use Pokemon that don’t match their type.

• Fairness is a key focus, especially in the early game. You’ll get a lot of held items to counter enemy Pokemon, many of which are the same items used by the Gym Leaders themselves.
• The difficulty gradually increases, peaking at the 3rd May Battle and the Elite Four.
• Creative Trainer battles – no more easy wins with just one move.
• There’s also a Custom Nuzlocke variant for an extra challenge.

3. Quality of Life Improvements

• You’ll get 120 Rare Candies before facing the first trainer.
• After Brock, you’ll find hundreds more Rare Candies, along with:
  • 3 Bikes
  • Full Restores
  • Max Revives
  • Max Elixirs
  • A variety of held items from Gen 8.

Different Variants

Nuzlocke+ Variant

• HC Nuzlocke Rules
• No TMs
• No Megas
• No Z-Moves

The Hardcore+ Nuzlocke Variant

• HC nuzlocke rules
• Pokemon from overworld Pokeballs (such as Boss battle Pokemon) count as the route encounter
• No Legendaries / Mythicals
• Every Optional Boss is mandatory
• No Items from City Vendors
• Cerulean Cave
• No Z-Moves
• Wipe = Reset
• Might be Impossible due to Elite Four But if you want you can play with it

What’s new in version 2.5

Overworld:

• Every rock has a Hidden Item under it
• Most routes are remade but layout of the region stays the same
• New berries are planted across remade routes
• Berries cannot be regrown and are limited
• Gym Leaders can be done in (mostly) any order

New Areas:

• Brock is moved to the Sevii Islands
• Navel Rock is a new Aqua Hideout
• Magma Hideout is a gateway between Kanto and the Sevii Islands
• Exploration starts at Three Island – Two Island – One Island – Four Island – Five Island – Six Island – Seven Island
• Pewter City Museum has 2 extra floors
• Most Routes fully or partly changed
• Sevii Islands are now mandatory and can be traveled through with warps or Fly

Battle:

• Pokemon, abilities, items, etc. are updated to Gen 8
• Enemy teams have perfect IVs
• Enemy teams do not have any EVs
• Trainers that have “[Optional]” in the Trainer Documentation don’t have to be fought and guard a Golden Bottle cap (read about them in mechanics)
• Trainers that have “[Optional]” and say “[Guards item]” reward the player with the item once defeated (duh)
• Every trainer has been level scaled to have every Pokemon be the same as the highest level in the player’s party
• Every wild Pokemon has their level scaled to be the same as the lowest level in the player’s party
• Pokemon AI is in the Trainer AI document in the google drive so don’t look for it here

Visual:

• Battle backgrounds are visually changed
• Battle backgrounds may change during battles
• Battle UI is changed
• Player sprite is changed
• Some overworld sprites are changed

Mechanics:

• Gen 8 Battle system
• Multiple new currencies
• G. Bottle Cap (currency) – Unlocked after beating any optional boss fight, can be used to exchange for 1 random starter Pokemon besides (Popplio, Treecko, Fennekin, Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Sprigatito, Quaxly, Fuecoco) in the Celadon Casino.
• Heart Scale (currency) – Found all across the map (all locations are documented), can be given to the Move Maniac on Route 4 to relearn a move.
• Berries are all across the map and cannot regrow

Pokemon:

• Rotom can change forms with the evolution stones (fire stone, water stone, etc.)
• Zacian can change forms with Rusty Sword as an evolution item
• Luvdisc evolves into Alomomola
• Raticate is Normal-Dark type

Game Related Stuff

Download Pokemon Crimson Red

Also Check Out: Pokemon Crimson Red Cheat Codes

Previous Versions

Screenshots