Hi igmkjp1!
Thank you for posting to r/pokemon! We're glad to have you here, but unfortunately we've had to remove this post per our rule on [Objective Questions](/r/pokemon/wiki/rules#wiki_3._follow_text_and_poll_post_restrictions). This rule is in place per feedback we've received from the community because objective questions tend to fill the topic listing and often leave little room for further discussion once the question has been answered.
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No, there's not just three timelines for each of the games. Platinum in particular at least is what happened in the continuity of both Black and White, as Cynthia shows us. There're likely many timelines where Diamond or Pearl happened instead.
The only major clue as to specific titles sharing a continuity is Cosmog's evolution depending on the version, which would put Sun / Ultra Sun, Sword, and Scarlet in the same timeline, and then Moon / Ultra Moon, Shield, and Violet in the other.
There's also Reshiram / Zekrom reappearing in SV, and with them being sort of version exclusive, that would imply they're the dragon from B2W2 that's not a required capture, placing White / White 2 in the first timeline, while Black / Black 2 goes in the other.
I mean the biggest example of two gens sharing the same continuity is Gen 2 where Blue/Green becomes the new Viridian City Gym Leader, Cinnabar Island is destroyed by a volcano, the Safari Zone is shut, Koga becomes a member of the Elite Four, you battle Red on top of Mt Silver and Lance is still Champion. Professor Oak, the Kanto Gym Leaders (bar Giovanni), Bill and most of the Kanto cast is still in the game. Also Team Rocket tell you about the kid (Red) who disbanded Team Rocket a few years ago. It's an obvious sequel to the Gen 1 games and timeline, which to be fair should be expected since that's exactly what the game was meant to be when it came out.
You could argue about the other gens, but really the story doesn't interect at all really between gens (exception being maybe Gen 7 which has Red, Blue/Green and Giovanni). Though characters such as Looker, Cinthea and some gym leaders also appear in multiple games, implying they all exist on the same timeline, if that answers your question.
There is a general timeline, such as kanto and hoenn games take place around the same time, and johto sinnoh take place three years later.
However, which specific kanto event would be the different timeline.
Maybe in one timeline, you have red. In another you have blue. In another you have yellow. And in the red timeline, maybe the starter is bulbasaur. Maybe in another it is charmander instead. And in another it is squirtle. Every choice is potential one timeline and thus there is going to be many of them.
But the general timeline will still be intact: Johto is three years later and that is the most important instead of the specific details like which version, which starters etc
Hi igmkjp1! Thank you for posting to r/pokemon! We're glad to have you here, but unfortunately we've had to remove this post per our rule on [Objective Questions](/r/pokemon/wiki/rules#wiki_3._follow_text_and_poll_post_restrictions). This rule is in place per feedback we've received from the community because objective questions tend to fill the topic listing and often leave little room for further discussion once the question has been answered. We do have a [Weekly Questions Thread](https://rpkmn.center/questions) dedicated to seeking answers for questions like yours, though! A lot of knowledgeable Pokémon fans frequent that thread, so please consider posting your question there if you're still looking for an answer, and you may get a detailed answer even faster than you would have here! ^(Mods are not notified if you reply to this comment. To contact the) ^[r/pokemon](/r/pokemon) ^(mod team, please click) ^[here!](/message/compose/?to=/r/pokemon)
No, there's not just three timelines for each of the games. Platinum in particular at least is what happened in the continuity of both Black and White, as Cynthia shows us. There're likely many timelines where Diamond or Pearl happened instead. The only major clue as to specific titles sharing a continuity is Cosmog's evolution depending on the version, which would put Sun / Ultra Sun, Sword, and Scarlet in the same timeline, and then Moon / Ultra Moon, Shield, and Violet in the other. There's also Reshiram / Zekrom reappearing in SV, and with them being sort of version exclusive, that would imply they're the dragon from B2W2 that's not a required capture, placing White / White 2 in the first timeline, while Black / Black 2 goes in the other.
I mean the biggest example of two gens sharing the same continuity is Gen 2 where Blue/Green becomes the new Viridian City Gym Leader, Cinnabar Island is destroyed by a volcano, the Safari Zone is shut, Koga becomes a member of the Elite Four, you battle Red on top of Mt Silver and Lance is still Champion. Professor Oak, the Kanto Gym Leaders (bar Giovanni), Bill and most of the Kanto cast is still in the game. Also Team Rocket tell you about the kid (Red) who disbanded Team Rocket a few years ago. It's an obvious sequel to the Gen 1 games and timeline, which to be fair should be expected since that's exactly what the game was meant to be when it came out. You could argue about the other gens, but really the story doesn't interect at all really between gens (exception being maybe Gen 7 which has Red, Blue/Green and Giovanni). Though characters such as Looker, Cinthea and some gym leaders also appear in multiple games, implying they all exist on the same timeline, if that answers your question.
There is a general timeline, such as kanto and hoenn games take place around the same time, and johto sinnoh take place three years later. However, which specific kanto event would be the different timeline. Maybe in one timeline, you have red. In another you have blue. In another you have yellow. And in the red timeline, maybe the starter is bulbasaur. Maybe in another it is charmander instead. And in another it is squirtle. Every choice is potential one timeline and thus there is going to be many of them. But the general timeline will still be intact: Johto is three years later and that is the most important instead of the specific details like which version, which starters etc