Pokémon fan game Team Rocket Evolved lets players steal Pokémon in Hoenn

A fan-made Pokémon project is putting players on the other side of the series’ usual conflict by casting them as members of Team Rocket. Team Rocket Evolved is being built as a ROM hack using Pokémon Emerald as its foundation, with stealing Pokémon and taking control of Hoenn built into its progression.

The project is not an official Pokémon release and does not yet have a launch date. Creator EricTurner3 says development is continuing across its story, artwork and custom gameplay systems.

Instead of trying to stop Team Rocket, players join a surviving branch of the organization after Giovanni’s departure from Kanto. The group has regrouped in Hoenn under new leadership, creating an alternate storyline focused on expanding Team Rocket’s influence.

That changes how trainer battles work. Players can attempt to steal opposing Pokémon, with successfully taken creatures marked as “stolen” on their summary screens rather than simply recorded as encountered.

A trainer may also concede after losing one of their Pokémon, ending the battle before their entire team is defeated. The developer says the system is still being balanced because stealing can currently be too powerful.

Pokémon Centers and Poké Marts initially refuse to serve Team Rocket members. Players must defeat an area’s new Gym Leader and take control of the location before those services become available normally.

Alternative healing and supply options exist before a takeover, but they are designed to be less convenient and more expensive. Players can also request supplies through an Airdrop system tied to their Team Rocket boss.

Progress is tracked through custom ranks rather than a traditional Gym journey. The game includes menus that record stolen Pokémon, battles won through cheating and the player’s climb through Team Rocket’s hierarchy.

Team Rocket Evolved is based on the pokeemerald-expansion project rather than an untouched version of Pokémon Emerald. That foundation supports Pokémon from Generations 1 through 9 along with systems including Mega Evolution, Dynamax and overworld followers.

The project also adds custom characters, menus and a BattleDex that displays useful information such as stats, typings, moves and weaknesses during battles. These additions are intended to make its version of Hoenn feel substantially different from the original game.

The creator has not announced a release window, and several systems remain unfinished. The team is continuing to work on the story, artwork and balancing while sharing development progress publicly.

It is not the first Pokémon fan project to let players join Team Rocket, but Team Rocket Evolved is building its identity around territorial control, stolen Pokémon and progression through the organization rather than simply retelling an existing game from the villains’ perspective.