Badge sequence
The badge sequence is the order in which badges are obtainable.
In the core series games
Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed, LeafGreen, Let's Go, Pikachu!, and Let's Go, Eevee!
The Boulder Badge must be obtained first, in order to leave Pewter City in the direction of Route 3 without being blocked by a non-player character.
The Cascade Badge must be the second obtained, or else the player will be unable to use Cut. This move can be used to remove the cuttable plant that blocks the entrance to the Vermilion Gym, or to cut the plant blocking the way to leave Cerulean City through Route 9.
Once the player has obtained the Boulder Badge and Cascade Badge, almost all other badges can be obtained in any order. However, the Soul Badge must be acquired before the Volcano Badge, because the former allows the player to use Surf and travel to Cinnabar Island to obtain the latter.
The Earth Badge must be obtained last, since the Viridian Gym remains closed until the player has obtained the seven previous badges.
Obtaining drink early
If the player connects a Generation I game to Pokémon Stadium 2 using the Transfer Pak, it is possible to obtain a drink (Fresh Water, Soda Pop, or Lemonade) by transferring this item from another Generation I game. If this is done early in the game, the player can leave Cerulean City through the house burglarized by the Team Rocket (which opens once the player obtains the S.S. Ticket from Bill) and then go directly to Saffron City.
If this method is used, then it is possible to obtain almost all badges before the Cascade Badge. However, the player must either obtain the Cascade Badge (in order to use Cut) or the Soul Badge (in order to use Surf) before entering the Vermilion Gym to obtain the Thunder Badge.
The Cascade Badge must be obtained before the Rainbow Badge, because Cut is needed inside the Celadon Gym, and the Earth Badge still must be the last obtained.
Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver
Johto badges
The Zephyr Badge must be the first obtained, or else a non-player character blocks the way in Route 32.
The Hive Badge must be the second obtained, in order to use Cut and remove a cuttable plant blocking the way in the Ilex Forest.
The Plain Badge must be the third obtained, in order to receive the Squirt Bottle from the Goldenrod City flower shop and battle the Sudowoodo who blocks the path on Route 36.
The Fog Badge must be the fourth obtained in order to use Surf and travel to Cianwood City or Mahogany Town.
The Storm Badge, Mineral Badge, and Glacier Badge can be obtained in any order. The player is required to obtain the Secret Medicine in Cianwood City, where they will also be able to challenge the Cianwood Gym (or skip this Gym), before challenging the Olivine Gym.
The Rising Badge must be the eighth and last Johto badge. Once the player obtains the first seven badges, it is necessary to rescue the Goldenrod Radio Tower that has been taken over by Team Rocket before the Blackthorn Gym becomes available. If the player has not yet obtained seven badges or rescued the Radio Tower, then the Blackthorn Gym will be closedGSC or a non-player character will remain blocking the way on Route 44HGSS.
The eight Johto badges must be obtained before any Kanto badges, due to the fact that the Rising Badge is required to use Waterfall and cross the Tohjo Falls, entering Kanto for the first time.
Kanto badges
In Kanto, all eightGSC/the first sevenHGSS badges can be obtained in any order. In HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Earth Badge must be the last one, since Blue will not return to the Viridian Gym until he sees that the player has all the other badges.
In Generation II, the order of Kanto badges is not known, since the Trainer Card and the game manuals only display the Johto badges. In Generation IV, the Trainer Card displays the Kanto badges in the same order which was introduced in the Generation I games.
Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire
The Stone Badge must be obtained first, in order to trigger the theft of Devon Goods/Devon Parts by a member of Team MagmaROR or Team AquaSEAS.
In Generation III only, the Knuckle Badge can be skipped and obtained after the Dynamo Badge and/or Heat Badge. However, if the Knuckle Badge is skipped, the player will be required to navigate the Granite Cave without using Flash in order to deliver the Letter to Steven Stone. The first four badges (Stone, Knuckle, Dynamo, and Heat) will be needed before the player challenges the Petalburg City for the Balance Badge.
In Generation III only, the Feather Badge can be skipped and obtained after the Mind Badge and/or Rain Badge However, the player will be unable to use Fly until the Feather Badge is obtained.
In the Generation VI remakes, the eight badges must be obtained in order as interactions with Steven that advance the plot will be delayed until the player has the appropriate badges.
Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl
Pokémon Black, White, Black 2, White 2, X, Y, Sword, and Shield
From Black and White onward, the main series games became less dependent on HM use gating progress and switched to a more event and flag based system. Most badges must be obtained in the listed order due to event events blocking the way forwards until the badge is obtained.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
With a fully open world structure, unlike the previous generations, it is possible to get any of the 18 badges in nearly any order. The only badge that requires a prerequisite is the False Dragon Badge, requiring the Open Sky Titan Badge as the player's ride Pokémon must have unlocked the ability to swim to engage it.
The level of the battles required for the badges does not scale, so there is an optimal order for level scaling. Bug > Rock > Grass > Flying > Dark > Electric > Fire > Steel > Water > Poison > Normal > Ghost > Ground > Psychic > Ice > Fairy > Dragon > Fighting
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