With the release of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet in late 2022 came the long-running video game franchise's one-thousandth Pokemon. It has taken more than a quarter of a century to reach this impressive milestone, though some fans will perhaps argue that a lot of the newer Pokemon designs are nowhere near as good as the ones which came before them. Of course, when a series has been going for as long as Pokemon has, it's perhaps to be expected that standards might drop a little over time.
As recent generations of Pokemon games have demonstrated though, new Pokemon aren't the only way to freshen up the series' ever-expanding roster. Regional forms allow the developers to build upon some of the many great designs from the earlier games, while also playing around with their stats and elemental types in order to transform the way that they perform in battle. There are 59 regional variants in total, with certain Pokemon like Meowth, Tauros, and Darmanitan having multiple regional forms.
Every Alolan Form Pokemon
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Alolan Rattata 
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Alolan Raticate
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Alolan Raichu 
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Alolan Sandshrew 
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Alolan Sandslash
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Alolan Vulpix
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Alolan Ninetails
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Alolan Diglett 
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Alolan Dugtrio
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Alolan Meowth
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Alolan Persian
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Alolan Geodude 
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Alolan Graveler
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Alolan Golem
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Alolan Grimer 
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Alolan Muk
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Alolan Exeggutor 
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Alolan Marowak 
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Regional variants were first introduced in the Gen 7 Pokemon games Sun & Moon. There were eighteen Alolan Pokemon in total, with most of the designs aiming to capture the Hawaiian theme of the games. Needless to say, some worked much better than others.
The designs of Alolan Exeggutor and Alolan Dugtrio were ridiculed by many series fans, yet some of the new type combinations ended up working surprisingly well. Alolan Ninetails was particularly useful in this regard, as too were the likes of Alolan Raichu and Alolan Marowak.
Every Galarian Form Pokemon
Galarian Meowth
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Galarian Ponyta
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Galarian Rapidash
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Galarian Farfetch'd 
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Galarian Weezing
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Galarian Mr. Mime
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Galarian Corsola
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Galarian Zigzagoon
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Galarian Linoone
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Galarian Darumaka
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Galarian Darmanitan
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Galarian Darmanitan (Zen Mode)
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Galarian Yamask
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Galarian Stunfisk
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Galarian Slowpoke
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Galarian Slowbro
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Galarian Articuno
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Galarian Zapdos
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Galarian Moltres
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Galarian Slowking
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Pokemon Sword & Shield picked up right where their predecessors left off, with the games introducing 20 new Galarian Pokemon for players to enjoy. This time around, however, the developers opted not to focus so heavily on Gen 1 Pokemon, much to the delight of many fans.
Why exactly Meowth needed another regional form is anybody's guess, but that's not to say that there weren't still plenty of great Galarian Pokemon for players to add to their teams. Gen 8 also saw the first regional variants of Legendary Pokemon, with Galarian Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres all making their debuts in the games.
Every Hisuain Form Pokemon
Hisuian Growlithe
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Hisuian Arcanine
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Hisuian Voltorb
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Hisuian Electrode
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Hisuian Typhlosion
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Hisuian Qwilfish
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Hisuian Sneasel
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Hisuian Samurott 
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Hisuian Lilligant
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Hisuian Basculin
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Hisuian Zorua
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Hisuian Zoroark
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Hisuian Braviary
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Hisuian Sliggoo
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Hisuian Goodra
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Hisuian Avalugg
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Hisuian Decidueye
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Pokemon Legends: Arceus brought with it 17 new regional variants, including new forms for the final evolutions of the game's three starters. This actually came as a welcome surprise to many players, as the developers somehow managed to do a fairly decent job of hiding it prior to the game's release.
Legends: Arceus places much less of an emphasis on Gen 1 than Sun & Moon and Sword & Shield, with only four of the original 151 Pokemon being treated to Hisuian forms. That said, many consider Hisuian Growlithe and Arcanine to be among the best of the game's regional variants, along with Steel/Dragon-type Hisuian Goodra.
Every Paldean Form Pokemon
Paldean Tauros (Combat Breed)
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Paldean Tauros (Blaze Breed)
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Paldean Tauros (Aqua Breed)
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Paldean Wooper
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Given how many Alolan, Galarian, and Hisuian Pokemon there are, many fans were incredibly disappointed with what Pokemon Scarlet & Violet had to offer. At the time of writing, there are just four Paldean Pokemon, three of which are just slightly different versions of the same Pokemon.
As a result, many fans are now hoping that new Paldean variants will be introduced through DLC, in much the same way that new and returning Pokemon were added to Sword & Shield through the Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra expansions. Whether or not this will actually happen though remains to be seen.