Pokémon Platinum has been met with generally positive reception, holding aggregate scores of 84 and 83.14% on Metacritic and GameRankings, respectively.

As with all Pokémon games for handheld consoles up to that point, the gameplay is in third-person overhead perspective, and consists of three basic screens: a field map, in which the player navigates the main character; a battle screen; and the menu, in which the player configures their party, items, or gameplay settings.

Platinum adds an area called the "Wi-Fi Plaza", which features several Pokémon species-themed mini-games and allows up to 20 players to be present in it.

Compared to Diamond and Pearl, many popular Pokémon become accessible much earlier in the game as well, such as Togekiss, Gliscor, and Electivire.

Like its predecessors, Diamond and Pearl, players of Platinum revisit familiar locations from the Sinnoh region, including Twinleaf Town, Pastoria City, and the Resort Area.

[4] Similarly, Platinum also features the return of several popular characters from Diamond and Pearl, including Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, Elite Four members, Aaron, Bertha, Flint, and Lucian, and Gym Leaders, Roark, Gardenia, Fantina, Maylene, Crasher Wake, Byron, Candice, and Volkner.

In this speech, Cyrus depicts his plan to use the legendary Pokémon Dialga and Palkia to create a new world without spirit.

As in Diamond and Pearl, the starter Pokémon are the Grass-type Turtwig, the Fire-type Chimchar, and the Water-type Piplup, which evolve into Torterra, Infernape, and Empoleon respectively.

They also created the story to be different from Diamond and Pearl, commenting that they wanted to make Giratina seem "more fun, more interesting, cooler."

[11] As a bonus for those who pre-ordered Pokémon Platinum, Nintendo gave away Giratina figurines in the United States.

[8] 1UP.com commented that fans will not be left "wanting", stating "once you venture back down the Pokémon rabbit hole, you won't be coming up again for a while.

The fourth reviewer found fault in it being "Diamond and Pearl at the core", and as a result, "filling up your Pokédex from zero is rough.

"[23] Official Nintendo Magazine's Chris Scullion called it the "ultimate Pokémon game", though noted that this was because it was an updated version of Diamond and Pearl.

[31] Zippy of Hardcore Gamer cited its main quest, battle system, and multiplayer options for why "it is the best hand held RPG available right now".

[32] Games(TM) commented that the depth of Platinum's gameplay was deeper than "most hardcore MMO can boast".

[20] Toastfarmer of PALGN called it a "crown jewel" of the Nintendo DS, saying it was a "deep, engrossing and virtually endless game".

[33] GameDaily's Robert Workman commented that while the graphics and gameplay could have been changed more than they were, it "will score with hardcore fanatic and newbies alike.

"[34] RPGamer's Adriaan den Ouden commented that while it was similar to Diamond and Pearl, the expanded Pokédex makes it "far more enjoyable.

[26] Dan Pearson of Eurogamer commented that those looking for a traditional role-playing game for the Nintendo DS should buy something like Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest IV or V, or the Final Fantasy remakes, though he noted that those looking for a Pokémon title should get Platinum.

[22] Eurogamer Portugal's Ricardo Madeira called it the "more complete and distinct Pokémon third version he has seen to date.

[27] They also included it in their list of Nintendo DS games of the spring season, commenting that it improved on Diamond and Pearl's gameplay formula, and went "above and beyond with new areas, characters, and, of course, Pokemon [sic]".

They called it "packed to overflowing with content", commenting that even those who have played Diamond and Pearl several times could enjoy it.

[38] IGN ultimately named Platinum, along with Diamond and Pearl, as the ninth-best Nintendo DS game.

"[42] RPG Fan's John Tucker commented that players of Diamond and Pearl would only be interested in its expanded online mode.

[46] Pokémon Platinum's launch was credited for the increased sales of the Nintendo DS in Japan in September 2008.

[47] It sold more than one million copies in Japan in around three days, making it the fastest-selling game in the region at that time.

As of October 23, Pokémon Platinum was the second best-selling game for the respective week with sales exceeding 72,000 copies.

[65] In the United Kingdom, Pokémon Platinum was the second best-selling Nintendo DS game for the week ending June 11, 2009.

[63] For the week ending June 20, 2009, Pokémon Platinum fell off of the United Kingdom's top 10 best-selling video games chart.

[56] Pokémon Platinum was the fourth best-selling game worldwide in the third quarter of 2008, selling approximately 1,482,000 copies.