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Pokemon Sword and Shield are Nintendo’s latest upcoming Pokemon RPGs and will release November 15 for Nintendo Switch, the first totally new Pokemon adventure available on a home console since the GameCube. Since they were first announced early this year, we’ve learned quite a bit more information about Pokemon Sword and Shield. As usual, there will be two versions to choose between. You can check out that box art below.
Pokemon Sword and Shield will bring trainers to the Galar Region, introducing a new generation of Pokemon, battle mechanics, legendaries, and a revamped Pokedex. As in previous games, you’ll have three starter Pokemon to choose from: Grookey, a grass monkey; Scorbunny, a fiery rabbit; and Sobble, a shy water lizard. The Galar region is scattered with towns where humans and Pokemon live and work together, and they include huge Pokemon gyms where people gather to watch epic battles between trainers and gym leaders.
Sword and Shield will introduce an interesting new battle mechanic: Dynamax, an ability that turns your Pokemon into a giant form of themselves for three turns. Available to use once per battle, Dynamax boosts your Pokemon’s power and is triggered by a separate button, similar to Z-Moves. Outside of gym battles, you can also pair up with three other trainers (locally or online) to fight wild Dynamax battles against one giant Pokemon, which you can afterward catch. These encounters are called Max Raid Battles.
An August update also shared more information on Galar’s regional variant Pokemon, such as a very dapper Weezing and black-and-white Zigzagoon. New rivals were also revealed, including a distinctly punk group of individuals called Team Yell. A 24-hour livestream in October revealed another region-specific Pokemon: a Psychic-type Galarian Ponyta, which is exclusive to Pokemon Shield.
Now that we’ve gotten a closer look at Pokemon Sword and Shield and have a better idea of what to expect from the games, you might be ready to throw your money at Nintendo and pre-order your copy now. In addition to ordering a single copy, Game Freak announced you’ll be able to pre-order a double pack that contains both games. See more info about pre-ordering Pokemon Sword and Shield below.
Pre-order bonuses for Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield
The Pokemon Sword and Shield pre-order bonuses include:
- Amazon: $10 credit (Prime members only) for pre-ordering one of the games; Gold Studded Leather Case DLC for pre-ordering the double pack
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