Pokémon Sword and Shield News
December2019
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 7th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
So, yet another week has been and gone, this time bringing with it a new Nintendo Switch system update, an announcement for new NES and SNES titles on Switch - just days after we moaned about it, no less - and even the addition of
News My Nintendo Holiday Sweepstakes Announced, 10 Days Of Prizes Up For Grabs (North America)
Take home some amazing gifts
Nintendo is putting its rewards program My Nintendo to use this Christmas, with a special holiday sweepstakes event. From now until 14th December, you'll be able to enter once a day, and go in the draw to win a daily prize pack. You'll also be entered into a grand prize draw, and the more you enter, the more chances you...
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield - How To Get A Foreign Language Ditto
And how to tell if yours is foreign
Ditto is perhaps the most important Pokémon to have on your team if you're hoping to catch 'em all and get as many Shiny Pokémon as possible. In Pokémon Sword and Shield, using a foreign language Ditto is a great way to improve your chances of hatching a Shiny Pokémon, actually providing you with the best odds...
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield - Best Ways To Catch And Breed Shiny Pokémon
Eggs, Shiny Charm, Masuda Method and more
If you're looking for more to do after beating the main game in Pokémon Sword and Shield, or if you're just fed up of seeing your friends brag about their latest Shiny Pokémon capture, you might want to get in on that Shiny catching action all for yourself. In this guide, we'll be covering everything you...
Reminder Registrations For Pokémon Sword And Shield's First Online Battle Competition Close Today
Galar Beginnings
Update: As a quick reminder, today is the last day that you can sign up for Pokémon Sword and Shield's first online battle competition. The event, called 'Galar Beginnings', kicks off at midnight tonight UK time, which means you have just a few hours left to register at the time of writing. You'll find all the details you'll need...
News Nintendo Reveals The Top 15 Most-Downloaded Switch Games In November 2019 (Europe)
Did someone say Pokémon?
Nintendo has shared a list of the top 15 most-downloaded Switch eShop games of November 2019 in Europe, and you'll never guess which games are sitting in first and second. Yes, Pokémon Sword and Shield are dominating pretty much everything at the moment, breaking Switch records all over the place and selling faster than...
News Pokémon Championship Rules Are Changing In 2020 As Sword And Shield Take Over
Here's the rundown...
The Pokémon Company has shared lots of information on the future of the Pokémon Video Game Championships (or VGCs). From 4th January 2020, tournaments will officially shift to Pokémon Sword and Shield. As you might expect, competitive players will need to adapt their current strategies as they begin to compete with the new...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Sword And Shield Break 2 Million Sales, Switch Sales Rise
Huge sales numbers for a third week in a row
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 25th November - 1st December, revealing that Pokémon Sword and Shield is showing no signs of slowing down. The two games have now sold an estimated two million physical copies in Japan alone, racing ahead of games like Zelda: Breath of the Wild and...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield's Online Features Will Be Down For Maintenance This Week
3 hours of behind-the-scenes tweaking on Wednesday or Thursday
The online part of Pokémon Sword and Shield will be temporarily interrupted this week on Wednesday or Thursday depending on your location, with planned maintenance and tweaking taking place. As spotted by Serebii.net, online features for the latest entry in the Pokémon series will be...
Random Pokémon Sword and Shield's Final Boss Can Be Beaten With A Magikarp
It took some time, though...
While it can evolve into a pretty powerful beast, the humble Magikarp has a bad reputation in the world of Pokémon. This flappy fish is seen as a waste of space, so YouTuber PokeTips decided to give it a moment in the spotlight by taking on Leon in Pokémon Sword and Shield, the game's undefeated regional champion...
UK Charts Pokémon Sword And Shield Take A Fall Thanks To The Black Friday Effect
The charts get a shake up
Black Friday's impact has been felt on the UK charts this week as some unlikely titles make a return to the top ten. Rare's Xbox One exclusive Sea of Thieves was the big winner, leaping back up the chart to number four after occupying the 23rd position in the chart last week. The game was helped by massive discounts on...
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield Best Starter - Grookey, Scorbunny, Sobble And Their Evolutions
Who's the best?
Hurrah, Pokémon Sword and Shield are finally here! Many of you have probably already started your journey through the Galar region and are getting intimately acquainted with Gen 8. For those of you on the cusp of starting the adventure, you'll soon be faced with a choice that every Pokémon trainer encounters at the beginning of a...
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield: Pokédex Galar Region
The full Gen 8 Galar Region Pokédex from Pokémon Sword and Shield
Pokémon Sword and Shield has arrived! To celebrate, our sparkling new database below features the full Galar Pokédex, including the 81 new Gen 8 Pokémon and all the returning Pokémon. Use the tool below to find out about the new Pokémon and which of your past favourites have...
News Nintendo Applies For Five Poké Ball Plus Patents In Japan
Gotta file some more
The Poké Ball Plus arrived as an accessory alongside the release of the Pokémon Let's Go games last year. It was created to enhance the overall experience of catching 'em all – by allowing players to take their pocket monsters with them on the go, and could also be used as a single-handed controller in both entries. In...
November2019
Feature Pokémon Sword And Shield: What UK Locations Are The Towns In Galar Based On?
The real-world towns and cities we think inspired Pokémon Sword and Shield
All right, guv'nor? As you are almost certainly aware, the Galar region in Pokémon Sword and Shield is based on the United Kingdom. While the first four regions we encountered in the games - Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh - were all based on locations in Japan, Unova from...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 30th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
It's been yet another crazy week in the Nintendosphere, this time full of Pokémon news from every direction and even a new Metroid rumour to be sceptical of. Now, though, it's finally time to sit back and relax. Team Nintendo Life have discussed our weekend gaming plans below and we'd love for you to join in...
News New Pokémon Sword And Shield Galar Plush Release Next Month, Including Wooloo
A lovely set of lovely 'mon
The very first plush toys for Pokémon Sword and Shield that aren't your typical Starter or Legendary Pokémon are set to be released into the world next month. All of the designs found below will launch at Pokémon Center Japan on 14th December. Eager fans will be able to get their hands on Gossifleur, Eldegoss, Wooloo,...
Deals Nintendo Switch Lite Gets A Black Friday Price Drop (UK)
Update: Now down to £179
If you're looking to get your hands on a shiny new Nintendo Switch Lite, perhaps as a Christmas gift or just a little present to yourself, Black Friday is set to be a good time to do just that. Amazon UK is currently offering the console at a reduced price, with all of the three launch models now available for £179.00...
Guide How To Make Pokémon Sword And Shield More Difficult (And Fun)
Not only Nuzlocke, but also...
Pokémon Sword and Shield are great games in our eyes – and in the eyes of many others – but there’s no hiding from the fact that the level of difficulty is, shall we say, a little on the accessible side. That’s great if you’re just looking to have a fun adventure, but for some people, a little strife can...
There are brilliant Pokémon and Brilliant Pokémon - we explain the latter
As you've been wandering around the Galar region in Pokémon Sword and Shield, you'll probably have seen certain Pokémon with a glowing yellow 'aura' hanging around in the tall grass. What do those yellow glowing Pokémon signify? Well, settle down and relax as we lay it...
News Gigantamax Snorlax Rolls Into Pokémon Sword And Shield Raid Battles Next Week
Will appear more often for a limited time
If you've been enjoying tracking down every last 'mon for your Pokédex in Pokémon Sword and Shield, you'll want to jot down the following dates for your diary. The Pokémon Company has revealed that Gigantamax Snorlax is set to appear more frequently in Max Raid Battles from Wednesday 4th December until...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield Trading Cards Arrive In February, New VMAX Cards Revealed
Collect 'em all
If you're a keen Pokémon Trading Card Game player, or if you fancy making the jump from the video games, you'll be interested to know that the brand new Sword and Shield expansion is due to arrive in the west in February 2020. The news comes alongside some fresh details for the latest set of cards, including the introduction of...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield Outsell Let's Go Pikachu And Eevee In Just 10 Days (Japan)
Just... wow
A little while ago, we shared our regular Japanese chart update, revealing that Pokémon Sword and Shield have now amassed a whopping 1,740,084 estimated physical sales in their first nine days on sale. Amazingly, this total is already higher than the lifetime physical sales of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!
Japanese Charts Pokémon Sword And Shield Is Still Flying Off Shelves As Switch Dominates
Tremendous opening sales
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 18th - 24th November, revealing that Pokémon Sword and Shield is still dominating sales in the country. The two titles sold an estimated 1.3 million copies in their opening week, becoming the fastest-selling Switch game in Japan. This week was naturally much lower than that,...
News Pokémon's New Anime Series Just Got Region Locked On YouTube
It was accidentally shared to users outside of Japan
Alongside the launch of Sword and Shield recently was the release of the new anime series (once again) starring Ash and Pikachu as they explore the world of Pokémon. When the first episode premiered earlier this month, The Pokémon Company also released it on the official YouTube channel in...
Town by town, route by route through Galar
Trying to find out where you can catch a specific Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Shield? In this guide we highlights all the main locations, the towns with Gym leaders to defeat and where to catch certain Pokémon to complete your Galar Pokédex. Below you'll find the main towns and sub-areas. On the...
Gallery Pokémon Sword And Shield Concept Art Shows Gym Leaders, Player Characters And More
Who's your favourite character?
If you just can't get enough of Pokémon Sword and Shield's colourful world and cast of characters, you'll likely enjoy browsing through these concept art pieces shared online. The images seen below appear to be photographs of the upcoming Collector's Edition of the official strategy guide, which is set to release in...
News The Pokémon Company Is Taking Legal Action Against Sword And Shield Leakers
It just needs to name them first
Following in the footsteps of Epic Games, The Pokémon Company International has filed a lawsuit in Seattle to take action against unidentified individuals who were responsible for the Pokémon Sword and Shield game leaks earlier this month. The legal team at Perkins Coie, which has previously worked with tech...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield's Gym Leader Jersey Numbers All Have A Common Theme
It all makes sense now
One cool little feature found within Pokémon Sword and Shield is the way in which trainers have their very own jersey number, with players, rivals, and Gym Leaders all having their own numeric identities. It would be easy to assume that each character's number has been plucked out at random as there's no obvious link between...
UK Charts Pokémon Sword And Shield Loses Top Spot, But Nintendo Switch Dominates Top Ten
Switch-exclusives run riot
UK chart data is now in for the week ending 23rd November, revealing that Pokémon Sword has lost the first place position it secured last week. Coupled with Pokémon Shield, the game's success last week saw it become the second biggest launch for a Pokémon outing in UK history. The momentum has swung back
News Pokémon Sword Is The Most Popular Version In Japan
Digital sales not included
It's safe to say the new Pokémon entries on Switch have been a huge success. Sword and Shield broke records across Japan, Europe, and North America on release, and experienced more than six million sales in the first week while becoming the fastest-selling games on Switch. Focusing on Japan, Famitsu earlier this week
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 23rd)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
It's been an eventful anniversary-filled week! Pokémon Sword and Shield got off to a sterling start despite its mixed reception, we reported on a stunning Zelda Breath of the Wild bedroom mural that had us looking at our dreary walls in envy, and a remarkable
News Former Game Freak Illustrator Reveals He Designed The Legendary Pokémon In Sword And Shield
He also helped out with Marnie's look
Yusuke Ohmura might not necessarily be a household name like Shigeru Miyamoto or Junichi Masuda, but he's definitely made some significant contributions to the Pokémon video game series over the years. This former Game Freak illustrator started out on Pokémon Diamond & Pearl and contributed to various...
News Junichi Masuda May Not Have Composed Music For Pokémon Sword And Shield
The end of an era?
Game Freak director and Pokémon series producer Junichi Masuda is best known for his music contributions to the series. Since Pokémon Red and Blue first debuted on the Game Boy, Masuda's compositions have given atmosphere to every mainline game he's been involved with. Last year, Masuda said, "...it’s important to have the...
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield's Toxel: How To Find And Evolve Into Toxtricity, Amped And Low Key
Nature, nature; high voltage
Pokémon have always had various ways of evolving into new beasties, and Pokémon Sword and Shield are no different. One of these curious contenders is the tiny and undeniably baby-like Toxel, who can be found most easily by speaking to the Breeder found inside the Pokémon Nursery on Route 5, as shown in the image...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield Is The Fastest-Selling Switch Game Yet
Update: Over 6 million sales, the 'highest-grossing' Pokémon launch in the US
Update: Pokémon Sword and Shield certainly got off to an excellent start in Japan (see the original story below), and the country's official Pokémon Twitter account has now tweeted that sales have been very good elsewhere, too. According to the tweet and an official...
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield's Clobbopus: How To Find And Evolve Into Grapploct
Not what you might th-ink
Pokémon have always had various ways of evolving into new beasties, and Pokémon Sword and Shield are no different. One of these curious contenders is the adorable Clobbopus, who can be found primarily on Route 9, just west of Spikemuth. Whilst you can also catch its evolution
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield's Sinistea: How To Find And Evolve Into Polteageist
More left-handed tea, vicar?
Pokémon have always had various ways of evolving into new beasties, and Pokémon Sword and Shield are no different. One of these curious contenders is the tiny and wonderful Sinistea, which can be found primarily in Glimwood Tangle, just south of the town of Ballonlea. Pokémon don't really like showing their faces in...
News Nintendo Stock Value Rises Thanks To Pokémon Sword And Shield Success
Increased Switch sales will have helped, too
The robust performance of Pokémon Sword and Shield combined with increased hardware sales has caused Nintendo's stock price to jump to its highest point since May 2018. Nintendo's stock price is currently $49.54, while at the close of May 2018, it rose to $50.05 before dropping down to a low of $31.91...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Sword And Shield Debut In Top Spot, As Switch Sales Continue To Rise
And Minecraft reaches one million sales
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 11th - 17th November, reconfirming the strong start for Pokémon Sword and Shield. As previously revealed, the new entries have now sold more than 1.3 million copies, making it the fastest-selling Switch title within this region. Luigi's Mansion 3 has now d
News Shiny Pokémon Have Two Types Of Animations In Pokémon Sword And Shield
Squares and stars
Can you believe it? Pokémon Sword and Shield are nearly one week old. In this short time frame, players have learned a lot about the new entries. One of the more interesting discoveries is the two different types of shiny animations. This adds an extra layer to the hunt for shiny Pokémon. If you do encounter a shiny in the wild,...
News Brand New Pokémon Sword And Shield Spirits Are Being Added To Smash Bros. Ultimate
Gotta catch 'em all
Following on from last week's generic Pokémon event, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is now hosting a special Pokémon Sword and Shield event. The best news is it adds brand new spirits to the game! The event itself starts this Friday on 22nd November and will run for a total of five days, so you have plenty of time to catch 'em...
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield's Galarian Farfetch'd: How To Find And Evolve Into Sirfetch'd
Appropriately unexpected
Pokémon have always had various ways of evolving into new beasties, and Pokémon Sword and Shield are no different. One of these curious contenders is the majestic Galarian Farfetch'd. You can find them primarily on Route 5, just east of the town of Turffield, but only in Poké
KISS that Linoone goodbye
Pokémon have always had various ways of evolving into new beasties, and Pokémon Sword and Shield are no different. One of these curious contenders is the monochromatic Galarian Zigzagoon, which can be found all over the Wild Area, but you're better off looking on Routes 2 and
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield's Galarian Darumaka: How To Find And Evolve Into Galarian Darmanitan
Maka the monster evolve
Pokémon have always had various ways of evolving into new beasties, and Pokémon Sword and Shield are no different. One of these curious contenders is the chilly little Galarian Darumaka, which can be found primarily on Route 8, just south of Circhester, and Route 10, just south
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield Easter Eggs - Things You Might Have Missed
It's the little things
Both Pokémon Sword and Shield feature a rich world full of things to see and do - so many, in fact, that it's easy to miss little things as you wander around the Galar region catching Pokémon, seeing the sights and generally enjoying yourself in Sword and Shield. Below we've rounded up a few of
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield's Milcery: How To Find And Evolve Into Alcremie
Don't -cery for Mil- Argentina
Pokémon have always had various ways of evolving into new beasties, and Pokémon Sword and Shield are no different. One of these curious contenders is the easily overlooked Milcery, which can be found primarily on Route 4, just south of the town of Turffield. You won't s
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield's Applin: How To Find And Evolve Into Flapple And Appletun
When it comes to this evolution, you can't russet
Pokémon have always had various ways of evolving into new beasties, and the ones featured in Pokémon Sword and Shield is no different. One of these curious contenders is the unassuming Applin, which can be found primarily on Route 5, just east of Turf
Random Now People Are Blaming Pokémon Sword And Shield For Bricked Consoles
The drama never stops
Despite lighting up the sales charts and earning decent reviews, Pokémon Sword and Shield has been the subject of some pretty negative press recently. Some of its appears justified – such as reports that the digital version of the game is
Pikachu, I choose you! Again!
You may have heard that any Pokémon Sword and Shield players that also have a Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu! or Let's Go Eevee! can claim a free Pikachu or Eevee depending on the save file they have on their Switch. This is indeed true! Anyone with a save file for either Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu! or Pokémon: Let's Go...
