Pokémon Sword and Shield News
July2020
News Pokémon Sword And Shield 'Armor Beginnings' Online Competition Announced
Featuring Pokémon from the new DLC
The next online competition for Pokémon Sword and Shield has been announced, and this one has a focus on the newly-released Isle of Armor DLC. It's called Armor Beginnings and asks players to use Pokémon found in the new expansion, potentially giving some of the more uncommon monsters a chance to shine. All...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield Version 1.2.1 Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Bug fixes and more
Nintendo has rolled out a new update for Pokémon Sword and Shield. This bumps the game up to version 1.2.1. According to the official support page, it fixes a bug and several other issues to improve the gameplay experience. Take a look below: Ver. 1.2.1 (Released July 7, 2020) A bug in regards to the number of digits for...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 4th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
With another week out of the way - this time bringing a brand new Smash Bros. update, a new Animal Crossing update, and even an apology from Nintendo over Joy-Con drift(!)
June2020
Deals Pokémon Fan? Check Out This New Line Of Pikachu-COOL & Pikachu-POP Gear For Your Switch
Tough to 'chus a fave
Ask a random stranger on the street to name a Pocket Monster and there's a good chance that a certain yellow mouse will be the Pokémon that passes their lips (assuming they can name one at all). Sure, Charmander, Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Eevee have their fans – and there are a handful of post-Gen I Pokémon that might pop up...
News Game Freak Adds Item To Pokémon Sword And Shield That "Doesn't Exist" Yet
Thankfully, it's all sorted now
Earlier today, while trainers around the globe were trying to claim a shiny version of the mythical Zeraora in Pokémon HOME, there were some other issues playing out in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Game Freak rolled out a brand new Max Raid Battle event including various Steel-type and Rock-type pocket monsters.
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 27th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
We've finally made it through another long week, this time full of lots of Super Smash Bros. news, the controversial Pokémon Presents show, and reports that Nintendo is planning on cutting back on its mobile game development. With all of that out of the way, it
News My Nintendo Offers Pokémon Sword And Shield Expansion Pass Wallpapers (North America)
For desktop and mobile
If you've been enjoying Pokémon Sword and Shield's Isle of Armor DLC over the past week or so, you might want to check out these wallpapers shared on the North American My Nintendo website. There are two available - one for your desktop computer and one for your mobile - and both are available to download at lovely, high...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield Trainers Reach Special Zeraora Max Raid Battle Goal
Shiny Zeraora unlocked
To celebrate the launch of the Pokémon Sword and Shield Isle of Armor DLC, The Pokémon Company last week announced it would be giving fans the opportunity to battle the Mythical Pokémon Zeraora in Max Raid Battles. If one million trainers around the world could win this particular Max Raid Battle before the 28th of June,
News Pokémon Sword And Shield DLC Causes Notable Spike In Base Game Sales (UK)
No surprises there, then
Last week saw the launch of The Isle of Armor, the first of two parts which make up Pokémon Sword and Shield's Expansion Pass. The release of the new content was always likely to encourage more fans to pick up a copy of the base games, but we now have our first slice of data showing the DLC's potential impact. If you've...
News Did You Buy The Wrong Pokémon Sword And Shield DLC? Don't Worry, Nintendo Will Sort It Out
Well, at least in one region
Earlier this week, prior to the release of the Isle of Armor DLC for Pokémon Sword and Shield, we heard how some trainers had bought the wrong Expansion Pass. At the time, Nintendo's customer support team in Japan told buyers to be careful when purchasing the expansion. If you didn't already know, according to the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 20th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
We've finally made it to the end of yet another busy week, this time full of exciting Pokémon reveals, a surprising commitment to Switch from EA, and even an Animal Crossing island made by KFC of all things. Now, though, it's time for us to sit and chat about our weekend
All the additions coming in The Isle Of Armor and Crown Tundra expansions
The Expansion Passes for Pokémon Sword and Shield bring DLC content and new features to Game Freak's latest entry in the mainline Pokémon series. The two parts of the Expansion Pass feature a brand-new area each - The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra - and both will bring...
Random So Much For Level Scaling In Pokémon's Isle Of Armor DLC
"Scaling to badges seems most likely"
If you've sunk your teeth into the first part of the Pokémon Sword and Shield DLC, by now you've probably noticed that the Isle of Armor expansion doesn't actually feature the level scaling we were originally promised. Yep, although Nintendo product marketing specialist Demetrius Boggs told IGN earlier this...
And we might get a shiny!
After all of the excitement of the Pokémon Presents live stream, it's finally time to get stuck into Pokémon Sword and Shield's first DLC, The Isle of Armor. The first part of the Sword and Shield Expansion Pass is now live, meaning you can explore new areas, find new Pokémon and more. The first new adventure unlocked...
Another Mystery Gift
If you needed one extra reason to purchase the Expansion Pass for Pokémon Sword and Shield, The Pokémon Company has issued a reminder that it will be offering a special outfit as an early purchase bonus. Anyone who buys the Expansion Pass (containing The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra) before 31st August - including...
News 'Pokémon Presents' Live Presentation Teased For Tomorrow, 17th June
What will it show?
The Pokémon Company has teased a new livestream presentation set to air tomorrow, 17th June. The show is set to be approximately 11 minutes long and will contain information on the Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass. The video's description is particularly teasy: We have Pokémon news. You want Pokémon news. 🤔...
News People Keep Buying The Wrong Pokémon Sword And Shield DLC
Nintendo asks buyers to be careful
Tomorrow sees the grand launch of Pokémon Sword and Shield's first slice of DLC, The Isle of Armor, and with new trailers and gorgeous new art being released, it's no wonder that fans are starting to pre-order the Expansion Pass ready for the big day.
News You Can Play Pokémon Sword And Shield's DLC Even If You Haven't Beat The Main Game
All players are welcome
In a welcome bit of news for Pokémon Sword and Shield players who haven't yet completed the main game, we're happy to confirm that you won't need to complete its story to get stuck into the new DLC. As you may be aware, the first part of the games' upcoming Expansion Pass launches later this week. Called The Isle of Armor,...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield's Expansion Pass Doesn't Adapt To Your Pokémon's Levels After All
Update: It doesn't work as we were originally told
Update: As you'll know if you've started playing Pokémon Sword and Shield's Isle of Armor expansion, the game doesn't appear to scale enemy Pokémon levels as we were first told. It is now believed that the Pokémon you battle are more likely levelled in a similar way to the base game's Wild Area,...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 13th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
It's been a painfully quiet week in the Nintendo world - things have been much more exciting in the futuristic, wireless router-inspired land of PlayStation over the last couple of days - but that doesn't mean we can't still gather around and discuss our favourite hobby. Members of Team Nintendo Life have...
News New Pokémon Sword And Shield Mystery Gifts Now Live - Get Hidden Ability Meowth And More
Get it while you can!
Pokémon Sword and Shield players can get their hands on a new set of freebies starting from today, as the game's recent run of Mystery Gift rewards nears its end. Heading to the Mystery Gift menu will now grant you access to a Galarian Meowth with its Hidden Ability Unnerve, as well as a secondary gift containing 50 Big...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield's Expansion Pass Gets New Trailer Ahead Of Next Week's Launch
Isle of Armor unlocks next week
Only six days remain until the first part of Pokémon Sword and Shield's Expansion Pass unlocks, and Nintendo has shared a short new trailer to keep the hype rolling. The Isle of Armor, the first of two portions to be served up by the Expansion Pass, is set to go live on 17th June. The second part, The Crown Tundra,...
News A Popular VGC Pokémon Could Be Returning In Sword And Shield's Expansion
Possible spoilers ahead
It looks like a certain Grass/Poison-type Pokémon that started out in Generation V could be returning in part one of the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield expansion. Twitter user and Pokémon fan @mattyoukhana_ appears to have discovered evidence of the mushroom-like pocket monster Amoonguss in the latest trailer for the...
Guide How To Use Poké Ball Plus In Pokémon Sword And Shield - How To Unlock Mew In The Galar Region
Gain rewards and unlock the mythical Pokémon Mew in Pokémon Sword and Shield
First released alongside Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go Eevee!, the Poké Ball Plus offered a unique way to play that game one-handed. Designed to resemble the Poké Balls used to catch Pocket Monsters, it's a cute little co
Guide Pokémon HOME Explained - How To Transfer All Pokémon To And From Pokémon HOME
How to use Pokémon HOME with Pokémon Scarlet & Violet and more
Pokémon HOME, the companion app to the Pokémon series which enables you to store and transfer your Pokémon to and from the app, is available to download on Switch and mobile devices and interfaces This guide to using Pokémon HOME will explain the basics for transferring your...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 6th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Congratulations on making it through another week! This week brought us a surprise launch from Konami, some unorthodox Animal Crossing weddings and release date news for Pokémon Sword and Shield's first DLC,
Video 12 Exciting New Games Coming To Nintendo Switch In June
And two exciting new DLC
June is a big part of the annual gaming calendar but things are slightly different this year due to the cancellation of E3. Despite this, there'll still be plenty of new game announcements and events taking place online. In terms of releases, this month is shaping up quite nicely. Clubhouse Games and The Outer Worlds have...
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...
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield Best Starter - Grookey, Scorbunny, Sobble And Their Evolutions
Who's the best?
Pokémon Sword and Shield has been out for several months now and many of you are probably intimately acquainted with Gen 8 already. For those of you on the cusp of starting your adventure through the Galar region, though, you'll soon be faced with a question that every Pokémon trainer encounters at the beginning of a new...
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 The Latest Pokémon Twilight Wings Episode Contains Cool Nods To Sword And Shield's Launch
Episode 5 is here!
The latest episode of the online Pokémon Twilight Wings anime has now been released, and this one has some blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments that'll please fans of Sword and Shield on Switch. You can watch the full episode above, so we'd urge you to check that out before reading on if you don't want to be spoiled ahead of time...
News Mystery Gift Galarian Corsola Now Available In Pokémon Sword And Shield
Get ready for the Isle of Armor!
There's another Galarian Pokémon up for grabs in Sword and Shield this week. Following on from Galarian Ponyta, trainers can now get their hands-on a Galarian Corsola. This Mystery Gift pocket monster comes with the Hidden Ability Cursed Body. In addition to this, you'll receive the Evolution items Sweet Apple,...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield's Expansion Pass Is Getting A Physical Release In Korea
DLC in a box
Fans in Korea will be able to pick up a boxed copy of Pokémon Sword and Shield's Expansion Pass, it has been revealed. The official Pokémon Korea website has listed the item online, highlighting that a game card is not included. Instead, as you might expect, it'll include a download code which can be used to redeem a copy of the Pass...
News Pokémon GO Players Can Now Catch Their First Sword And Shield Pokémon
The first Generation 8 Pokémon arrive
Pokémon GO players can get their first taste of Generation 8 action today, as Pokémon from the main series' latest entries, Sword and Shield, arrive in the app for the first time. Usually, new generations are introduced on a yearly basis, with new 'mon starting to appear as summer comes to an end. This time,...
News New Legendaries, Star Tournament And More Revealed For Pokémon Sword And Shield
New Crown Tundra details surface
If today's release date news for The Isle of Armor wasn't enough for you, then how about a whole boatload of new info regarding Pokémon Sword and Shield's second DLC expansion, The Crown Tundra? We'll kick things off with some newly revealed Pokémon, and more details on a few that had been teased previously. First...
News Hidden Ability Grookey, Scorbunny And Sobble Now Being Distributed Through Pokémon Home
Download 'em all!
Today's turning out to be quite the day for Pokémon fans, as it has now been revealed that you can get your hands on special versions of the Pokémon Sword and Shield starters through Pokémon Home. Yes, in addition to the news that the games' first DLC expansion, Isle of Armor, will be launching on 17th June, today also brings...
Gallery Pokémon Sword And Shield Isle Of Armor - Glorious Key Art And New Screenshots
New locations, Venusaur and Blastoise, more
If you missed the news, it has today been confirmed that part one of Pokémon Sword and Shield's upcoming expansion, Isle of Armor, will be released on 17th June. We now have our hands on a handful of new screenshots and other images relating to the new content, too. Below, you'll find screenshots from...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield's Isle of Armor DLC Launches 17th June, Here's The New Trailer
And Galarian Slowbro is revealed!
As promised yesterday, a brand new slice of info regarding Pokémon Sword and Shield's upcoming Expansion Pass
News Pokémon Sword And Shield Expansion Pass News Teased For Tomorrow, 2nd June
More details on the way!
Update: And the news is finally here! The launch date for the Expansion's first part, The Isle of Armor, has been announced, alongside the reveal of Galarian Slowbro. Tomorrow is set to bring new information on Pokémon Sword and Shield's upcoming Expansion Pass, The Pokémon Company has revealed. The news comes from the...
Gallery Here, Have Some Adorable Pokémon As Animal Crossing Characters
Can we adopt them please?
Characters from Animal Crossing are adorable. Characters from Pokémon are adorable. So what happens when you mush them all together? You guessed it: adorable. Instagram artist @okeypokes has been sharing a number of designs featuring various Pokémon critters dressed up as if they were a character in Animal Crossing: New...
News The Pokémon Company Just Recorded Its Second Best Year In History
Profits are through the roof
The Pokémon Company has released its financial report for the fiscal year ending February 2020, revealing that it's had a mightily impressive 12 months. As reported by gamebiz, The Pokémon Company's net profit reached 15.3 billion yen (approx. $143m) over the last fiscal year, a 14.8% increase over the previous...
Deals Get A Half Price Goodie With Your Purchase Of Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass
Join the wild adventure
The wild adventure continues later this year with Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield expansion pass. The expansion pass contains two expansions, releasing at the end of June and autumn 2020 respectively. The Nintendo Official UK Store has a charming offer if you elect to buy the expansion pass via their online store. How...
May2020
News Charizard And Eternatus Heat Things Up In Pokémon Sword & Shield's Latest TCG Expansion
Darkness Ablaze
The Pokémon Company has today revealed that the latest Pokémon Trading Card expansion, Darkness Ablaze, will be launching on 14th August. Darkness Ablaze continues the current line of Pokémon Sword and Shield sets, introducing highly collectable cards including Charizard VMAX - you just can't beat a card with Charizard on it,...
Reminder There's Another Mystery Gift Pokémon Now Available In Sword And Shield
Get ready for The Isle of Armor!
This is your friendly reminder that there's another mystery gift Pokémon available in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Following on from Galarian Mr. Mime last week, the second Pokémon up for grabs in this Isle of Armor promotion is a Galarian Ponyta with the Hidden Ability Anticipation. You'll also receive a Level Ball,...
News Get Ready For Sword And Shield's Isle Of Armor DLC With These Four Mystery Gift Pokémon
Gotta download 'em all
Next month sees the release of The Isle of Armor - part one of Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass. To help trainers get ready for their new adventures, Game Freak and The Pokémon Company are giving away special Galarian pocket monsters via the Mystery Gift feature on a weekly basis. The Pokémon up for grabs include...
News Pokémon HOME Datamine Supposedly Uncovers New Moves Coming To Sword And Shield
One of them is for the new mythical Pokémon
Next month, trainers from around the world will return to the Galar region in Pokémon Sword and Shield to visit The Isle of Armor - part one of the game's expansion pass content. Both of these areas will contain new characters, locations, and Pokémon not previously obtainable in the main game. It looks...
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield's Snom: How To Find And Evolve Into Frosmoth
Come get Snom
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 unassuming Snom, which can be found primarily on the northern half of Route 8 - known as Steamdrift Way. Just keep an eye out for one wandering around in the grassy patches, and...
News Pokémon Players Cup Announced, New Online Tournament For TCG, VGC And Pokkén Players
Kicking off this July
The Pokémon Company International has announced the Pokémon Players Cup, a brand new online tournament which will give competitive players a chance to show their skills across the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Pokémon Sword and Shield Video Game Championships, and Pokkén Tournament DX. The competition will have two stages,...
News Fifth Episode Of Pokémon: Twilight Wings Delayed Due To The Coronavirus Outbreak
Will now air in Japan on 5th June
Following on from the drama caused by the fourth episode of Pokémon: Twilight Wings for featuring the original generation Pokémon Dewgong, The Pokémon Company has now announced the fifth episode of the anime short series has been delayed. The official Japanese Pokémon Twitter account revealed how it w
News Sword And Shield Are Now The Fourth Best-Selling Core Pokémon Games, Here's How They Rank
A full list of core series sales
Last week, we were treated to an updated look at the Nintendo Switch's top ten best-selling games. Thanks to that list, we learned that Pokémon Sword and Shield - the latest games in the Pokémon franchise - now stand at an impressive 17.37 million sales between them. The number probably sounds pretty high on its...
