Pokémon Sword and Shield News
January2020
News Switch Sales Rose By 29% In Japan In 2019, PS4 Sales Dropped By 29%
Pokémon Sword and Shield sell nearly 3m copies
If you follow our regular Japanese chart updates, you'll probably already be aware that the Nintendo Switch had a fantastic 2019 in its home country. The console was consistently on top in terms of both hardware and software, and we can now start to analyse its performance in comparison to previous...
Japanese Charts Nintendo Is Still Killing It, Takes All Top Ten Positions
Pokémon takes first for 9th week
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 6th - 12th January, revealing that Nintendo has once again managed to snag all top ten positions. Pokémon Sword and Shield are still sitting comfortably at number one, making this the ninth consecutive week in a row the two titles have held the position. It was a...
Video Here's The First Episode Of Pokémon: Twilight Wings, The New Online Anime Series
Watch it right here
Back in December, The Pokémon Company revealed that a brand new online-exclusive anime would be kicking off this year. It's wasted absolutely no time in getting the first episode up, so make sure to check it out above. The series, called Pokémon: Twilight Wings, will contain seven episodes in total and is set in Pokémon Sword...
Random Fans Have Some Fun With Inteleon's New Gigantamax Form
Lethal weapon
After the Pokémon Direct presentation which aired last week, fans were quick to jump on the design of Inteleon's new Gigantamax form. In case you missed it, during the broadcast Game Freak revealed that the starter pocket monsters in Pokémon Sword and Shield would receive new forms in the first expansion, T
Reminder Make Sure To Claim Your Gigantamax Meowth In Pokémon Sword And Shield Today
Last chance!
Update (Tue 14th Jan, 2020 10:15 GMT): As a quick reminder, the Gigantamax Meowth distribution in Pokémon Sword and Shield ends on 15th January. If you've purchased the game, make sure to claim this special Pokémon via the Mystery Gift menu in-game. Further details can be found below in our original article. Original Article (Sun...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Sword And Shield Scores Eighth Consecutive Week At Number One
Hits 3 million physical sales
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 30th December - 5th January, revealing that Pokémon Sword and Shield is still at number one as we enter the new year. Pokémon's latest entry has held top spot ever since it launched in mid-November, comfortably holding off the competition each week. The two titles have...
"It’s my birthday, can you let me relax?"
While Pokémon Sword and Shield has been a smash-hit all over the world, its release has been dogged by debates over what has become known as "Dexit" – the removal of legacy Pokémon from the game's National Pokédex. Prior to launch, developer Game Freak announced that it had made the de
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 11th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Yet another week has flown by, this time full of Pokémon Direct revelations and Animal Crossing pre-order goodies, but it's finally time to sit down and chat about our weekend plans. Members of Team NL have done just that below and we'd love for you to join in via our poll and comment sections, too. Enjoy!...
Talking Point Why Pokémon Sword & Shield's Expansion Pass Changes The Rules For The Series
No more $40 makeover sequels as Game Freak voyages into new territory
Since Pikachu took the starring role in Pokémon Yellow, the expectation has been that every Pokémon duology will be followed by a third, slightly revamped edition. This strategy has actually changed somewhat over the past decade, with Black and White each getting a direct...
Random Moonwalking Zacian Should Be The Next Luigi Death Stare, Change Our Minds
A smooth criminal
Feeling overwhelmed by yesterday's Direct and want to chill your Pokémon beans for a minute or two with something less important and very silly? Then look no further than this newly-spotted Sword and Shield curio. As owners of the new titles will know, one in-game feature allows you to set up camp with your Pokémon buddies to...
News More Than 200 Old Pokémon Are Being Added To Sword And Shield's National Dex
The Dexit reversal
You know it, we know it, everyone knows it: Game Freak's decision to cut a large portion of the complete roster from Pokémon Sword and Shield caused an awful lot of controversy ahead of the games' launch. It appears that the Pokémon developer has started something of a U-turn, however, by revealing that more than 200 old...
News Pokémon Bank Successor Pokémon Home Launches Next Month
Every cloud has a shiny Pokémon
The Pokémon Company has revealed during today's special Pokémon Direct that Pokémon Home – its paid-for replacement for Pokémon Bank – will launch next month. Pokémon Home is a cloud-based service that will allow you to store and trade applicable 'mon between Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pokémon GO and
News Galarian Slowpoke Is Waiting For You In Today's Pokémon Sword And Shield Update
Get a taste of the upcoming expansion
As detailed in today's Pokémon Direct, there's an update coming today which will give Pokémon Sword and Shield players a sneaky preview of the announced expansions coming later in the year. Once you've downloaded the update (when it's available later today), you'll be able to head to Wedgehurst
News Pokémon Sword And Shield Is Getting An Expansion Pass, And It Looks Mighty
Available to pre-purchase today
Today's Pokémon Direct has revealed that Pokémon Sword and Shield will both be receiving an Expansion Pass, providing lots more content to players who already own the base game(s). Rather than launching a third version or 'Ultra' versions as we've seen in the past, Sword and Shield players will be able to jump...
News Play Pokémon Twitter Account Shows Off Form Not Available Yet In Sword And Shield
And then deletes it!
The official Play Pokémon Twitter account has reportedly shared some news ahead of schedule. It's a video featuring the pink version of Gastrodon in the recently released Switch titles, Pokémon Sword and Shield. In case you're wondering what all the fuss is about, the only Gastrodon currently available in the new entries is a...
Poll What To Expect From The Pokémon Direct - Post Your Pokémon Predictions
We propose some possibilities, both plausible and preposterous
The first Direct Presentation of 2020 has been announced and it's not what most of us were expecting. Short of a full blown Nintendo Direct, you'd be forgiven for thinking the arrival of Animal Crossing: New Horizons in March might signal a hype-building mini Direct focused on
Japanese Charts Nintendo Switch Grabs All Top Ten Positions Over Christmas
Pokémon gets Christmas number one
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 23rd - 29th December (a little later than usual), revealing that Pokémon Sword and Shield managed to stay at number one over the Christmas period. The two titles sold an estimated 243,476 physical copies over the period mentioned above and are showing absolutely no...
Rumour The Pokémon Direct Will Share "New Details" About Sword And Shield
Crazy, right?
As you've probably already heard by now, later this week a Pokémon Direct is airing. It will apparently feature "roughly 20 minutes" of new Pokémon information in a live stream presentation. This is definitely odd timing, considering Pokémon Sword and Shield were only released last November, so what exactly is this upcoming...
Random What If Pokémon Sword And Shield Characters Made It Into Animal Crossing: New Horizons?
AC x PKMN = yes please!
We love Pokémon, we love Animal Crossing, and we're pretty sure that plenty of you reading this will love them both, too. All going well, then, this should go down a treat. Andrei Mishanin, a Russian artist who seemingly has a flair for creating cute pieces of joy, has shared their latest creation online depicting a number...
Sword or Shield? Every exclusive Pokémon detailed
As with all main series Pokémon games before them, Pokémon Sword and Shield each have minor differences which you should know about before jumping in. You'll notice different Pokémon and even Gym Leaders appearing in your game depending on the version you buy, so we've gathered all of the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 4th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Not only has another week passed us by, but an entire year has been and gone quicker than a Toad with a Golden Mushroom. We've been celebrating in style with a look back at Nintendo's 2019 - and Nintendo's whole decade - as well as all sorts of Game of the Year
News Hang On, Competitive Pokémon Fans Are Liking Sword And Shield's National Dex Cut
Having the full National Dex 'would be worse'
Whether you're a fan of the franchise or not, it was almost impossible to avoid hearing or reading about 'Dexit' last year, the fan-made term for Game Freak's decision to cut certain Pokémon from Pokémon Sword and Shield's roster. The decision split those most heavily invested almost as well as the...
December2019
Talking Point Even Dexit Couldn't Derail The Pokémon Hype Train In 2019
But will the negative reaction change the future of the series?
In this series of end-of-year features, we're summing up some of 2019's biggest talking points. 2019 was a big year for Pokémon fans, with the arrival of Gen 8 in the form of Sword & Shield. However, for many players, the game was something of an anticlimax; for the first time in...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Stays In First Place For The Sixth Week, As Switch Sales Increase
The biggest week of the year for the hybrid system
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 16th December - 22nd December and once again Pokémon Sword and Shield have placed at the very top. This makes this the sixth week in a row Game Freak's latest entries in the long-running series have been first. Apart from this, Luigi's Mansion 3 has...
Random Why Pikachu Is No Longer As Chubby As It Once Was
The design was influenced by the anime, of course
When Pokémon first arrived on the Game Boy in 1996, Pikachu was illustrated as a plump electric rodent that looked far from agile. It wasn't until later on in the series, the face of the pocket monster franchise got an artistic makeover, making him slightly less chubby. What was the reason behind...
Feature Nintendo Life's Alternative Game Awards 2019
Most Long-Winded Title, Best Britishism and more!
It's Game of the Year season everyone! Take a cursory glance around the internet and you'll be sure to find huge goaty lists of games ranked according to their relative qualities. It's fun - and hey, what else are you going to do while you're sat at home with the family watching the telly over the...
News Think You're The Ultimate Pokémon Fan? We Bet You Can't Beat This Christmas Crossword
Burn Heals at the ready
Only hours remain until Christmas Day - unless you're reading this in the future, of course - and what better way to spend your Christmas Eve than angrily shouting at the hardest Pokémon crossword known to mankind? Here's a blank image of the crossword. Look at the SIZE of it! Joe Merrick, the hardworking webmaster of...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Christmas? (Special Edition 2019)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
As regular visitors will know, every weekend, we share our gaming plans for the next couple of days and read through all of your entries in the comments. This time, though, we're switching things up a bit, getting together to chat about our plans over the holidays instead. That's right, Christmas is (nearly)...
News Delibird Is Taking Over Pokémon Sword And Shield's Wild Area For Christmas
Battle them to earn more rewards
If you love nothing more than running around in Pokémon Sword and Shield's Wild Area, looking for all sorts of monsters to catch, you should notice that things are starting to get a little Christmassy. Starting from today and running until Christmas Day, the present-giving penguin Pokémon Delibird will be much...
News Pokémon Fans Remind Us That There Is Some Good Left In The World After All
Take part in Operation Delibird this year
We hate to say it, but the reality is that even with all of the wonderful games out there to enjoy these days, there's still plenty of stuff going on in the world that's sure to bring you down. Life's tough, but some dedicated Pokémon fans are currently gearing up to make some people's Christmases just that...
News Bandai Reveals New Galar Pokémon Toys
Joining the original starter set
Ash and Go from the new Pokémon anime A few weeks ago we were treated to our first look at the new set of Pokémon Sword and Shield plush toys headed to Japan - including the adorable Wooloo, of course - and now even more little goodies have been revealed. Bandai has shared a first look at its upcoming Pokémon...
News Redeem This Pokémon Sword And Shield Code To Receive Some Free Poké Balls
Thanks, Ball Guy
If you've played through the main game in Pokémon Sword and Shield, one character you should remember is the Ball Guy who appears at every stadium in the game and gives you unique Poké Balls every time you see him. Over on the official @poke_times Twitter account at the moment, Ball Guy has shared a code, which will give you one...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Sword And Shield Still Dominate As Switch Takes Nine Of Top Ten
OG Switch model surpasses 10 million sales
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 9th - 15th December, revealing that Pokémon Sword and Shield has managed to fend off the competition for another week at the top. The two titles sold an estimated 231,578 physical copies this week, which is actually higher than last week's total. Elsewhere,...
News Nintendo Tweet Shows Off Pokémon Forms Not Yet Available In Sword And Shield
A sign of things to come?
Perhaps one of the best things about Pokémon Sword and Shield is the new cast of creatures themselves; from the adorable Sobble and the hilarious Cramorant to the new Galarian forms of old classics, we've been pretty impressed with the new designs this time around. Nintendo has decided to use two of these Galarian designs...
News One Of Pokémon's Largest Fan Communities Bans Dynamaxing In Competitive Matches
A majority vote settles it
Members of one of the world's largest competitive Pokémon communities, Smogon University, have voted to ban one of Pokémon Sword and Shield's new and prominent gameplay mechanics from its online matches. The feature in question is Dynamaxing (a new mechanic which temporarily boosts a Pokémon's power and allows a number...
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 Grapploct on the same route, they can be...
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...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 14th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Another week has come and gone as we tumble inexorably towards 2020, and this one gifted Nintendo a few choice gongs at The Game Awards and all 10 spots in the Japanese All-Format game charts. We also saw the announcement of a raft of indie titles as part of
News The Pokémon Company Is Taking Legal Action Against Sword And Shield Leakers
It just needs to name them first
Update - Sat 14th Dec, 2019 03:30 GMT: The Pokémon Company has been given the green light to take further action against the leakers. The following update is via the PokéJungle Twitter account: The @Pokemon Company has been granted the ability to subpoena Discord and 4chan to unmask the identities of the leakers...
Japanese Charts Nintendo Switch Games Take All Top Ten Spots, Pokémon Leads The Charge
Holy moly...
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 2nd - 8th December, revealing that Pokémon Sword and Shield is once again sitting right at the very top of the charts. The two titles sold an estimated 201,838 physical copies this week, pushing the lifetime total up to an impressive 2.22 million. Pokémon wasn't the only success for...
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 3. They're not hard to find, and in the Wild...
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...
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 Pokémon Sword (if you own Pokémon Shield, you'll...
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 of Wyndon, and only in Pokémon Sword. You'll...
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 Turffield. You won't see any wandering around,...
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...
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...
