Pokémon Sword and Shield News
December2019
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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 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 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 see them in the overworld walking about, so...
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...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield's Pokédex Contains A Dire Warning About Climate Change
Take heed...
Pokémon Sword And Shield may be set in a fantasy world that, in many ways, is quite different from our own, but it would seem that even the realm of Pocket Monsters has the same worries and concerns as ours – and that includes the thorny issue of global warming. The game's Pokédex is being used to illustrate the dangers of climate...
News You'll Need Hi-tech Earbuds To Adjust The Volume In Pokémon Sword And Shield
Find this item or go without volume sliders
If you've been playing Pokémon Sword and Shield since it was released, you've probably already got the Hi-Tech Earbuds. If you haven't found them or heard about what they do though, you might want to keep reading. In order to adjust the volume in Sword or Shield, you'll need to first locate this in-game...
Random Pokémon Sword And Shield Players Are Reportedly Experiencing Issues With Their Roku Devices
Update: A fix has arrived
Update 2 - Tue 19th Nov, 2019 03:25 GMT: Roku has now released a fix (via The Verge): We are aware of an issue when using Nintendo Switch and the latest Pokémon game impacting a limited number of Roku devices. We are rolling out a software update to resolve it and impacted users can check for the update by going into...
Random Pokémon Sword And Shield's Ending Has A Pretty Embarrassing Mistake
How soon before Nintendo fixes it?
We're firmly of the opinion that Pokémon Sword And Shield – while not perfect – is a fine video game that has clearly had a lot of blood, sweat and tears invested in it. However, it would seem that in the effort to get the title to market, developer Game Freak slipped up a little when it came to creating the...
Gallery Casio Celebrates 25 Years Of Baby-G With This Amazing Pokémon Watch
Complete with a hidden Pikachu!
As one of gaming's leading franchises, it's no surprise that Pokémon has enjoyed some eye-catching crossover collaborations over the years – and now we've got another. To mark the 25th anniversary of its Baby-G watch range, Casio has created a limited edition watch which focuses on the 25th Pokémon in the...
News Axed Pokémon Are Being Added To Sword And Shield By Industrious Modders
Where there's a will...
As we're all painfully aware by now, Pokémon Sword and Shield does not include a complete National Pokédex, and a great many veteran 'mon have been left out of the game. However, where there's a will, there's a way, and modders are already hard at work filling in the gaps where they can. Twitter user SciresM has been...
UK Charts Pokémon Sword And Shield Beats Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order To Claim Number One Spot
Second biggest launch for the series in the region
Pokémon Sword and Shield has enjoyed a massive opening week in the UK sales charts, holding off Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to claim the number one spot – making it the biggest system exclusive game of 2019. Pokémon Sword on its own is the third biggest physical game launch of the year,...
Video Watch Google Lens Bring The Pokémon Sword And Shield Japanese Box Art To Life
The future is here
The Pokémon Company is promoting the release of Sword and Shield on the Nintendo Switch in Japan with the assistance of Google Lens. In case you didn't know, this is a mobile application that allows you to "search what you see" and "understand the world around you" using just a camera or a photo, according to the official...
Video Digital Foundry Delivers Its Verdict On Pokémon Sword And Shield
Gotta watch it all
The mainline Pokémon series has finally made the jump to high-definition, so how does it hold up in terms of visuals and performance? The tech experts over the Digital Foundry found Sword and Shield to be a bit of a mixed experience. The texturing is described as being on "the basic side" – with low-resolution texture mapping...
Random Yes, People In The Galar Region Eat Pokémon
Curry on rice, with cooked Slowpoke tail
So, if you haven't already noticed during your own playthrough of Pokémon Sword and Shield, the psychic-water type Slowpoke isn't featured in the Galar Region's Pokédex. While it was believed this Pokémon had been removed, that's not entirely true. You see, the new curry recipes in Sword and Shield reveal...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 16th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
It's been an eventful week in the run up to the launch of a certain creature-capture game that will inevitably be keeping team NL (and most of you, we'd imagine) busy this weekend - Sonic the Hedgehog returned in updated silver screen form in a new trailer which seems to have gone down much better than the...
Reminder Sign Up Now To The Pokémon Sword And Shield Galar Beginnings Online Competition
Starts on 6th December
The Pokémon Company will be hosting the very first Pokémon Sword and Shield online competition next month, on 6th December. If you would like to participate in the Galar Beginnings tournament, all you have to do is sign up between now (15th November) and 5th December to take part. To do this, you'll need to enter the VS...
News The First Limited-Time Gigantamax Event In Pokémon Sword And Shield Is Now Live
Fancy taking on a giant Butterfree?
One big part of Pokémon Sword and Shield is the ability to participate in Max Raid Battles with four other trainers, in order to take down special Dynamax Pokémon. In some rare cases though, a Gigantamax Pokémon will appear. While the chances of encountering one of these Gigantamax Pokémon are normally...
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield's Galarian Yamask: How To Find And Evolve Into Runerigus
Yamask-n't ask us how long we spent trying this
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 enigmatic Galarian Yamask, which can be found primarily on Route 6, just south of the town of Stow-on-Side. This little geezer is a bit of a...
News Eek, Pokémon Sword And Shield Could Be Corrupting Micro SD Card Data
...but your save data is safe, thankfully [Updated]
Update: It appears that more people are having this issue with the digital version of the game, and a Switch hacker has claimed to identify the cause, relating to those using exFAT as the filesystem on their SD card (via NintendoSoup). At this point, we imagine this is still isolated to a small...
Poll Pokémon Sword And Shield Are Out Today, Which Version Are You Getting?
The power's in your hands
In some ways, time has passed incredibly quickly since Pokémon Sword and Shield were first announced, yet at the same time, the build-up to their release has felt like an absolute eternity. Thankfully, the games are now finally available and ready to collect from your local game store (or your doorstep, if you've already...
News Of Course Pokémon Sword And Shield Is Getting Review-Bombed
Try to act surprised
Well, it was bound to happen, wasn't it? After the fuss about the Pokédex, recycled animations and much more besides, Pokémon Sword And Shield is getting review-bombed by users on
News Pokémon Designer Shares Special Artwork To Celebrate The Release Of Sword And Shield
"may your journey to Galar be a great one"
Pokémon designer and Sword and Shield art director James Turner – who recently came under fire for 'liking' a tweet that attacked disappointed Pokémon fans – has been sharing custom artwork leading up to the big release. Now that the new generation has launched on Switch (at least in most parts of...
Guide How Long Is Pokémon Sword And Shield? And Other Pokémon Sword And Shield Questions Answered
Pokémon Sword and Shield 101
Generation 8 has begun! Whether you're an old hand when it comes to Pocket Monsters and Poké Balls or you're venturing into the wonderful world of Pokémon for the very first time, you probably have some questions about the new pair of games Pokémon Sword and Shield. We've put together this guide with answers to...
Nintendo Download 14th November (Europe)
Pokémon! Bee Simulator! Sparklite! WRC 8!
The latest Nintendo Download update for Europe has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy! Switch Retail - New Releases: Sparklite (Merge Games, 14th Nov,...
