Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are 2019 role-playing video games created by Game Freak and released by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch console. These games are the first in the 8th generation of the Pokémon video game series. They were first shown at E3 2017 and officially announced in February 2019. The games were released on November 15, 2019. A downloadable content (DLC) expansion pass was included, featuring Part 1—The Isle of Armor (released in June 2020) and Part 2—The Crown Tundra (released in October 2020). This marked the first time DLC was added to a Pokémon game instead of releasing an updated version.
In the game’s story, a young Pokémon Trainer begins an adventure in the Galar Region with their partner, Hop, after both receive a letter from Leon, Hop’s brother and the undefeated Galar League Champion. The games introduced new features, such as the Dynamax and Gigantamax mechanic, which allows Pokémon to grow larger and use stronger attacks in battles. The game’s development began right after the completion of Pokémon Sun and Moon in 2016, with full development starting the following year. The games were designed to use the improved technology of the Nintendo Switch. The Dynamax mechanic was also created to allow players to see larger battles than ever before in the series.
Pokémon games include a system that lets Pokémon from older games be used in newer ones. When it was announced that Sword and Shield would not include many Pokémon from previous games, fans were upset and called the situation “Dexit,” a reference to Brexit. This caused a large controversy. Critics generally praised the games for their gameplay, exploration, and mechanics, though some criticized the lack of new ideas. As of December 2025, the games had sold more than 27 million copies worldwide, making them the third best-selling titles in the Pokémon series. The games won awards at the SXSW Gaming Awards and Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2019.
Gameplay
Pokémon Sword and Shield are role-playing games that include adventure elements. The games use a fixed camera angle from a third-person view, but some areas let players move the camera freely. The player controls a young Pokémon trainer who goes on a quest to catch and train creatures called Pokémon and win battles against other trainers. When the player's Pokémon defeat opponents in turn-based battles, they gain experience, which allows them to level up, improve their battle abilities, learn new moves, and evolve into stronger Pokémon. Wild Pokémon can be captured by weakening them in battle and using Poké Balls, which adds them to the player's team. Players can battle and trade Pokémon with others using the Nintendo Switch's connectivity features. Some Pokémon are only found in Sword or Shield, so players must trade with others to collect all Pokémon from both versions.
Pokémon Sword and Shield are set in the Galar Region, which is inspired by the United Kingdom. The region includes many cities and towns connected by routes. Wild Pokémon often appear in tall grass or near water along routes and may run away or chase the player depending on their behavior. The main goal is to complete the "Gym Challenge," a tournament to become the greatest Pokémon trainer in the Galar Region (the Pokémon League Champion). Eight cities and towns have stadiums where "Gym Leaders" live. These trainers specialize in certain types of Pokémon, and defeating them earns the player a "Gym badge." After collecting all eight badges, the player can compete in the "Champion Cup," where they face the Gym Leaders again and then challenge the reigning Galar League Champion, Leon.
The games introduce temporary transformations called Dynamax and Gigantamax. Dynamax makes Pokémon grow to giant sizes during battles and use special "Max Moves," which are stronger attacks with unique effects. Gigantamax, which only works for specific Pokémon, also changes their appearance and replaces one of their Max Moves with a unique "G-Max Move." Both transformations last for three turns. Players can battle in teams of four, either with other players or non-playable characters, in cooperative raids against wild Pokémon that have grown large (Dynamaxed or Gigantamaxed). These Pokémon have larger health bars and can protect themselves during battles. If players defeat the Raid Boss, they can catch the Pokémon and receive rewards. If four of the player's Pokémon are knocked out or too many turns pass, the player loses the Raid. Players can use Dynamax during these battles, but only one player can use it each turn.
The Wild Area is an open world where players can explore freely. Pokémon appear in the game's overworld, and the types of Pokémon that appear depend on the weather, which changes daily in real life. The levels of Pokémon in the Wild Area vary widely, and players cannot catch certain Pokémon until they earn specific Gym badges by progressing through the main story. Players can find collectible items, battle non-playable characters, and enter "Raid Dens" to fight Dynamaxed opponents.
Players can use a new "Camp" feature to set up camps with their Pokémon. In camps, players can interact with their Pokémon and cook curry using food items. Curry improves Pokémon statistics, such as their friendship with the player and gives them experience points. The difficulty of the curry recipe and ingredients used affects the bonuses given to the Pokémon. Up to four players can join online multiplayer camps, where they can cook curry together and play with other players' Pokémon.
Other new features include "Poké Jobs," which give players tasks to complete in Galar for experience or rare items. Regional variants, which are Pokémon with different appearances based on their region, return after being introduced in earlier games. Some Pokémon and Gym Leaders are only available in Sword or Shield. Internet connectivity is needed for trading, battling, and meeting other trainers in the Wild Area, but this requires a paid subscription to Nintendo Switch Online. Sword and Shield only support direct connections between the two games. The games are compatible with Pokémon Home, an online storage service for Pokémon. Players can transfer Pokémon from other games, such as Pokémon Bank, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, using Pokémon Home. If a player has save data from Let's Go, Pikachu! or Let's Go, Eevee!, they will receive a Pikachu or Eevee that can Gigantamax as a gift in Sword and Shield.
Plot
Sword and Shield is set in Galar, a fictional region inspired by the United Kingdom. Many places in Galar look like real locations such as Bath, Somerset, and York. The southern part of Galar has countryside towns with small houses and buildings from the Victorian era. The region also includes references to the Industrial Revolution and steampunk styles. Many towns and cities in Galar have Pokémon Gyms designed to look like football stadiums, showing the game’s Dynamax and Gigantamax features. Snowy mountains cover much of the northern part of the region.
In the game, the player travels across Galar to become the best Pokémon Trainer. They must defeat eight strong Trainers called Gym Leaders and then face the undefeated Galar League Champion, Leon. Leon is the older brother of Hop, the player’s childhood friend. At the start of the game, Leon gives the player and Hop one of three Starter Pokémon: Grookey, Scorbunny, or Sobble. The player and Hop later visit a forest called the Slumbering Weald but are chased away by a powerful Pokémon. They then meet Pokémon Professor Magnolia and her granddaughter, Sonia, who help convince Leon to let the player and Hop join the Gym Challenge. After registering for the challenge in another city, the player meets rivals Bede and Marnie, as well as Team Yell, a group of troublemakers who support Marnie and try to stop others from completing the challenge. The player also meets Rose, who helps Bede enter the Gym Challenge and is in charge of the Galar League and the region’s main energy company, Macro Cosmos.
As the story continues, the player helps Sonia study two Legendary Pokémon that once saved Galar from an ancient disaster called the Darkest Day. The player learns these Pokémon are the same ones they saw earlier in the Slumbering Weald. After defeating all eight Gym Leaders, the player travels to Wyndon, wins the Champion’s Cup, and earns the chance to battle Leon. Before the final battle, Rose wakes up the Legendary Pokémon Eternatus to use its power to provide endless energy to Galar, causing the second Darkest Day. The player and Hop team up with the two Legendary Pokémon, Zacian and Zamazenta, to stop Rose and Eternatus. Together, they defeat Rose and Eternatus, and the player catches Eternatus. Rose then turns himself in to the authorities. Three days later, the player defeats Leon in the final battle and becomes the new Galar League Champion.
In the post-game, the player and Hop face Sordward and Shielbert, two brothers who try to make Zacian and Zamazenta act violently. The player and Hop capture the brothers, who are then arrested. Hop decides to train to become a Pokémon Professor with Sonia.
Development
After finishing Pokémon Sun and Moon, the team started planning Pokémon Sword and Shield. Shigeru Ohmori, who directed Pokémon Sun and Moon, led a team to brainstorm ideas for the game. Kazumasa Iwao, who directed Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, later joined the project as planning director. One of the first ideas was making Pokémon very large to use the Switch's high-quality screen and TV features. Ohmori suggested a sword and a shield Pokémon to defeat this large Pokémon, which became the game's names.
Game Freak based the games on the theme of strength and aiming to be the strongest. This idea was shown through the Switch's power as a console, the Dynamax mechanic, and references to British folklore, such as giants and mythical creatures. The idea of growing and evolving is a major theme in the game and is shown in the story.
Full production began in September 2017. About 1,000 people from different companies worked on the games, including development, marketing, and public relations. Around 200 Game Freak employees worked directly on the games, while about 100 Creatures Inc. employees focused on 3D modeling. Another 100 worked on testing and fixing the game. Game Freak created a small team to plan the game carefully, allowing them to include all desired features. This method replaced their previous step-by-step approach, which became too complicated for the game's 3D graphics.
Before making Sword and Shield, Game Freak worked on Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! to study the Switch. They used a similar code structure for Sword and Shield. The developers tested ways to improve the traditional random encounter system and redesigned it so players could see Pokémon freely roaming the environment. They also considered letting players control the camera to improve exploration, but after discussing it with staff, they included the feature.
When moving from the 3DS to the Switch, Game Freak had to create Pokémon models from scratch to match the Switch's higher-quality graphics. Planners and concept artists designed settings for each Pokémon, which were written into a text file to guide their placement in the game. They designed the Wild Area as a large, open space different from traditional routes, where players could return daily to see changes.
Go Ichinose and Minako Adachi composed the music, including parts of UK rock music. A track was created by Toby Fox, who made the game Undertale. Ohmori said the route music used short, repeating tunes, while the Wild Area had longer, more dynamic songs. These games are the first Pokémon titles with a title theme that includes lyrics.
Unlike previous games, many existing Pokémon are not in Sword and Shield. Only Pokémon from the Galar region can be transferred from older games through Pokémon Home. Producer Junichi Masuda explained in 2018 that including all previous Pokémon was complicated, but they planned to find ways for players to use their Pokémon in future games. In 2019, he said the large number of Pokémon, along with new features like Dynamax, made it impossible to include all previous Pokémon without making the game take too long to develop. All three companies involved—Nintendo, Game Freak, and The Pokémon Company—agreed to reduce the number of Pokémon in the game.
Release and marketing
Sword and Shield were first mentioned by The Pokémon Company president, Tsunekazu Ishihara, during Nintendo's E3 2017 presentation. He said Game Freak was creating a new Pokémon role-playing game for the Nintendo Switch, but it would not be released for more than a year. Later, during a press conference in Japan on May 30, 2018, Game Freak announced the games would be released on the Nintendo Switch in the second half of 2019. The games were fully introduced in a special Nintendo Direct presentation on February 27, 2019. This presentation happened on Pokémon Day, which celebrates the anniversary of the release of Pokémon Red and Green in Japan. A second Nintendo Direct on June 5, 2019, revealed more details about the games, including new features, characters, and Pokémon. The release date was set for November 15, 2019.
Game Freak intentionally shared few new Pokémon in promotional materials to encourage players to discover them in the game. Special events were used to reveal new Pokémon. In September, a glitched graphic on the official Pokémon website led to the introduction of Sirfetch'd. In October, a 24-hour livestream set in the game's Glimwood Tangle location revealed a regional variant of Ponyta.
A promotional event between Sword and Shield and Tetris 99 took place from November 8 to 11, 2019, offering a limited-time theme based on the games. A web app also allowed players to explore the Wild Area online. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, an online tournament themed around Pokémon was held from November 15 to 18, 2019, to promote the games. Another event from November 22 to 27, 2019, featured Pokémon from the games as collectible spirits.
Before the games were released, images of Pokémon from the games, including some unreleased designs, were shared on a Discord chat and spread online. The Pokémon Company filed a lawsuit against the people who leaked the information, identifying four Discord accounts linked to the leaks. The company also requested legal information from Discord and 4chan about the leakers. The case was settled in 2021, and the leakers had to pay $150,000 each to the company. A Portuguese website that shared leaks was blocked by Nintendo.
An early version of the games, believed to be from 2018, was leaked after a hacker accessed Nintendo's servers. The version was shared on internet forums like 4chan after the game's release. This early build included Pokémon removed from the final version, such as Greninja, Ekans, a form of Rayquaza, and others. Visual details and models for some Pokémon were incomplete, and the Wild Area was not fully developed. Music tracks also differed from the final release. The Pokémon Company did not comment on the leak, but many believed it was an early version of the games.
During a Pokémon Direct on January 9, 2020, an expansion pass was announced. It included two parts: The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra. These expansions were released on June 17, 2020, and October 22, 2020, respectively. The expansions added new storylines, locations, characters, Pokémon, and other features not in the base game. A physical bundle containing both expansions and the base game was released on November 6, 2020.
Reception
The reception of the games was mostly positive. According to the review website Metacritic, Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, based on 87 reviews for Sword and 89 reviews for Shield. Another review site, OpenCritic, reported that 65% of critics recommended the games, showing strong approval.
Critics praised the games for their gameplay, exploration, and mechanics. Brian Shea of Game Informer highlighted the engaging battle mechanics and sense of exploration. Casey DeFreitas of IGN noted the games’ enjoyable gameplay and exploration. Kallie Plagge of GameSpot appreciated the dynamic exploration and streamlined gameplay. Just Lunning of Inverse said the games improved quality-of-life features, making them more accessible to new players, even though fewer Pokémon were included.
Lowell Bell of The Escapist praised the gameplay but said the games lacked difficulty and had a weak story. Alex Olney of Nintendo Life liked new features like the Wild Area but thought the games did not fully use the Nintendo Switch’s hardware, leading to underwhelming visuals. Alex Donaldson of VG247 found the games charming but noted some incomplete or mediocre aspects that limited their potential.
Some critics said the games lacked depth and innovation. Chris Tapsell of Eurogamer criticized the lack of complex dungeons, limited exploration, and a restricted Pokédex, which made the games feel less ambitious than earlier titles. James Grebey and Tom Philip of GQ said the games lacked challenge and failed to use the Switch’s capabilities. Mack Ashworth of GameRevolution pointed out poor visuals and a weak story, comparing them to other top Switch games.
Chris Carter of Destructoid praised Pokémon Shield’s visuals but criticized the absence of a Global Trade System and said parts of the game lacked emotion. Donovan Erskine of Shacknews called the games the most accessible in the series but noted performance issues, such as frame rate problems, and a weak story. Ben Moore of Easy Allies said the games were enjoyable but criticized the exclusion of beloved Pokémon, a weak story, and repetition from earlier games.
Many fans were upset that many existing Pokémon were not included, leading to the term "Dexit," a mix of "Pokédex" and "Brexit," and the hashtag #BringBackNationalDex on social media. Some fans called for delays until all Pokémon could be added.
Patricia Hernandez of Polygon said the backlash had some reason but had gone too far. Alex Donaldson of VG247 noted that feature creep—adding new features while removing old ones—had affected Pokémon. Gita Jackson of Kotaku described the controversy as a conflict between wanting nostalgia and wanting more complexity. Joe Merrick of Serebii said the controversy was the most significant since the 2013 launch of Pokémon Bank.
On June 28, 2019, producer Junichi Masuda responded to the controversy, saying the removal of certain Pokémon was a hard decision but that they would return in future games. Michael McWhertor of Polygon said Masuda’s response did not fully address fan concerns.
Additional controversy arose when data miners claimed Game Freak reused models and animations from older 3DS games, leading to negative reviews and the hashtag #GameFreakLied trending on Twitter. Game Freak denied this, stating the elements were redesigned.
In Japan, Sword and Shield sold 2 million copies in their first three days, surpassing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as the fastest-selling Switch games in the region. In the U.S., they sold over 2 million copies in their opening weekend. Worldwide, they sold over 6 million copies in their first weekend. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet later became the fastest-selling Switch games. As of May 2025, Sword and Shield had sold 26.72 million copies worldwide, making them the third-best-selling Pokémon games, behind Pokémon Red and Blue and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.