Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are 2019 role-playing video games created by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. 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. They included a downloadable content (DLC) expansion pass with two parts: Part 1—The Isle of Armor (released in June 2020) and Part 2—The Crown Tundra (released in October 2020). This was the first DLC ever released for a Pokémon game instead of a new version.
In the game’s story, a young Pokémon Trainer starts an adventure in the Galar Region with their friend and rival, Hop. They join the Gym Challenge, a competition to become the Galar League Champion, after receiving a letter from Hop’s brother, Leon, who is an undefeated Galar League Champion. The games introduced new features, such as the Dynamax and Gigantamax mechanic, which makes a player’s Pokémon grow larger and use stronger attacks in battle. Development began after the completion of Pokémon Sun and Moon in 2016, with full development starting the following year. The games were designed to take advantage of the Nintendo Switch’s improved hardware. The Dynamax mechanic was also created to allow players to see larger battles than ever before in the series.
Pokémon games allow players to transfer Pokémon from older games into newer ones. When it was announced that Sword and Shield would not include many Pokémon from previous games, fans reacted negatively, calling it “Dexit” as a reference to Brexit, which caused controversy. Critics generally praised the games for their gameplay, exploration, and mechanics, though some noted a lack of innovation. By December 2025, the games had sold over 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 with adventure elements. The games use a fixed camera and third-person perspective, though some areas allow free camera movement. The player controls a young Pokémon trainer who travels to catch and train Pokémon, winning battles against other trainers. By defeating opposing Pokémon in turn-based battles, the player's Pokémon gain experience, which helps them level up, improve battle stats, learn new moves, and evolve into stronger Pokémon. Wild Pokémon can be captured by weakening them in battle and using Poké Balls, adding them to the player's team. Players can battle and trade Pokémon with others through the Nintendo Switch's connectivity features. Some Pokémon are only available in Sword or Shield, requiring trades to collect all Pokémon from both versions.
The games take place in the Galar Region, inspired by the United Kingdom. Galar includes many cities and towns connected by routes. Wild Pokémon often appear in tall grass or near water on routes and may chase or run from the player depending on their behavior. The main goal is to complete the "Gym Challenge," a tournament to become the Galar Region's greatest Pokémon trainer (the Pokémon League Champion). Eight cities and towns house stadiums with "Gym Leaders," trainers who specialize in certain Pokémon types. Beating a Gym Leader earns a "Gym badge." After collecting all eight badges, the player can compete in the "Champion Cup," facing Gym Leaders and the undefeated Galar League Champion, Leon.
The games introduce temporary transformations called Dynamax and Gigantamax. Dynamax lets Pokémon grow very large during battles and use powerful "Max Moves" with special effects. Gigantamax, available only to specific Pokémon, also changes their appearance and replaces one Max Move with a unique "G-Max Move." Both effects last for three turns. Players can battle in teams of four, either with other players or non-playable characters, in cooperative raids against wild Dynamaxed or Gigantamaxed Pokémon. These Pokémon have larger health bars and can create protective barriers. If players defeat the Raid Boss, they can catch the Pokémon and receive rewards. If all four Pokémon on the player's team are knocked out or too many turns pass, the player loses the Raid. Dynamax can be used during raids, but only one player can use it per turn.
The Wild Area is an open world with free camera movement. Pokémon appear in the overworld, and their types depend on the weather, which changes daily. Pokémon in the Wild Area vary in level, and players can only catch certain Pokémon after obtaining specific Gym Badges by progressing through the story. Players can find items, battle non-playable characters, and enter "Raid Dens" to fight Dynamaxed opponents.
A new "Camp" feature lets players set up camps with their Pokémon. In camps, players can interact with their Pokémon and use food items to prepare curry. Curry boosts Pokémon stats, such as friendship and experience. The difficulty of the curry recipe and ingredients affects the bonuses given. Up to four players can join online multiplayer camps, where they can cook curry together and play with each other's Pokémon.
Other new features include "Poké Jobs," where players complete tasks around Galar to earn experience or rare items. Regional variants, which are Pokémon with different appearances based on their region, return from previous games. Some Pokémon and Gym Leaders are exclusive to Sword or Shield.
Internet connectivity is needed for trading, battling, and meeting other trainers in the Wild Area, but a paid subscription to Nintendo Switch Online is required. Sword and Shield only support direct connections between themselves. The games are compatible with Pokémon Home, an online storage service for Pokémon, which allows transferring Pokémon from other games like Pokémon Bank, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. If a player has save data from Let's Go, Pikachu! or Let's Go, Eevee!, they receive a Pikachu or Eevee that can Gigantamax as an in-game gift.
Plot
Sword and Shield takes place in Galar, a fictional area inspired by the United Kingdom. Many places in Galar look like real locations such as Bath in Somerset and York. The southern part of Galar has countryside towns with small houses and buildings from the Victorian era. The region also includes designs from the Industrial Revolution and steampunk styles. Many towns and cities in Galar have Pokémon Gyms that are designed to look like football stadiums, showing the game’s special moves called Dynamax and Gigantamax. Snowy mountains cover much of the northern part of the region.
Like other Pokémon games, the player travels through Galar to become the top Pokémon Trainer. To achieve this, the player 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. Leon gives the player and Hop one of three Starter Pokémon: Grookey, Scorbunny, or Sobble. Later, the player and Hop explore a forest called the Slumbering Weald but are chased away by a powerful Pokémon. During a visit to Pokémon Professor Magnolia and her granddaughter Sonia, they persuade Leon to support the player and Hop in joining 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 become a Gym Challenger and leads the Galar League and the region’s main energy company, Macro Cosmos.
As the player continues their journey, they help Sonia research two Legendary Pokémon that once saved Galar from an ancient disaster called the Darkest Day. The player figures out these Pokémon are the same ones seen earlier in the Slumbering Weald. After defeating the eight Gym Leaders, the player travels to Wyndon, wins the Champion’s Cup, and earns the chance to battle Leon. Before the final fight, Rose awakens the Legendary Pokémon Eternatus to use its power for unlimited energy, starting the second Darkest Day. The player and Hop team up with the two Legendary Pokémon, Zacian and Zamazenta, to stop Rose and Eternatus. They defeat them, catch Eternatus, and Rose is taken into custody. Three days later, the player defeats Leon in the final battle and becomes the new Galar League Champion.
In the game’s post-game, the player and Hop confront 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 with Sonia to become a Pokémon Professor.
Development
The idea for Pokémon Sword and Shield started right after Pokémon Sun and Moon was finished, in the months before they were released in November 2016. Shigeru Ohmori, who directed Sun and Moon, formed a team to think of ideas for the new game. Later, Kazumasa Iwao, who directed Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, joined the project as planning director. One of the first ideas the team had was to make Pokémon very large in size to use the Switch’s high-resolution screen and ability to connect to a TV. Ohmori suggested creating a sword and a shield Pokémon to fight this large Pokémon, which became the names of the games.
Game Freak designed the games around the theme of strength and striving to be the "greatest or the strongest." This theme was shown through the Switch being the most powerful console for a Pokémon game, the Dynamax mechanic, and references to British folklore, including giants and mythical creatures. The idea of "growing and evolving" was an important part of the story.
Full production began in September 2017. About 1,000 people from different companies worked on the games, including development, marketing, localization, and public relations. Around 200 employees from Game Freak worked directly on the games, while about 100 from Creatures Inc. created 3D models. An additional 100 worked on testing and fixing the game. Game Freak created a small team to plan and design the game carefully, allowing them to include all planned features. This method replaced their earlier step-by-step approach, which became too complicated due to the game’s 3D graphics.
Before making Sword and Shield, Game Freak developed 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 tried different ways to improve the traditional random encounter system and eventually changed it so players could find Pokémon freely roaming the environment. They also tested allowing players to control the camera for better exploration, which was later added after an internal discussion.
Because the Switch has better graphics than the Nintendo 3DS, Game Freak had to design Pokémon models from scratch to fit the higher quality visuals. Planners and concept artists created settings for each Pokémon, which were written into a text file to guide their placement in the game. The Wild Area was designed as a large open space, different from traditional routes, and changes daily so players could return and see new things each time.
Go Ichinose and Minako Adachi composed the music, using styles from UK rock. A song was also created by Toby Fox, the maker of Undertale. Ohmori said the music for regular areas used short, repeating tunes, while the Wild Area had longer, more dynamic songs. These games are the first Pokémon games with a title theme that includes lyrics.
Unlike earlier main series games, many existing Pokémon were not available in Sword and Shield. Only Pokémon from the Galar region could be transferred from previous games through Pokémon Home. Producer Junichi Masuda explained in a 2018 interview that including all existing Pokémon was difficult due to the large number of Pokémon, the need to create new assets for features like Dynamax, and the need to keep game balance and quality. He said Nintendo, Game Freak, and The Pokémon Company agreed to limit the number of Pokémon in the game.
Release and marketing
In 2017, the president of The Pokémon Company, Tsunekazu Ishihara, mentioned during a Nintendo event that Game Freak was making a new Pokémon game for the Nintendo Switch, but it would not come out for more than a year. 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, which included details about the games' region and starter Pokémon. This event happened on Pokémon Day, a celebration marking the anniversary of the release of Pokémon Red and Green in Japan. A second Nintendo Direct on June 5, 2019, shared more information about the games' features, characters, and Pokémon. The games were scheduled to release on November 15, 2019.
Game Freak limited the number of new Pokémon shown in promotional materials to encourage players to discover them in the game. For some reveals, special events were used. In September 2019, a glitched graphic on the official Pokémon website led to the introduction of Sirfetch'd. In October 2019, a 24-hour livestream set in the game's Glimwood Tangle location revealed a regional variant of Ponyta.
A promotional event between Pokémon 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 focused on Pokémon was held from November 15 to 18, 2019, to promote the games. Another event from November 22 to 27 included Pokémon from the games as collectible spirits.
Before the games' release, images of Pokémon from the games, including some unreleased designs, were leaked through a Discord chat and later shared online. The Pokémon Company took legal action against the leakers, identifying four Discord accounts linked to the leaks. The company also requested 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.
A version of the game believed to be from 2018 was leaked after a hacker accessed Nintendo's servers. This early build was shared on forums like 4chan after the game's release. The build included Pokémon that were later removed from the final version, such as Greninja, Ekans, and a form of Rayquaza. Some visual elements and models were incomplete, and the Wild Area was not fully developed. Music tracks also differed from the final release. The Pokémon Company stated it would not comment on leaks or speculation, but many believed the build was genuine.
In January 2020, a Nintendo Direct presentation announced an expansion pass with two parts: The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra. These expansions were released on June 17, 2020, and October 22, 2020, respectively. They added new storylines, locations, characters, Pokémon, and 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 website, OpenCritic, reported that the games were strongly approved by 65% of critics.
Critics praised the games for their gameplay, exploration, and mechanics. Brian Shea of Game Informer said the games had exciting battle systems and a strong sense of exploration. Casey DeFreitas of IGN said the games had engaging gameplay and enjoyable battle and exploration experiences. Kallie Plagge of GameSpot praised the dynamic exploration and smooth gameplay. Just Lunning of Inverse also gave positive feedback, noting that even though fewer Pokémon were included, the games had improvements that made them easier for new players to enjoy.
Lowell Bell of The Escapist said the gameplay was good but felt the games were too easy. He also criticized the story, saying the plot involving Chairman Rose was not logical and some parts of the story were not developed enough. Alex Olney of Nintendo Life liked the new Pokémon, quality-of-life improvements, and the Wild Area. However, he said the games did not fully use the Nintendo Switch’s better technology and found some visuals disappointing. Alex Donaldson of VG247 said the games were charming and captured the spirit of the series well. He also said some parts of the games were incomplete or not very good, which limited their potential.
Some critics said the games lacked depth and innovation. Chris Tapsell of Eurogamer said the games had no complex dungeons, little lore, limited exploration, and a small Pokédex, which made them feel less ambitious than earlier games. James Grebey and Tom Philip of GQ said the games lacked challenge, depth, and innovation and were not as good as they could have been. Mack Ashworth of GameRevolution said the visuals were poor and the story was not well executed, comparing them to other top Switch games.
Chris Carter of Destructoid praised the visuals of Pokémon Shield and the ability to see Pokémon moving around in the world. However, he criticized the lack of a Global Trade System and said some parts of the game felt "missing emotion and soul."
Donovan Erskine of Shacknews said the quality-of-life features made the games the most accessible in the series and praised the Wild Area and gyms. However, he noted problems with the games’ performance, such as frame rate issues, and the story. Ben Moore of Easy Allies said the games were "largely enjoyable" but criticized the absence of some beloved Pokémon, a weak story, and repetition of ideas from earlier games.
Many fans were upset that many existing Pokémon were not included in the games. They called this situation "Dexit," a mix of "Pokédex" and "Brexit," and used the hashtag "#BringBackNationalDex" on social media. Some fans wanted the games to be delayed 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 said the games had too many new features, which led to some old ones being removed, and old design problems became more noticeable. Gita Jackson of Kotaku said the controversy showed a conflict between wanting nostalgia and wanting more complex games. Joe Merrick of fansite Serebii said the controversy was the biggest among Pokémon fans since the troubled launch of Pokémon Bank in 2013.
Junichi Masuda, the game’s producer, formally responded to the controversy on June 28, 2019, saying the decision to remove some Pokémon was difficult but that they would return in future games. Michael McWhertor of Polygon said Masuda’s response acknowledged fan concerns but did not fully address them.
More controversy arose when data miners claimed Game Freak reused models and animations from 3DS games, leading to negative reviews and the hashtag #GameFreakLied trending on Twitter. Game Freak denied the claims, saying the elements were redesigned.
In Japan, Sword and Shield sold 2 million copies in their first three days, with 1.36 million sold in retail stores, making them the fastest-selling Switch games in that region. In the U.S., they sold over 2 million copies in their opening weekend. Worldwide, they sold over 6 million copies in their opening weekend, surpassing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as the fastest-selling Switch games. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet later sold more copies and became the fastest-selling Switch games. As of May 2025, the games 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.