and are 2019 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch console. They are the first instalments in the 8th generation of the Pokémon video game series. First teased at E3 2017 and announced in February 2019, the games were released on 15 November 2019. The games were accompanied by a downloadable content (DLC) expansion pass consisting of Part 1—The Isle of Armor (released in June 2020) and Part 2—The Crown Tundra (October 2020); its launch marked the first ever DLC released as part of the Pokémon video game series instead of an improved version.
In the game story, a young Pokémon Trainer begins their adventure in the Galar Region along with their friend/rival Hop as they join the Gym Challenge that allows them to compete with others for the title of Galar League Champion, due to them both getting a letter from Hop's brother and undefeated Galar League Champion, Leon. The games introduced many new features including the Dynamax and Gigantamax mechanic, which causes a player's Pokémon to grow to a significantly larger size and use more powerful attacks in battle. Conceptualization of the game began immediately following the completion of Pokémon Sun and Moon in 2016, while full development began a year later. The games were designed around the intent of utilizing the improved hardware capabilities of the Nintendo Switch. The Dynamax mechanic was similarly designed around the ability to see larger battles than were previously possible in the series.
Pokémon games feature a system where Pokémon from past games are able to be transferred into newer installments; when it was announced that Sword and Shield would exclude many pre-existing Pokémon from being usable in the games, it triggered a backlash from fans who called it "Dexit" as a nod to Brexit and resulted in an extensive controversy. Sword and Shield received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the games' gameplay, exploration, and mechanics, although the lack of innovation and mediocre visuals received some criticism. As of December 2025, the games had sold more than 27 million copies worldwide, making them the third best-selling titles in the Pokémon video game series. The games won awards at the SXSW Gaming Awards and Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2019.
Gameplay
Pokémon Sword and Shield are RPGs with adventure elements. They are presented in a fixed camera, third-person perspective, though some areas allow for free camera movement. The player controls a young Pokémon trainer who goes on a quest to catch and train creatures known as Pokémon and win battles against other Pokémon trainers. By defeating opposing Pokémon in turn-based battles, the player's Pokémon gains experience, allowing them to level up and increase their battle statistics, learn new moves, and evolve into more powerful Pokémon. The player can capture wild Pokémon through wild encounters by weakening them in battle and catching them with Poké Balls, adding them to their party. The player can also battle and trade Pokémon with other players via the Nintendo Switch's connectivity features. As is with other Pokémon games, certain Pokémon are only obtainable in either Sword or Shield, and the player will have to trade with others to obtain every Pokémon from both versions.
Pokémon Sword and Shield are set in the Galar Region, inspired by the United Kingdom. Galar consists of numerous cities and towns, with a route system separating major settlements. Random encounters with wild Pokémon typically occur in tall grass or bodies of water along routes and they might chase or run away from the player depending on their disposition. The driving force bringing the player to travel around the Galar Region is to participate in the "Gym Challenge", an open tournament to decide the Galar Region's greatest Pokémon Trainer (the Pokémon League Champion). Eight of the game's cities and towns are homes to stadiums housing "Gym Leaders", powerful Trainers specializing in certain types of Pokémon; beating a Gym Leader will grant the player a "Gym badge". After collecting all eight Badges, the player will be allowed to participate in the "Champion Cup", where they will face off in a tournament against the previously faced Gym Leaders in the Gym Challenge. After they emerge victorious, the player will face the reigning and undefeated Galar League Champion, Leon.
New features
The games introduce temporary transformations known as Dynamax and Gigantamax. Dynamax allows Pokémon to transform into gigantic-sizes during a Pokémon battle, increase HP, and use special "Max Moves", more powerful attacks that have unique in-battle effects. Gigantamax, which is limited to selected Pokémon, additionally alters Pokémon's physical appearance and replaces one of their Max Move battle techniques with a G-Max Move exclusive to the selected Pokémon. Dynamax and Gigantamax lasts for three turns. Players can battle in teams of four, either with other players or with non-playable characters, in cooperative raids against wild Dynamaxed or Gigantamaxed Pokémon, who have significantly larger health bars and can summon protective barriers to limit damage dealt to them. If players succeed in defeating the Raid Boss, they are granted the opportunity to catch the Pokémon and receive rewards; if four Pokémon on the player's side are knocked out during the battle or enough turns pass in the battle, the player will lose the Raid. Players can use Dynamax during these Raid Battles, though which player can Dynamax on a given turn is rotated once per turn.
The Dynamax/Gigantamax effect affects four held items; the three Choice items lose both the stat boost and the move lock; the player is free to choose any move in the Pokémon's moveset, but the move lock cannot be altered during Dynamaxing or Gigantamaxing. Another item that Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing affects is the Assualt Vest; the Pokémon does not get its 50% boost in the Special Defense stat but the item still prevents the holder from using non-attacking moves (Max Guard).
The Wild Area is a fully explorable open world area with free camera movement. Pokémon will appear in the game's overworld, and which Pokémon can appear will depend on weather conditions in the Wild Area, which changes every real-world day. The Wild Area's Pokémon fluctuate wildly in terms of their in-game level, and players will be unable to catch Pokémon of a certain level until they obtain certain Gym Badges by progressing through the main story. Players can find collectable items and battle non-playable characters in the Wild Area, and can additionally interact with Raid Dens, which allow players to initiate raid battles with Dynamaxed opponents.
Players can also use a new "Camp" feature, which allows players to set up camps with their Pokémon. Players can play and interact with their Pokémon in the camps, and can additionally use food items to prepare curry. Curry can be used to increase various statistics associated with the Pokémon, such as their friendship with the player, as well as giving them experience points. Depending on the difficulty of the curry recipe and ingredients used by the player, the curry will have a different final ranking, which will affect the amount of bonuses granted to the player's Pokémon. Players can participate in online multiplayer in camps with up to four players. In multiplayer camps, players can cook curry cooperatively and play with other players' Pokémon.
Other new mechanics include "Poké Jobs," which tasks the player's Pokémon with completing requests around Galar to gain experience or rare items. Regional variants, variations of Pokémon from past games in the series that have different appearances due to regional adaptation, return after being introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon, which featured regional variants exclusive to the game's main location of Alola. The games additionally have content exclusive to certain versions of the game, with certain Gym Leaders and Pokémon species being available only in Sword or Shield.
Connectivity Internet connectivity to other players is supported for functionality such as trades, battles, and encountering other trainers in the Wild Area; these functions however require a paid subscription to the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service. Sword and Shield only support direct game-to-game connectivity between themselves. The games are also compatible with Pokémon Home, an online cloud storage service for storing Pokémon, released in February 2020. Supported Pokémon can be transferred to the games from the Nintendo 3DS app Pokémon Bank, Pokémon Go, Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet via Pokémon Home, while supported Pokémon within Home can be used in Pokémon Champions. Although supported Pokémon can also be transferred into Pokémon Legends: Z-A, these transfers are one-way and renders them unable to return to previous games in the series, Sword and Shield included. If save data is detected on the Nintendo Switch system from Let's Go, Pikachu! or Let's Go, Eevee!. a Pikachu or Eevee that can Gigantamax will be available in Sword and Shield to the player as in-game gift.
Plot Setting Sword and Shield are set in Galar, a fictional region inspired by the United Kingdom, with several of its landmarks resembling places such as Bath, Somerset and York. Within the Galar Region lie countryside towns featuring cottages and Victorian architecture to the south. There are also Industrial Revolution and steampunk references. Many of the region's towns and cities feature Pokémon Gyms stylised like football stadiums, showcasing the games' Dynamax and Gigantamax mechanic. Snow-covered mountains dominate much of the northern areas of the region.
Story Similar to many previous games in the Pokémon franchise, the player travels across Galar Region to become the best Pokémon Trainer in the Galar Region, fighting eight powerful Trainers called Gym Leaders and eventually the undefeated Galar League Champion, Leon. Leon is the older brother of Hop, the player's childhood best friend. The player and Hop receive one of three Starter Pokémon: Grookey, Scorbunny, or Sobble from Leon as a gift. Afterward, the two explore a forest called the Slumbering Weald but are driven off by a powerful Pokémon. During their subsequent visit to the region's Pokémon Professor, Magnolia, and her granddaughter Sonia, they convince Leon to endorse the player and Hop to take part in the Gym Challenge. After travelling to the next city to register for the Gym Challenge, they encounter rivals Bede and Marnie, along with Team Yell, a devout group of hooligans who act as Marnie's unintentional fanbase and are determined to stop anyone else from completing the Challenge. The player also meets Rose, who, in addition to endorsing Bede as a Gym Challenger, presides over the Galar League and the region's main energy company, Macro Cosmos.