What better way to celebrate Pokémon Day than with the reveal of two new Pokémon games? That’s exactly what Nintendo did; the company revealed Pokémon Sword and Shield during an incredibly short Nintendo Direct livestream.
While the reveal only lasted little over seven minutes, there’s a lot to unpack, including a bunch of new Pokémon and the fact that the region it’s set in looks suspiciously like the UK. Intrigued? You should be. Here’s where we explain all you need to know about Pokémon Sword and Shield, from release date rumours to the latest gameplay news.
When will Pokémon Sword and Shield be released?
As confirmed during the short Nintendo Direct presentation in February 2019, both Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will be available ‘late 2019’. Nintendo has yet to confirm a release date, but we assume it’ll follow a similar release to 2018’s Let’s Go! games and be available in/around November 2019.
Of course, that’s only speculation, and we’ll be sure to update this section once Nintendo confirms the release date of the upcoming titles.
Which platforms will Pokémon Sword and Shield be available on?
The eighth-gen Pokémon games will be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch. While it’s not the first Pokémon-themed game to appear on Nintendo’s hybrid console, it’s the first in the core series to make it onto something over than a handheld like the GameBoy or Nintendo 3DS.
Latest Pokémon Sword and Shield trailer
While technically not a trailer, you can watch the seven-minute reveal of Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield below.
Pokémon Sword and Shield gameplay news
Despite being revealed in the Nintendo Direct livestream, there’s not a lot of information about the next-gen Pokémon game available right now. That’s not to say there’s nothing though…
Pokémon Sword and Shield to take place in an all-new region
Pokémon Sword and Shield are set to take place in the all-new region of Galar, and while it’s purely coincidental, the sprawling landscape looks to resemble the United Kingdom complete with industrial towns and vast green countryside. There’s even a Big Ben-esque tower in one of the Galarian towns, as seen in the overview of the region below:
Galar looks to be more varied than past Pokémon games, and looks to employ an entirely new game engine too. The new engine looks to bring 3D graphic support across larger environments, like blades of grass moving in the breeze or the smoke from a chimney carried by the wind, giving the world a more realistic look when compared to older, more static games in the series.
Starter Pokémon revealed
Like pretty much every other Pokémon title, you’ll be provided with one of three unique starter Pokémon at the beginning of your journey.
- Grookey (Grass)
- Scorbunny (Fire)
- Sobble (Water)
We’ll be sure to update this article whenever we receive new Pokémon Sword and Shield news, so check back soon for the latest details.
