Pokemon fans are excited about the upcoming launch of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, as not only can we look forward to a shiny new area to explore, weird and wonderful new Pokemon, and new characters, but this is the first open-world RPG in the series.

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With so much to be excited about, it's understandable that fans want to get their hands on all the latest information as soon as possible. That's why we've got everything you need to know about Pokemon Scarlet & Violet right here. We'll continue to update this guide as new information becomes available.

FAQ

When Is The Release Date?

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet will be launching worldwide on November 18, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.

Will There Be Multiplayer?

There will be four-player co-op available.

Will There Be Trading/Battling With Other Players?

Trading and battling with other players have been confirmed. (And we don't want to imagine a world in which it wasn't.)

Is It Open-World?

Yes, this is the first Pokemon game in the series to be open-world and players are free to explore at their leisure, without the order of content being dictated by any of the three storylines.

How Many Pokemon Will Be In The Game?

We have no confirmed number right now, but we'll continue to update the below sections on all Pokemon that have been revealed.

Who Are The Villains?

The most recent trailer has revealed Team Star, a group of delinquent students who have made a place called Starfall Street their base of operations. We've witnessed what appears to be the player infiltrating a base of theirs, dispatching Pokemon to auto-battle various foes, and then going head-to-head against Team Star's boss, Mela.

What Is The Goal Of The Game?

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet feature three stories. The first is the traditional Pokemon League adventure, in which players are tasked with battling eight Gym Leaders to obtain their Badges, then moving on to the League itself in a bid to become a Champion. But there is also the delinquent Team Star to deal with, as well as the hunt for rare herbs by battling massive Titan Pokemon.

The Main Characters

The Protagonist

Once again there are two different characters to choose from, a girl or a boy, and your outfit will vary depending on whether you play Pokemon Scarlet or Pokemon Violet. Although outfit customization is available, it appears to be more limited than in past offerings, as the overarching school uniform aesthetic is locked into place.

As for their 'canon' names, and we use the term lightly, they have yet to be revealed. The Pokemon Company tends not to make a fuss out of that, presumably since most players rename themselves anyway, so we're on the lookout for any footage that shows them.

The Pokemon Professors

There are actually two Pokemon professors this time around! Professor Sada (shown on the left) will be in Pokemon Scarlet, while Pokemon Violet players will meet Professor Turo (shown on the right).

Your Rivals And Friends

Nemona

We've been introduced to Nemona, a Pokemon trainer who apparently isn't the best at throwing Poke Balls. She is referred to as the protagonist's "friend", though through battling her and such, she'll likely take over the traditional rival role to some extent or another.

Penny

One of your classmates, Penny is a shy girl who doesn't spend too much time around other kids in the academy, instead choosing to travel by herself. Currently, some have theorized she has ties to Team Star, the group of delinquents we'll touch up on more momentarily.

Arven

One of the upperclassmen at the academy, Arven is a Pokemon trainer who loves cooking and travels across Paldea to research new healthy recipes for Pokemon. Arven is at the center of one of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet's three main story paths, as he'll join players in their search for rare ingredients known as Herba Mystica.

The Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and Champion(s)

Geeta

Geeta describes herself as the chairwoman of the Pokemon League, and since it appears that Scarlet & Violet's Paldea region honors multiple champion-class trainers simultaneously, this may make her the uppermost champion of them all.

Grusha

A former snowboarder and the current Gym Leader of the Glaseado Gym, this trainer uses a Cetitan as his partner, an Ice-type Pokemon that suits his coolheaded demeanor.

Brassius

Brassius is the Grass-type Gym Leader. Prior to battling him, he tasks players with a Gym Test to seek and gather several Sunflora, confirming the return of Pokemon Sword & Shield's pre-battle activities (and more broadly, Sun & Moon's Gym Trials). Additionally, Brassius uses the Paldea region's Terastal phenomenon to "crystallize" his Sudowoodo, referring to it as "Truleewoodo" (though as best we can tell, this is purely Brassius' nickname for it, not anything official).

The School Faculty

Jacq

Your biology and homeroom teacher, Jacq is the developer of the Rotom Phone app for your Pokedex, a cheerful fellow who usually gets distracted by his own investigations.

Clavell

The acting director of the academy will welcome you as you start your journey in Paldea. A strict but kind teacher, he's a close friend of the two Pokemon professors in this region.

Team Star

Mela

Mela is said to be the boss of Team Star. She exhibits an appropriately fiery stage presence, and we've seen her use a Torkoal in battle.

All Currently Announced New Pokemon

Starter Pokemon

Sprigatito		Fuecoco		Quaxly
Type	Grass	Type	Fire	Type	Water

Legendary Pokemon

Koraidon		Miraidon
Type	???	Type	???

Other New Pokemon

Pawmi		Lechonk		Smoliv		Cyclizar
Type	Electric	Type	Normal	Type	Grass/Normal	Type	Dragon/Normal
Cetitan		Fidough		Paldean Wooper		Grafaiai
Type	Ice	Type	Fairy	Type	Poison/Ground	Type	Normal/Poison
Armarouge		Ceruledge		Klawf		Wiglett
Type	Fire/Psychic	Type	Fire/Ghost	Type	Rock	Type	Water

Farigiraf
Type	Normal/Psychic

Our most recent Paldean Pokemon reveal is Farigiraf, the surprising new evolution to Johto fan favorite Girafarig.

Confirmed Returning Pokemon

Of course, we're not just excited about all the new Pokemon we'll get to meet, but we also want to know if some of our favorites will be returning too. Here's a list of every confirmed returning Pokemon so far.

New Mechanic - Terastal Phenomenon

This generation's new gimmick comes in the form of the Terastal Phenomenon, a form of crystalline power-up that will help your Pokemon to reach a new level during battles, a process that can also give a new additional type to your Pokemon, called Tera Type. You can find different specimens of the same Pokemon with different Tera Types by capturing them in the new Tera Raid Battles, and since there are currently 18 types in the type chart, the resulting combinations of Tera Types and Pokemon are seemingly endless.

In the wild, you can encounter Pokemon that will Terastalize at the beginning of the battle. These Pokemon will be glowing a distinct golden color in the overworld. We've seen this with a Jigglypuff in the most recent trailer; the Jigglypuff remained stationary until approached, though there's no guarantee other, more powerful Terastalized Pokemon will do the same.

New Mechanic - Picnics

Picnics fulfill the role of past generations' more detailed Pokemon interaction mechanic, such as cooking to feed your Pokemon, playing with them and even cleaning them. New to Scarlet & Violet, however, is the odd inclusion of picnics being the source of Pokemon eggs used in breeding. It seems that picnic-based egg acquisition has replaced Pokemon Daycare.

Eating sandwiches can make certain Pokemon easier to catch, improve Raid-battling power, and provide potentially other, undisclosed boosts.

Koraidon And Miraidon New Forms

Legendary Pokemon Miraidon and Koraidon get new forms that will help you to easily travel through the many different areas of Paldea. These three modes have their own uses, and they are the following:

• Sprinting Build / Drive Mode Koraidon and Miraidon transform their bodies to traverse long distances at full speed, letting you ride them to cover ground more effectively in what looks to be a "motorcycle mode" for both pokemon.
• Swimming Build / Aquatic Mode When you jump into any water body, these pokemon will float and let you travel across the water to reach new places.
• Gliding Build / Glide Mode Jumping from high territory will make Koraidon and Miraidon extend their own head wings, allowing you to glide through the skies.

Technical Machine Machine

No, that's not a redundancy typo. The Technical Machine Machine service is available at Pokemon Centers, and it allows trainers to trade in gathered materials for the construction of TMs, adding a new dimension to acquiring these move-teaching tools. Required materials appear to always include a currency called League Points, as well as a mixture of other bits.

In the October 6 trailer, for example, Aerial Ace requires 800 LP, as well as three Starly Feathers and three Fletchling Feathers.

Three Journeys

Rather than a singular goal, players are given three, each with their own story, cast, and pivotal encounters. It may be necessary to complete each of them in order to unlock postgame content, though that's purely hypothetical for now.

• The Pokemon League is the most traditional story path. Players will travel to an assortment of cities, competing against their Gym Leaders, for a chance to make it through Victory Road. Notably, "Champion" appears to be more of a rank than the grand title of a single character, but to earn this prestigious rank, you will need to go through all the familiar hoops.
• The Path of Legends story path involves traveling alongside the upperclassman named Arva in search of Herba Mystica ingredients, battling "Titans" in their lairs along the way. We've seen a truly massive Klawf, called the "Stony Cliff Titan", in a recent trailer.
• Team Star's story path puts players head-to-head against the villainous organization of Scarlet & Violet, though following more recent generational conventions, Star may be more of a vaguely well-meaning thorn in the region's side rather than any full-fledged, world-domination seeking sort of gang. We'll see!

The "Let's Go" Mechanic

Not to be confused with the Gen 7 games, Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet's "Let's Go" mechanic allows a Pokemon to follow alongside you and perform various tasks, including automatically battling nearby Pokemon. This is a pretty big deal, as it may alleviate some tedium involved in grinding (and even accidentally bumping into wild Pokemon whilst attempting to avoid them).

You issue the order for your following Pokemon to head in a given direction by telling them, fittingly, "Let's Go!" Thereafter, they will gather items, scrap with nearby critters, and whatever else The Pokemon Company has in store for us with this cool new gimmick.

TheGamer's Opinions And Theories

As with any popular series, the staff here at TheGamer have plenty of theories and viewpoints when it comes to Scarlet & Violet. Here you'll find various features and theories from the team, and only time will tell if they were right.

• Wait, Are Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Set In Space?
• Gen 9's Starters Need To Be Dual-Type
• Is Scarlet & Violet Going To Introduce Tri-Type Pokemon?
• Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Needs To Embrace The Culture Of Each New Town
• Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Should Be All About The Food
• Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Are Clearly Set In Two Different Time Periods
• Pokemon's New Professors Are Game Freak's Gift To Fan Artists Everywhere
• Pokemon Should Stop Baiting A New Eeveelution If There Isn't One
• I Can't Wait To Reunite With Tsareena In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
• TheGamer's Biologist Explains Why Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s Fidough Is Busted

NEXT: Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet: Things To Look Forward To In Gen 9