Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
and are 2022 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo Switch. They are the first installments in the ninth generation of the Pokémon video game series. They were announced in February 2022 and released on 18 November 2022. The games later received a downloadable content expansion pass storyline, The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. The first part, The Teal Mask, was released on 13 September 2023, and the second part, The Indigo Disk, was released on 14 December 2023. A post-game expansion, Mochi Mayhem, considered the epilogue to the DLC and the games themselves, was released on 11 January 2024.
Unlike previous Pokémon installments, Scarlet and Violet take place in the Paldea region, which is based on the Iberian Peninsula and features an open world. There are three separate stories the player can complete. Scarlet and Violet introduce 120 new Pokémon, along with two new regional forms and time-displaced creatures known as Paradox Pokémon. It also introduces the which allows a Pokémon to transform into its exclusive "Tera Type". The games maintain features from previous modern Pokémon games, including large open areas and Pokémon appearing in the overworld.
The games began development immediately following the release of their predecessors, Pokémon Sword and Shield. Developers at Game Freak wished to incorporate a new art style with the games, incorporating a more realistic world design while maintaining more stylized character designs. Models and animations for species of Pokémon were re-done from prior games to fit in with this new artistic style.
Scarlet and Violet received average reviews from critics. The games were praised for various different aspects like the story, while technical problems received criticism. The games sold over 10 million copies in their first three days, making them Nintendo's biggest launch of all time, and over 27 million copies by March 2025. A free update for the games on Nintendo Switch 2, including improved visuals, performance, and other adjustments, was released on 5 June 2025.
Gameplay
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet largely follow the same basic gameplay structure of previous Pokémon games, where players obtain creatures known as Pokémon, primarily through catching and trading, and use them to explore the world and battle other Pokémon trainers. However, a new feature has been added which allows players to choose to battle trainers on paths. The games introduces 112 new Pokémon, including three new starter Pokémon, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly, which act as the first Pokémon players can obtain in-game and two new Legendary Pokémon, Koraidon and Miraidon, who accompany players throughout the games.Scarlet and Violet have open worlds, which include both urban areas and open wilderness without borders between the two, unlike previous installments in the Pokémon series. Players can use either Koraidon or Miraidon, depending on the games' version, as a mount in the overworld, allowing access to several abilities that can be used to traverse Paldea's terrain. Players can also use a new "Auto Battle" feature, allowing them to send out their Pokémon in the overworld and defeat Pokémon without having to enter turn-based battles. In addition to this, players are given the option of participating in three different story routes, and objectives within routes can be done in any order.
The three routes each have different gameplay styles. The first route, Victory Road, has players attempting to defeat Pokémon Gyms, a recurring goal in the series, to obtain a badge from each "Gym Leader" after defeating them in battle. Gyms can be fought in any order, unlike prior entries in the series. Once eight badges are obtained, players can battle the Elite Four and their Champion, Geeta. The second route, Path of Legends, involves players attempting to hunt down big and powerful "Titan Pokémon" in order to defeat them and obtain Herba Mystica items, which empower their mount with new traversal abilities such as jumping higher and climbing walls. The third route, Starfall Street, has players attempt to defeat a villainous organization consisting of rebellious students called Team Star. Players must defeat a set number of Team Star members within a time limit before proceeding to battle with their base leader. Players are tasked with defeating five of these Star Bases in order to encounter the route's final boss. Once all three routes are completed, players unlocks a fourth and final story route, which resolves the games' main story.
Scarlet and Violet introduce the Terastal phenomenon, which gives Pokémon a crystalline appearance and changes their type, an elemental attribute of a Pokémon that determines its strengths or weaknesses, to match their unique "Tera Type". It also uses special moves such as Tera Blast, which, when used by a Terastallized Pokémon, becomes a move of the same type as the Pokémon's Tera Type. These Tera Types can be changed by players. Players can encounter wild Terastallized Pokémon, and can fight them in raids. In "Tera Raids", up to four players can battle against a Terastallized Pokémon while under a time limit. Players can only use one Pokémon each, and if the Pokémon is knocked out, the amount of time players will have left will shorten. Players can catch the raid boss once it is defeated. Players can team up with other players in Tera Raids using online features.
The games feature several new game mechanics. Players can use a new "picnic" feature to play with their party of Pokémon and make sandwiches, which give a variety of in-game boons. Players' Pokémon can also breed with each other during picnics, allowing players to obtain Pokémon from eggs. Players can also participate in picnics and sandwich making with up to four players via online features. Players can connect with other players over the internet and participate in "Union Circles", which allow players to explore the games' overworld simultaneously with up to four players. Players can trade and battle with each other over the internet.
Plot
Setting
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are set in the Paldea region of the Pokémon universe, which appears to be loosely based on the Iberian Peninsula. The region features diverse landscapes including lakes, wastelands, and mountain ranges. A large crater, called the Great Crater of Paldea, lies in the center of the region. Inside the Crater is an area named Area Zero.Story
In Scarlet and Violet, the player attends either the Naranja or Uva Academy, which has an annual "Treasure Hunt" that encourages students to seek something they treasure by exploring the region. After encountering either the legendary Pokémon Koraidon or Miraidon, who joins and assists the player despite having lost its ability to battle, they are encouraged to participate in three stories: Victory Road, Starfall Street, and Path of Legends.In Victory Road, Nemona—a Champion-ranked trainer that rivals the player and frequently battles them throughout their journey—asks that they complete the Paldea region's eight Gyms. After defeating the leaders of each Gym, they can reach Champion rank by defeating the region's Elite Four and Top Champion Geeta. After becoming Champion rank, Nemona challenges the player to a final battle, which the player wins.
In Path of Legends, Arven asks for the player's help in locating the five legendary Herba Mystica. To obtain each Herba Mystica, the player and Arven team up to defeat "Titan Pokémon"—abnormally large Pokémon powered up by the Herba Mystica. Throughout the story, Arven reveals that he wishes to use the Herba Mystica to heal his pet Mabosstiff, who was injured by a Pokémon in Area Zero—the workplace of his parent, either Professor Sada (Scarlet or Turo (Violet. After defeating all five Titans, he and the player use the Herba Mystica to heal Mabosstiff and regain Koraidon/Miraidon's lost powers. He then challenges the player to a final battle, before being called by the professor to go to Area Zero with either the Scarlet or Violet Book. Arven decides that they must recruit further allies before journeying into Area Zero.
In Starfall Street, the player helps shy schoolgirl Penny stand up against Team Star, a group responsible for academy bullying. Cassiopeia—Team Star's founder and Penny's secret identity—enlists them for "Operation Starfall", which aims to force Team Star to disband by defeating its five squad bosses. They are assisted by academy director Clavell, who aims to discover Team Star's origins while disguised as a student named Clive, and Penny, who wants to monitor the player in-person and guide them as Cassiopeia. They learn that Team Star was founded to counter bullying rather than cause it, and their confrontation with their bullies eighteen months ago caused the bullies to drop out and several academy staff members to resign. After defeating all squad bosses, Penny meets the player in the schoolyard to reveal her identity and challenge them to a battle. After her defeat, Clavell reveals his disguise and offers peace with Team Star, though he subjects its members to community service as punishment for several violations.
After choosing Nemona and Penny for assistance, Arven and the player set out towards the Zero Lab, the professor's laboratory in Area Zero. This unlocks the final story, The Way Home. Inside, they encounter Paradox Pokémon—biological relatives of extant Pokémon from either the ancient past (Scarlet or far future (Violet. Koraidon and Miraidon are revealed to be Paradox Pokemon, being relatives of Cyclizar, and were ousted from Area Zero after losing a territory struggle with a second, more aggressive Koraidon/Miraidon. After reaching the laboratory, the professor reveals themselves to be an AI substitute of the true professor, who was killed in a laboratory incident sometime prior to the events of the games. The AI reveals that the original professor created a time machine to retrieve Paradox Pokémon and that they are to maintain it at all costs. The AI urges the player to shut down the time machine to preserve Paldea's ecology, though its programming forces it to battle them. After initially being defeated, the time machine's security protocols disable Poké Balls in the area not registered under Sada/Turo's ID, leaving the player with no option except for their Koraidon or Miraidon to defeat the AI's own. This causes the time machine to fail, and the AI travels to an alternate time to allow for the machine's destruction, apologizing to Arven for the original professor neglecting him as a child before departing. Upon returning to the academy, Nemona, Clavell, and Geeta organize a Pokémon battling tournament between faculty and students. After evaluating all previous Gyms, the player emerges victorious in the tournament.