Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Pokémon Scarlet (Japanese: ポケットモンスター スカーレット Pocket Monsters Scarlet) and Pokémon Violet (Japanese: ポケットモンスター バイオレット Pocket Monsters Violet) are the primary paired versions of Generation IX. The games were released on the Nintendo Switch worldwide on November 18, 2022. All copies of the game are playable in nine languages: Japanese, English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Korean, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese.

Pokémon Scarlet ポケットモンスター スカーレット
Pokémon Scarlet's boxart, featuring Koraidon
Pokémon Violet ポケットモンスター バイオレット
Pokémon Violet's boxart, featuring Miraidon
Basic info
Platform:	Nintendo Switch
Category:	RPG
Players:	1-4 players simultaneous
Connectivity:	Wireless, Nintendo Switch Online
Developer:	Game Freak
Publisher:	Nintendo/The Pokémon Company
Part of:	Generation IX core series
Ratings
CERO:	A
ESRB:	E
ACB:	PG
OFLC:	PG
PEGI:	7
GRAC:	ALL
GSRR:	6+
Release dates
Japan:	November 18, 2022
North America:	November 18, 2022
Australia:	November 18, 2022
Europe:	November 18, 2022
South Korea:	November 18, 2022
Hong Kong:	November 18, 2022
Taiwan:	November 18, 2022
Websites
Japanese:	Pokémon.co.jp
English:	Pokémon.com
Japanese boxart Pokémon Scarlet Japanese boxart Pokémon Violet Japanese boxart

The game was announced worldwide on Pokémon Day, February 27, 2022, at 11 P.M. JST via Pokémon Presents.

Plot

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

The player character, having just moved to the Paldea region with their mother, now lives in the small settlement of Cabo Poco and prepares to start their studies at the Naranja Academy^S/Uva Academy^V in the region's biggest city, Mesagoza. The academy's director, Clavell, gives the player a choice of one of three starter Pokémon and introduces them to their next-door neighbor and the head of the academy's student council, Nemona. Despite being a Champion-level Trainer, Nemona also takes one of the starter Pokémon in her care in order to train a new team alongside the player. While exploring Poco Path, the player encounters a weak Koraidon^S/Miraidon^V, which saves them from a pack of angry Houndour. An academy student named Arven identifies the Pokémon and hands its Poké Ball to the player.

As the player and Nemona make their way to Mesagoza, she introduces them to the Terastal phenomenon and arranges for the player to receive a Tera Orb so they can utilize the phenomenon as well. In Mesagoza, the player saves a girl named Penny from being harassed by members of Team Star, a group of delinquent academy students accused of bullying. They are also contacted by Professor Sada^S/Professor Turo^V, Arven's mother^S/father^V, who reveals that the Koraidon/Miraidon the player now travels with was originally under their possession, and asks the player to look after it.

Three days later, Director Clavell initiates the Treasure Hunt, a school project where the students of the academy journey across Paldea in order to find something that they can call their own personal treasure. This allows the player to initiate three different storylines, either simultaneously or one by one.

Victory Road

At Nemona's urging, the player sets out to challenge the eight Pokémon Gyms around Paldea. Those who collect the eight necessary Gym Badges may take on the Champion Assessment test at the Pokémon League headquarters and obtain the Champion Rank. While the player travels around the region to challenge the Gyms in any order they wish, Nemona frequently shows up to support the player in various ways, most often by battling. The player is also introduced to Geeta, the chairwoman of the Paldea Pokémon League and the region's strongest Champion-ranked Trainer, the Top Champion, as well as several members of Paldea's Elite Four.

Once the player has all eight Gym Badges, they make their way to the Pokémon League headquarters. After passing an interview test, the player battles and defeats the Elite Four and Geeta, making them a Champion. Excited by the player finally becoming her equal, Nemona challenges them to one more battle, in which she holds nothing back. Defeating her in this battle concludes the Victory Road storyline.

Path of Legends

Arven tells the player about the five giant Pokémon known as Titan Pokémon he had read about that reside in various places over Paldea and requests the player's help in defeating them and collecting their Herba Mysticas, legendary herbs said to have amazing health benefits. During the quest to defeat the Titans, the player's Koraidon/Miraidon gradually regains its old abilities by eating sandwiches made with the Herba Mysticas. Arven eventually also reveals that he wishes to use the Herba Mysticas to help heal his partner, Mabosstiff, who was severely injured in Area Zero a while back.

After all the Herba Mysticas have been collected, the player's Koraidon/Miraidon has recovered all of its former powers, excluding its ability to battle; and Arven's Mabosstiff makes a full recovery, much to Arven's immense relief. The Professor then requests the player to come see them at their laboratory at The Great Crater of Paldea, with Arven battling the player at his full power to test if they're both ready to take on the most dangerous area in the region. Defeating him concludes the Path of Legends.

★ Starfall Street ★

An individual referring to themselves as Cassiopeia hacks into the player's Rotom Phone and requests the player's help in taking down Team Star in an operation codenamed "Operation Starfall". Director Clavell, disguised as an academy student and using the pseudonym "Clive", joins the player as they make their way around Paldea to take down the five Squads of Team Star at their bases by defeating the Boss of each Squad. During the player's one-man war against the team, they gradually learn more about the team's history. The team was formed by victims of bullying who, rallied together by their mysterious "big boss", decided to finally confront their bullies. However, when confronted 18 months before the events of the game, the bullies fled without even attempting to fight back and dropped out of the academy. Moreover, the then-deputy director of the academy wiped out all the records of bullying from the school's records, making Team Star seem like bullies themselves. Blaming themselves for having failed to prevent this from occurring, the entire staff of the academy resigned as a result, explaining why none of the current staff members know anything about the incident.

Eventually, once all five of Team Star's Squads have been taken down, Cassiopeia reveals themselves as the "big boss" of Team Star, having started Operation Starfall because the team cannot continue operating in its current way, and tells the player to confront them at the schoolyard at night. At the academy, Clavell takes off his disguise and claims himself to be Cassiopeia, but after being defeated in a battle, he admits he was simply testing the player to see if they'd be ready to face the real Cassiopeia. The player meets the real Cassiopeia in the schoolyard, who reveals herself to be Penny. After Penny has been defeated, Clavell reveals that the Team Star Bosses were watching the battle, and allows the team to continue operating as long as they turn their bases into training facilities for Trainers, which they accept. This concludes ★ Starfall Street ★.

The Way Home

After the first three stories have been concluded, the player, Arven, Nemona, and Penny make their way to Area Zero at The Great Crater of Paldea, following the Professor's request. While the group travels to the four old, weathered research stations around the area to unlock the door to the Professor's laboratory, they encounter strange-looking primeval^S/mechanical^V Pokémon, which are revealed to have been brought to the present day from another era by a time machine created by the Professor, including two specimens of Koraidon^S/Miraidon^V. At the laboratory's entrance, some of these Paradox Pokémon confront the player and their friends, forcing the player to reluctantly enter the Zero Lab alone while their friends fight off the Pokémon outside.

Inside the laboratory, the player discovers that the Professor is actually a cloned robot, created by the real Professor before they were killed by one of the Paradox Pokémon. The artificial intelligence within the robot, despite being an exact copy of the Professor's memories and emotions, opposes the original Professor's plan to keep the time machine automatically bringing Pokémon from another era to the present, as it would threaten to destroy Paldea's ecosystem. However, since the AI is programmed to protect the time machine, the player is forced to battle it against its will. Once the AI has been defeated, the player is rejoined by their friends, and a program called the Paradise Protection Protocol takes over the robot Professor, as well as locking all Poké Balls not marked with the Professor's ID, leaving the player's dragon partner as the only Pokémon they can use against the Protocol's own specimen of the same dragon. Finally regaining its ability to battle, the player's dragon confronts and defeats the other member of its kind, ending the Paradise Protection Protocol's hold over the AI. The AI, however, recognizes that its systems are so integrally connected with the time machine that the machine cannot be shut down as long as it remains present. As such, the AI chooses to travel to another era using the time machine, bidding the player and their friends farewell as it disappears and the time machine permanently shuts down. Afterwards, the group decides to take a slow and scenic route back to Mesagoza, ending the main game.

Version-exclusive Pokémon

Most version-exclusive Pokémon can be encountered and caught by players of the opposite version who join a Union Circle or Tera Raid Battle, except for Koraidon and Miraidon, which require trading. Armarouge and Ceruledge can be obtained through raids, even solo raids in the opposite version that their evolution items can be obtained in, but not a Union Circle, and vice versa for Paradox Pokémon.

Scarlet 0128 Tauros Tauros Paldean (Blaze Breed) Fighting Fire 0246 Larvitar Rock Ground 0247 Pupitar Rock Ground 0248 Tyranitar Rock Dark 0425 Drifloon Ghost Flying 0426 Drifblim Ghost Flying 0434 Stunky Poison Dark 0435 Skuntank Poison Dark 0633 Deino Dark Dragon 0634 Zweilous Dark Dragon 0635 Hydreigon Dark Dragon 0690 Skrelp Poison Water 0691 Dragalge Poison Dragon 0765 Oranguru Normal Psychic 0874 Stonjourner Rock 0000 Great Tusk Great Tusk Ground Fighting 0000 Scream Tail Scream Tail Fairy Psychic 0000 Brute Bonnet Brute Bonnet Grass Dark 0000 Flutter Mane Flutter Mane Ghost Fairy 0000 Slither Wing Slither Wing Bug Fighting 0000 Sandy Shocks Sandy Shocks Electric Ground 0000 Roaring Moon Roaring Moon Dragon Dark 0000 Koraidon Koraidon Fighting Dragon

Violet 0128 Tauros Tauros Paldean (Aqua Breed) Fighting Water 0200 Misdreavus Ghost 0316 Gulpin Poison 0317 Swalot Poison 0371 Bagon Dragon 0372 Shelgon Dragon 0373 Salamence Dragon Flying 0429 Mismagius Ghost 0692 Clauncher Water 0693 Clawitzer Water 0766 Passimian Fighting 0875 Eiscue Ice 0885 Dreepy Dragon Ghost 0886 Drakloak Dragon Ghost 0887 Dragapult Dragon Ghost 0000 Iron Treads Iron Treads Ground Steel 0000 Iron Bundle Iron Bundle Ice Water 0000 Iron Hands Iron Hands Fighting Electric 0000 Iron Jugulis Iron Jugulis Dark Flying 0000 Iron Moth Iron Moth Fire Poison 0000 Iron Thorns Iron Thorns Rock Electric 0000 Iron Valiant Iron Valiant Fairy Fighting 0000 Miraidon Miraidon Electric Dragon

Compatibility

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are set to be able to connect with Pokémon HOME in spring 2023. This allows them to store and receive Pokémon from Pokémon HOME, including Pokémon from previous generations that were transferred into Pokémon HOME. However, only Pokémon that are available within Pokémon Scarlet and Violet can be transferred to them.

Unusable moves

Main article: List of moves by availability (Generation IX)

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, many moves are no longer usable. Pokémon do not normally learn these moves in the game. In lieu of their usual descriptions, most of these moves instead have the following generic description: "This move can't be used. It's recommended that this move is forgotten. Once forgotten, this move can't be remembered."

• In addition, all Z-Moves and Max Moves are also unusable in these games.

Save data bonuses

If the Nintendo Switch system being used has save data from previous mainline Pokémon games, the player may talk to an NPC in Mesagoza to receive a case for the Rotom Phone:

• Pika-Vee Case, if Let's Go, Pikachu! or Let's Go, Eevee! save data exists.
• Ball Guy Case, if Sword or Shield save data exists.
• Pokétch Case, if Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl save data exists.
• Arc Phone Case, if Legends: Arceus save data exists.

Reception

IGN rated the games an "Okay" 6/10. They are the lowest rated core series games on Metacritic, holding a score of 72% and 71% respectively.

Sales

The games are the most pre-ordered games in the series' history. They sold over 10 million units in their launch weekend, which is the highest for any Nintendo game in this time frame.

Staff

Main article: Staff of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Version history

Version	Release date	Game file size	Official note	More information
1.0.0	Initial release	5.5 GB	N/A	Playable version only available via physical game cart.
1.0.1	November 10, 2022	6.6 GB	Various bug fixes and adjustments have been made to make your gameplay experience more enjoyable. NOTE: In order to enjoy Mystery Gifts and features using online play, you will need to have downloaded the latest data.	The original version when downloading from Nintendo eShop. This update is required for online connectivity. Certain Pokémon had move compatibility changed. The base stat totals of the members of the Treasures of Ruin were lowered by 10 each.
1.1.0	December 1, 2022	6.6 GB	Season 1 of Ranked Battles will kick off, allowing you to enjoy Ranked Battles through the Battle Stadium. Please check the in-game notice for more details about Ranked Battles Season 1. An issue has been fixed that caused the music to not play correctly during the battles with the Elite Four and the Top Champion in the Victory Road path. Other select bug fixes have been made. We are aware that players may encounter issues that affect the games' performance. Our goal is always to give players a positive experience with our games, and we apologize for the inconvenience. We take the feedback from players seriously and are working on improvements to the games.	Pokémon afflicted by the sleep status condition in battle now close their eyes. Some Pokémon now use proper idle animations in battles.

Notes:

• v1.0.0 is present on the physical game carts, and is playable on a Switch whose internet connection remains off.

Gallery

Logos

• 

  English Scarlet logo

• 

  French Scarlet logo

• 

  English and French Violet logo

• 

  Japanese Scarlet logo

• 

  Japanese Violet logo

• 

  Korean Scarlet logo

• 

  Korean Violet logo

• 

  Simplified Chinese Scarlet logo

• 

  Simplified Chinese Violet logo

• 

  Traditional Chinese Scarlet logo

• 

  Traditional Chinese Violet logo

• 

  German Scarlet logo

• 

  German Violet logo

• 

  Italian Scarlet logo

• 

  Italian Violet logo

• 

  Spanish Scarlet logo

• 

  Spanish Violet logo

Trivia

• The titles of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are similar to several Japanese trademarks registered by Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak in 2008 and 2009. The Chinese titles use the same characters as two of the trademarks.
  • Pocket Monsters Vermilion (Japanese: ポケットモンスター朱) [application number 2008-093273, registration number 5222908]
  • Pocket Monsters Purple (Japanese: ポケットモンスター紫) [application number 2008-093274, registration number 5222909]
  • Pocket Monsters Crimson (Japanese: ポケットモンスター紅) [application number 2008-093275, registration number 5222910]
  • Pocket Monsters Scarlet (Japanese: ポケットモンスター緋) [application number 2008-093276, registration number 5222911]
  • Pocket Monsters Vermilion (Japanese: ポケットモンスターヴァーミリオン) [application number 2009-060076, registration number 5307994]
  • Pocket Monsters Purple (Japanese: ポケットモンスターパープル) [application number 2009-060077, registration number 5307995]
  • Pocket Monsters Crimson (Japanese: ポケットモンスタークリムゾン) [application number 2009-060078, registration number 5341303]
  • Pocket Monsters Scarlet (Japanese: ポケットモンスタースカーレット) [application number 2009-060079, registration number 5341304]
• These are the first paired core series games:
  • In which the player characters' initial appearance differs depending on the version.
    • In addition, these are the first core series games in which the player characters wear the same outfit regardless of gender.
  • To feature version-exclusive Pokémon Professors.
  • Since Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 to be named after colors.

In other languages

Language Title Japanese ポケットモンスター スカーレット・バイオレット Chinese Cantonese 寶可夢 朱／紫 Mandarin 寶可夢 朱／紫 宝可梦 朱／紫 French Pokémon Écarlate et Violet German Pokémon Karmesin und Purpur Italian Pokémon Scarlatto e Violetto Korean 포켓몬스터 스칼렛・바이올렛 Portuguese Pokémon Scarlet e Violet Spanish Pokémon Escarlata y Púrpura

References

Core series games and DLC

Gen I

Red

Green

Blue^JP

Red

Blue

Yellow

Gen II

Gold

Silver

Crystal

Gen III

Ruby

Sapphire

FireRed

LeafGreen

Emerald

Gen IV

Diamond

Pearl

Platinum

HeartGold

SoulSilver

Gen V

Black

White

Black 2

White 2

Gen VI

X

Y

Omega Ruby

Alpha Sapphire

Gen VII

Sun

Moon

Ultra Sun

Ultra Moon

Let's Go, Pikachu!

Let's Go, Eevee!

Gen VIII

Sword

Shield

+

Sword and Shield Expansion Pass (DLC)

The Isle of Armor

The Crown Tundra

Brilliant Diamond

Shining Pearl

Legends: Arceus

Gen IX

Scarlet

Violet

+

The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero (DLC)

The Teal Mask

The Indigo Disk

Legends: Z-A

Pokémon games

Core series • Side series • Spin-off series • Pokémon mini • Individual spin-offs • Betas • Demos

This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.