Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are the first games of the eighth generation and the first main-series RPGs designed for a home console, the Nintendo Switch. This sheet gathers their features, dates, expansions, updates, reception and sales.
| French title | Pokémon Épée et Pokémon Bouclier |
|---|---|
| English title | Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield |
| Platforms | Nintendo Switch; playable on Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Generation | Eighth |
| Announcement | February 27, 2019, during a Pokémon Direct |
| Worldwide release | November 15, 2019 |
| Developer | GAME FREAK |
| Publishers | The Pokémon Company and Nintendo |
| Genre | Role-playing game |
| Players | 1; up to 4 in Max Raid Battles |
| Languages | French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese |
| Expansions | The Isle of Armor (June 17, 2020), The Crown Tundra (October 2020) |
| Compatibility | Pokémon HOME |
| Sales | 27.16 million copies as of March 31, 2026 (Nintendo) |
Announcement and release
As early as E3 2017, Tsunekazu Ishihara, president of The Pokémon Company, had indicated that a new main-series RPG was in the works for the Switch. On May 30, 2018, the company specified that the game would be released in the second half of 2019 and that its development had begun before the console’s release. The official announcement took place on February 27, 2019, during the Pokémon Day Pokémon Direct: it revealed the Galar region, inspired by the United Kingdom, and the three starter Pokémon. The games were released worldwide on November 15, 2019.
The “Dexit”
During the E3 2019 presentation, Junichi Masuda announced that only the Pokémon in the Galar Pokédex could be transferred into the games, the others being absent from their data. It was the first time a main-series game did not include every existing Pokémon. The decision sparked a heated controversy among fans, dubbed “Dexit”. At release, 400 species are in the Pokédex, plus Mew via the Poké Ball Plus. Updates and the two expansions later raise the number of compatible Pokémon to 664.
The Expansion Pass
Rather than a third version, GAME FREAK offered for the first time a paid Expansion Pass in two parts. The Isle of Armor was released on June 17, 2020, The Crown Tundra at the end of October 2020. Each adds a region, a Pokédex, new Pokémon and new Gigantamax forms.
Updates
| Version | Date | Main addition |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1.0 | January 9, 2020 | Fixes and adjustments |
| 1.1.1 | March 18, 2020 | Fixes |
| 1.2.0 | June 17, 2020 | The Isle of Armor and free additions |
| 1.2.1 | July 7, 2020 | Fixes |
| 1.3.0 | October 23, 2020 | The Crown Tundra and free additions |
| 1.3.1 | December 22, 2020 | Fixes |
| 1.3.2 | May 12, 2021 | Fixes |
Critical reception
| Outlet | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic (average) | 80/100 |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 16/20 |
| Gameblog | 7/10 |
| IGN | 9.3/10 |
| Famitsu | 38/40 |
| Pokémon France | 15/20 |
Sales
Sword and Shield achieved the best launch in the history of the series. According to Nintendo, they reached 27.16 million copies sold as of March 31, 2026, making them one of the best-selling Nintendo Switch games, just behind Pokémon Scarlet and Violet among Pokémon games.
Differences between versions
Two Gyms change depending on the version: Stow-on-Side (Bea, Fighting type, in Sword; Allister, Ghost type, in Shield) and Circhester (Gordie, Rock type, in Sword; Melony, Ice type, in Shield). Of the 400 species in the Pokédex, 35 are exclusive to one version, including Zacian and Zamazenta. Our article from the time, Exclusive Pokémon, gives the list.
