pokemon sword and shield
More Pokemon, more worries!

Nintendo’s finally lifted the curtain on the next installment of their popular Pokemon series. The new games are called Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield and get this…they’re ONLY for the Nintendo Switch.

That’s a major game changer, as previously the main Pokemon games have been on Nintendo’s portables only. It’s been that way since the series’ inception, right up to the latest Sun and Moon. We’re not counting Pokemon Let’s Go! Eevee/Pikachu though because for better or worse, they’re just expanded versions of Pokemon Yellow.

We figure the move to the Nintendo Switch instead of the aging 3DS is due to the Nintendo Switch also being portable. It’s pretty much the best of both worlds; it gives Nintendo another chance to promote their latest hardware and push the series forward.

This is where you’re be journeying later this year; Galar.

Pokemon Sword and Shield will be coming out later this year, and is now set in the UK-inspired region of Galar. Nintendo’s still holding most of their cards close to their chest but we do know that there’ll be some returning Pokemon, such as the ever lovable Pikachu and Munchlax.

Pokemon Sword and Shield starters
Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble. Guess which one’s which.

The trailer above also showed the new starter Pokemon, falling into their typical Plant, Fire and Water archetype. Nintendo’s still keeping the evolutions of these Pokemon under wraps, so nobody (outside of Game Freak) knows how they’ll end up looking like.

It also seems that Gym battles will make a return after being MIA in Sun and Moon, as well as what looks to be Pokemon League fights, taking place in stadiums. Whether these are part of the story or there’s actually a Pokemon League in the game is anybody’s guess for now.

The game’s official website is already up, but at the moment it’s pretty bare and doesn’t really show anything the trailers haven’t revealed. Still, it’s not a bad idea to bookmark the page since it’ll be the easiest place to keep track of the game. Well, other than through us of course.

Sal's been in the industry since the early 2000s. He's written for a ton of gaming and tech publications including Playworks, Hardwarezone, HWM and GameAxis. Recently, Sal served as a juror for the Indie Game Awards at Taipei Game Show 2020. A geek and hardcore gamer, Sal will play everything, on any platform.