Scarlet and Violet redirects here. For theTrading Card Game set under this name, seeScarlet & Violet (TCG).

SV redirects here. For the Trading Card Game set that uses this abbreviation, seeSupreme Victors (TCG).

Pokémon Scarlet ポケットモンスター スカーレット
Pokémon Scarlet's boxart,featuringApex BuildKoraidon
Pokémon Violet ポケットモンスター バイオレット
Pokémon Violet's boxart,featuringUltimate ModeMiraidon
Basic info
Platform:	Nintendo Switch(enhanced for theNintendo Switch 2 via version update)
Category:	RPG
Players:	1-4 players simultaneous
Connectivity:	Wireless,Nintendo Switch Online
Developer:	Game Freak
Publisher:	Nintendo/The Pokémon Company
Part of:	Generation IXcore 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

Pokémon Scarlet (Japanese:ポケットモンスター スカーレットPocket Monsters Scarlet) andPokémon Violet (Japanese:ポケットモンスター バイオレットPocket Monsters Violet) are the primarypaired versions ofGeneration IX. The games were released on theNintendo 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.

The game was announced worldwide onPokémon Day, February 27, 2022, at 11 P.M. JST through aPokémon Presents.

The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero was revealed during aPokémon Presents onFebruary 27, 2023. It is aDLC expansion for the games consisting of two parts:The Teal Mask andThe Indigo Disk. A further epilogue for the DLC,Mochi Mayhem, was made available on January 11, 2024.

Plot

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

Theplayer character, having just moved to thePaldearegion with theirmother, now lives in the small settlement ofCabo Poco and prepares to start their studies atNaranja 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 threefirst partner Pokémon and introduces them to their next-door neighbor and the head of the academy's student council,Nemona. Despite being aChampion-levelTrainer, Nemona also takes one of the first partner Pokémon in her care in order to train a new team alongside the player. While exploringPoco Path, the player encounters a weakKoraidon^S/Miraidon^V, which saves them from a pack of angryHoundour. An academy student namedArven identifies the Pokémon and hands itsPokéBall to the player.

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

Three days later,^[1] Director Clavell initiates the Treasure Hunt, an independent study assignment where thestudents 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 eightPokémon Gyms around Paldea. Those who collect the eight necessaryGym Badges may take on the Champion Assessment at thePokémon 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 toGeeta, the chairwoman of thePaldea Pokémon League and the region's strongest Champion-ranked Trainer, the Top Champion, as well as several members of Paldea'sElite 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-ranked Trainer. 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 fivegiant Pokémon known asTitan Pokémon he has read about that reside in various places over Paldea, and requests the player's help in defeating them and collecting theirHerba Mystica, legendary herbs said to have amazing health benefits. During the quest to defeat the Titans, the player's Koraidon^S/Miraidon^V gradually regains its old abilities by eatingsandwiches made with the Herba Mystica. Arven eventually also reveals that he wishes to use the Herba Mystica to help heal his partner,Mabosstiff, who was severely injured a while back.

After all the Herba Mystica have been collected, the player's Koraidon^S/Miraidon^V has recovered all of its former powers, excluding its ability tobattle, and Arven's Mabosstiff makes a full recovery, much to Arven's immense relief. TheProfessor then requests the player to come see them at their laboratory at theGreat 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 asCassiopeia hacks into the player'sRotom 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 cases 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 had 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 in 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 toArea Zero at the Great Crater of Paldea, following the Professor's request. As the group travels to the four research stations around the area to unlock the door to the Professor's laboratory, they encounter primeval^S/mechanical^V Pokémon, which are revealed to have beenbrought to the present day from another era by atime machine created by the Professor, including two specimens ofKoraidon^S/Miraidon^V. At the laboratory's entrance, some of theseParadox Pokémon confront the player and their friends, forcing the player to enter theZero Lab alone while their friends fight off the Pokémon outside.

Inside the laboratory, the player discovers that the Professor is actually a robot, created by the real Professor before they were killed by the second and more aggressive Koraidon^S/Miraidon^V. Theartificial intelligence within the robot, despite being an exact copy of the Professor's memories and knowledge, opposes the original Professor's plan to keep the time machine running, as it would threaten to destroy Paldea's ecosystem with an overflow of Paradox Pokémon. 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 allPoké Balls not marked with the Professor's ID. Finally regaining its ability to battle, the player's Koraidon^S/Miraidon^V 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. After the time machine shuts down permanently, the player and their friends decide to take a slow and scenic route back to Mesagoza, concluding The Way Home and the main game.

Post-game

With the player and their friends returning to normal school life, Nemona suggests hosting a battle tournament at the school to celebrate the player's new Champion status, requesting for Geeta to take part in it as well as she is the chairwoman of the academy's school board. While Geeta says she's busy with her duties as the Pokémon League chairwoman, she agrees to take part if the player takes her place in inspecting all theGym Leaders to see if they're still worthy of keeping their positions. As such, the player returns to each Gym and takes on the eight Gym Leaders once more in a series ofrematches.

After the player has finished the rematches and reported their inspection results to Geeta, the tournament, dubbed theAcademy Ace Tournament, is finally conducted. The player defeats Arven in the first round, the biology teacherJacq in the second round, the battle studies teacherDendra in the third round, and Geeta in the finals, officially making them the strongest Trainer at the academy. Clavell then declares that the tournament will not be a one-time event and will henceforth be held regularly, concluding the post-game story.

The Teal Mask

Main article:The Teal Mask

The player joins three other students on a school trip to the land ofKitakami in the east, where they participate in theFestival of Masks and uncover the tale ofOgerpon and theLoyal Three alongside the local siblingsCarmine andKieran.

The Indigo Disk

Main article:The Indigo Disk

Following their trip to Kitakami, the player is invited to become an exchange student atBlueberry Academy in theUnova region by the academy's director,Cyrano. At this new, battle-focused education facility, they explore the vastTerarium, re-encounter Carmine and Kieran, and take part in theBB League. Eventually, the player's journey leads them back to Paldea andthe depths of Area Zero in search of theLegendary PokémonTerapagos.

Mochi Mayhem

Main article:Mochi Mayhem

The player, Nemona, Arven, and Penny travel to Kitakami together to meet Kieran and Carmine. However, their trip takes a turn for the worse when more and more people start behaving very oddly. The unusual behavior turns out to be the cause of a mysteriousmochi createda small purple Pokémon, requiring the player and Kieran to team up in order to stop it from escalating the situation any further.

Features

The game is set in thePaldearegion and is an open-world game in which areas are seamlessly connected. The areas in the game can be visited in any order without Pokémon's levels being scaled to the player's achievements. The game also features multiplayer with up to four players simultaneously, enablingtrading andbattling between players as well as allowing them to travel through the game's areas together.

Terastal phenomenon

Main article:Terastal phenomenon

The Terastal phenomenon is a new type of transformation that allows any Pokémon from the Paldea region to power up and become bejeweled using theTera Orb. After Terastallizing, a Pokémon's natural type attribute is either enhanced or altered according to their innate Tera Type.

Paradox Pokémon

Main article:Paradox Pokémon

The Paradox Pokémon appear for the first time as "unidentified creatures".^[2]Great Tusk is described in theScarlet Book, appearing in Pokémon Scarlet, whileIron Treads is described in theViolet Book, appearing in Pokémon Violet. They are a group of unique Pokémon that came from the ancient past in Pokémon Scarlet and the distant future in Pokémon Violet.

Gyms

Scarlet and Violet featureGyms, just like most of the other core series titles. In Paldea, the Gym Leaders areKaty (Bug),Brassius (Grass),Iono (Electric),Kofu (Water),Larry (Normal),Ryme (Ghost),Tulip (Psychic), andGrusha (Ice). For the first time in the series, the player is able to challenge the Gyms in any order they wish.

Elite Four and Champion

For the first time in a non-remake game sinceGeneration IV, the Elite Four can only be challenged in a fixed order. The members areRika (Ground),Poppy (Steel),Larry (Flying), andHassel (Dragon). After defeating all four Elite Four members, the player faces the Top Champion,Geeta, who uses a team consisting of a variety of types.

Version-exclusive Pokémon

Most version-exclusive Pokémon can be encountered and caught by players of the opposite version who join aUnion Circle orTera Raid Battle, except for Koraidon and Miraidon, which require trading.Armarouge andCeruledge can be obtained through raids, even solo raids in the opposite version that theirEvolution items can be obtained in, but not a Union Circle, and vice versa for Paradox Pokémon, not counting limited-time event Tera Raids.

Scarlet 0128 Tauros Paldean Form (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 0984 Great Tusk Ground Fighting 0985 Scream Tail Fairy Psychic 0986 Brute Bonnet Grass Dark 0987 Flutter Mane Ghost Fairy 0988 Slither Wing Bug Fighting 0989 Sandy Shocks Electric Ground 1005 Roaring Moon Dragon Dark 1007 Koraidon Fighting Dragon

Violet 0128 Tauros Paldean Form (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 0990 Iron Treads Ground Steel 0991 Iron Bundle Ice Water 0992 Iron Hands Fighting Electric 0993 Iron Jugulis Dark Flying 0994 Iron Moth Fire Poison 0995 Iron Thorns Rock Electric 1006 Iron Valiant Fairy Fighting 1008 Miraidon Electric Dragon

Event Tera Raid Pokémon

Scarlet 0483 Dialga Steel Dragon 1009 Walking Wake Water Dragon

Violet 0484 Palkia Water Dragon 1010 Iron Leaves Grass Psychic

The Teal Mask

Scarlet 0207 Gligar Ground Flying 0472 Gliscor Ground Flying 0845 Cramorant Flying Water

Violet 0190 Aipom Normal 0424 Ambipom Normal 0877 Morpeko Electric Dark

The Indigo Disk

EveryLegendary Pokémon can be encountered in both versions, though being able to find the opposite-version ones requires doingBlueberry Quests with other players.

Scarlet 0037 Vulpix Alolan form Ice 0038 Ninetales Alolan form Ice Fairy 0243 Raikou Electric 0244 Entei Fire 0245 Suicune Water 0250 Ho-Oh Fire Flying 0381 Latios Dragon Psychic 0383 Groudon Ground 0408 Cranidos Rock 0409 Rampardos Rock 0643 Reshiram Dragon Fire 0646 Kyurem White Kyurem Dragon Ice 0791 Solgaleo Psychic Steel 0800 Necrozma Dusk Mane Necrozma Psychic Steel 0896 Glastrier Ice 1020 Gouging Fire Fire Dragon 1021 Raging Bolt Electric Dragon

Violet 0027 Sandshrew Alolan form Ice Steel 0028 Sandslash Alolan form Ice Steel 0249 Lugia Psychic Flying 0380 Latias Dragon Psychic 0382 Kyogre Water 0410 Shieldon Rock Steel 0411 Bastiodon Rock Steel 0638 Cobalion Steel Fighting 0639 Terrakion Rock Fighting 0640 Virizion Grass Fighting 0644 Zekrom Dragon Electric 0646 Kyurem Black Kyurem Dragon Ice 0792 Lunala Psychic Ghost 0800 Necrozma Dawn Wings Necrozma Psychic Ghost 0897 Spectrier Ghost 1022 Iron Boulder Rock Psychic 1023 Iron Crown Steel Psychic

Compatibility

Pokémon GO

The games are compatible with Pokémon GO through Bluetooth LE as of version 1.2.0 (released on February 27, 2023). Players can send postcards as well asGimmighoul Coins from their phone to the games.

Each time a postcard is sent, wildVivillon's pattern will change depending on the location where the Postcard came from. This effect lasts 24 hours in real-time, after which the pattern of wild Vivillon will be reset, and the player will be able to receive another Postcard.

Pokémon HOME

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet can connect withPokémon HOME as of HOME's version 3.0.0 (released on May 30, 2023). This allows them to store and receive Pokémon from Pokémon HOME, including Pokémon from previousgenerations that weretransferred into Pokémon HOME. Users of HOME can transfer Pokémon freely between other Scarlet and Violet save files on the console, even if the files belong to different profiles.

Only Pokémon in thePaldea Pokédex,Kitakami Pokédex,Blueberry Pokédex and aselect few "foreign" Pokémon can be transferred to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. The Kitakami and Blueberry Academy Pokédex were released with the two iterations ofThe Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC, but the Pokémon in those Pokédexes became compatible with the base game upon release even if the player has not purchased the DLC. Allregional forms of compatible Pokémon that existed at the time of release and their respective regional evolved forms are also compatible.

When a compatible Pokémon from another game first enters these sets of games, its moveset is changed to its four most recent level-up moves by default (though the player can make alterations). Additionally, any compatible Pokémon brought fromPokémon Legends: Arceus will have their Poké Ball displayed as aStrange Ball due to their invalid Poké Ball IDs not being otherwise recognised in these games.

Unusable moves

Main article:List of moves by availability in Generation IX

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, many moves, including some ofthose that are usable in Sword and Shield, 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, allZ-Moves,Max Moves, andG-Max Moves are also unusable in these games.

In Version 2.0.1, which was released alongsideThe Teal Mask, several previously unusable moves were made usable again. These were mostlysignature moves of Pokémon that were added in that update. Further moves were made usable in Version 3.0.0, coinciding withThe Indigo Disk.

Save data bonuses

If theNintendo Switch system being used has save data from previous mainline Pokémon games, the player may talk to an NPC inMesagoza to receive a case for theRotom Phone:

• Pika-Vee Case, ifLet's Go, Pikachu! or Let's Go, Eevee! save data exists.
• Ball Guy Case, ifSword or Shield save data exists.
• Pokétch Case, ifBrilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl save data exists.
• Arc Phone Case, ifLegends: Arceus save data exists.

Reception

While its story, setting, and gameplay were well received, initial analyses also criticized the game’s technical performance as poor, which lowered its score across various outlets.IGN rated the games an "Okay" 6/10.^[3] They are the lowest rated core series games onMetacritic,^[4] both holding a score of 72%.^[5][6]

Sales

The games are the most pre-ordered games in the series' history.^[7] They sold over 10 million units in their launch weekend, which is the highest for any Nintendo game in this time frame.^[8] As of December 31, 2022, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet sold 20.61 million copies worldwide, the highest for a Nintendo game in its launch quarter.^[9] In the fiscal year of their release, the games sold 22.10 million copies worldwide, the highest for a Nintendo game in its first fiscal year. As of December 31, 2025, the games have sold 28.08 million copies worldwide, making them the second best selling Pokémon games of all time, only behind the original games.^[10] These games are the best selling Pokémon games on the Nintendo Switch, marking the first time that the best selling Pokémon game on a Nintendo system wasn't the first set of core series games (of the Nintendo systems that had core series games released for them).

Japanese sales

The games are the best selling Pokémon games in series history in Japan, with over 8.30 million units sold.^[11]

Staff

Main article:Staff of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Music

Main article:Pokémon Scarlet - Violet + The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero Super Music Collection

Version history

Notes:

• v1.0.0 is present on the physical game cards, and is playable on a Switch whose internet connection remains off.
• On June 19, 2023, it was announced that a future update would fix the move descriptions ofDire Claw,Ceaseless Edge, andStone Axe, which incorrectly state that they have a high critical-hit ratio (as they did inPokémon Legends: Arceus).^[14] However, the June 28, 2023 update did not include this change, with the change instead being made in the following update.

Beta elements

Main article:Pokémon Scarlet and Violet beta

Gallery

• 
  Key visual

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 toseveral Japanese trademarks registered byNintendo,Creatures, andGame Freak in 2008 and 2009. The Chinese titles use the same characters as two of the trademarks.

• These are the first paired core series games:
  • SincePokémon Black and White where the final battle of the main story is not against aChampion.
  • To have not had any postgame exclusive locations until the DLC was released.
  • 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-exclusivePokémon Professors.
  • SincePokémon Black 2 and White 2 to be named after colors.
  • To not include an option for Set mode or the option to turn off battle animations.
  • To feature 8Elite Four members.
  • To feature twoLeagues.
  • To take place in three separate territories (Paldea,Kitakami, andUnova).
    • As such, these are the first core series games sincePokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver to feature more than one playable region.
  • To completely exclude theZubat evolutionary family.
• Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and itsexpansion pass introduced fourChampions, current or former, the most of any Pokémon game.

In other languages

References

Related articles

• Scarlet and Violet walkthrough

This game-related article is part ofProject Games, aBulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on thePokémon games.

• Games
• Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
• Nintendo Switch games