Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Did You Know?

• The games introduced 112 new Pokémon, including three new Starter Pokémon: Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly.
• A free update for the games on Nintendo Switch 2, including improved visuals, performance, and other adjustments, was released on 5 June 2025.
• The games later received a downloadable content expansion pass storyline called The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, with parts released on 13 September 2023, 14 December 2023, and 11 January 2024.

Plot

The Paldea region, home to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, draws inspiration from the Iberian Peninsula. Its varied terrain includes lakes, wastelands, and mountains, all centered around the Great Crater of Paldea. Inside this crater lies Area Zero. Players attend either Naranja or Uva Academy, where an annual Treasure Hunt encourages exploration. After meeting the legendary Koraidon or Miraidon—a partner that has lost its battle ability—players tackle three main stories. In Path of Legends, Arven seeks help finding five Herba Mystica by defeating oversized Titan Pokémon. Arven wants these herbs to heal his Mabosstiff, which was hurt by a creature in Area Zero, where his parent works. Once all Titans are beaten, the herbs restore Mabosstiff and revive Koraidon or Miraidon’s powers. Arven then insists they gather allies before heading into Area Zero.

Development

Development on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet began in late 2019, concurrent with the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield. Game Freak aimed for a "real and deformed" visual style, blending realistic textures with more stylized character designs. Keiichi Maezawa explained that this approach was meant to create a more grounded, real-world feel. To enhance that realism, the team incorporated natural ambient sounds into the overworld, building on a feature from earlier titles.

They created a tool called PokeSynth to generate a broad library of sounds from each Pokémon's existing cry. Developers even took speakers into forests to test how these sounds would carry in a natural setting, and visited zoos to observe how real animals alter their calls in different situations, using that data to categorize Pokémon by vocal type. The Pokémon models themselves were completely rebuilt. Game Freak started with blueprints, then sent design materials and motion guidelines to the modeling team.

After a model was built, meetings refined its details, with other staff handling facial expressions and emotional cues. Shading and appearance were adjusted to give each Pokémon a distinct personality, and unique textures were swapped for a crystalline effect to show the Terastallized form. Specific lighting and camera angles were also used for the player character. Once a species’ actions and traits were finalized, test models were made.

Joint movements were frequently tweaked at the request of animators, and all animations were produced using an in-house program.

Marketing and release

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were announced on 27 February 2022 through a partially live-action trailer that revealed the three starters: Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly. A second trailer on 1 June 2022 revealed Koraidon and Miraidon, more gameplay footage, the Pokémon Smoliv, Lechonk, and Pawmi, and the characters Nemona, Sada, and Turo. A third trailer on 3 August 2022 revealed two new Pokémon, the region's name, Terastallization, and other details.

A fourth trailer on 7 September 2022 detailed the three routes and three new Pokémon, along with characters Mela, Brassius, and Geeta. During the closing ceremony of the 2022 Pokémon World Championships on 21 August 2022, a trailer showcased Cyclizar, new items, and abilities. On 29 September 2022, singer Ed Sheeran released the song Celestial in collaboration with The Pokémon Company, which appeared in the game credits. A 14-minute trailer on 6 October 2022 highlighted gameplay between four players on different paths and revealed Farigiraf.

Several in-universe videos were published, including a camera trap for Grafaiai, a web seminar for Wiglett, a livestream for Bellibolt, and a found footage trailer for Greavard. A special edition Nintendo Switch OLED model was released on 4 November 2022. On 11 November 2022, a Splatfest themed around the three starter types was held in Splatoon 3.

Reception

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet received mixed or average reviews according to Metacritic, making them the lowest-rated mainline series Pokémon games. OpenCritic assessed that the games received fair approval, recommended by 48% of critics. GameSpot writer Jake Dekker regarded the non-linearity as the games' strength, while Nintendo Life described the experience as capturing the real magic of the first Pokémon games and praised the story as wholesome with genuinely tender moments.

IGN's Rebekah Valentine found the open world gameplay enjoyable, highlighting Tera Raids and new online mechanics, but criticized the lack of polish and depth in online features and exploration. GamesRadar+'s Joel Franey criticized the games' aimlessness and lack of stakes, while praising the music and user-interface improvements. Polygon's Kenneth Shepard praised Terastallization's strategic improvements and the writing, but criticized the games as a step back from Pokémon Legends: Arceus due to removed quality-of-life features and unclear story order.