Here Are The Big Differences Between ‘Pokémon Sword’ And ‘Shield’, Exclusive Pokémon And More

Pokemon Sword and Shield

Credit: Game Freak

Back with Pokémon Red and Blue, Game Freak had an idea that would reverberate throughout gaming history. What if we sold the same game, the company seemed to ask itself, but twice? The reasoning was simple: the series was meant as a showcase for the Game Boy link cable, and releasing the two games ensured that people would have to use it. The idea was that each version had exclusive Pokémon, and, as they say, gotta catch ‘em all. Doing so would require both versions. Every entry, or set of entries, in the series has followed suit, all the way up to Pokémon Sword and Shield in 2019. Some will no doubt buy both, no doubt to Game Freak’s excitement. Most players, however, will only buy one, and to do that, you’ll want to know the differences.

So here’s what you need to know about the differences between Pokémon Sword and Shield, both of which come out on November 15. Note that this is what we know right now, and constitutes the major differences. There may be more.

We’ll start with exclusive Pokémon, which make up that core difference that we’ve had ever since the beginning. Note that all these Pokémon can exist in the other version through trading and transfers, but the exclusivity means that they’re only catchable in one.

Pokémon Sword:

Deino

Zweilous

Hydreigon

Jangmo-o

Hakamo-o

Kommo-o

Sirfetch'd

Pokémon Shield:

Larvitar

Pupitar

Tyranitar

Goomy

Sliggoo

Goodra

Galarian Ponyta

Galarian Rapidash

Pokemon Shield

Credit: Game Freak

Exclusive Gyms: As a first for the series, certain cities will have different gyms depending on which version you’re playing. We know that at a certain point in the game Pokémon Sword players will encounter a Fighting-type gym leader named Bea, whereas Pokémon Shield players will encounter a Ghost-type gym leader named Allister. So if you like Psychic-types, go with Sword I suppose.

The Legendaries: As with previous entries, each game is represented by a unique Legendary Pokémon exclusive to the game. In this entrance, the connections to the game titles are pretty explicit: Pokémon Sword gets Zacian, a wolf with a sword, and Pokémon Shield gets Zamazenta, a wolf with a shield.

Gigantamax Raids: This one isn’t about exclusivity, per se, but it’s still a major difference between the games. Max Raid battles are a new thing for the series, and players will encounter some Gigantamax opponents more frequently than others during special events. In the first of these, Pokémon Sword players will have a higher likelihood of fighting Gigantamax Dreadnaw, and Pokémon Shield Players will have a higher chance of fighting Gigantamax Corviknight.