Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

The first true open world: three stories, in whatever order you like.

Release: 2022
Console: Nintendo Switch
Region: Paldea
Generation: IX
Style: Open world
Category: Main series

Attribute hexagon of Scarlet and Violet. Scores: Exploration 5, Freedom 5, Competitive 5, Story 4, Difficulty 2, Nostalgia 1.

Reading the profile

Scores from 1 to 5, in the atlas's own assessment.

Exploration score 5 out of 5 One continuous map, with no gates between areas.
Freedom score 5 out of 5 Three story paths to follow in any order.
Competitive score 5 out of 5 Raids, Terastal and full tools for building teams.
Story score 4 out of 5 The three paths converge in a memorable final act.
Difficulty score 2 out of 5 It rarely gets you stuck.
Nostalgia score 1 out of 5 It is something new, with no longing involved.

Paldea is a single continuous map, with no closed routes. Three paths run in parallel, the gyms, the Titan Pokémon and Team Star, and you decide the order. When they meet, the final act surprises anyone who thought the series no longer cared about plot.

There is a complete competitive scene, with raids, the Terastal phenomenon and up to four people exploring together. The launch had serious technical problems on the Switch; the free update for the Switch 2 improved performance a lot.

It is for you if you

Want total freedom of route
Want to explore with friends
Want an adventure that also works as a base for competitive play

Maybe not, if

Technical stutters pull you out of the game, especially on the original Switch
You prefer a guided adventure

Where it takes place

Paldea

An open land around a huge crater, to travel in whatever order you like.

Open the map of Paldea

Specimens from this game

Official art of Koraidon — No. 1007 Koraidon

Official art of Miraidon — No. 1008 Miraidon

Pokédex

Kitakami and Blueberry are the two parts of the paid expansion. When a species has a regional form native to this game, that is the one shown, with its types. Pick a species to open its page.

Search this list

400 species