‘Pokemon Sword & Shield’ New Content Drop & Release Dates

Pokémon: Sword & Shield (Image courtesy of Pokemon)

Nintendo has released its first video presentation of the new year and it was a Pokemon-focused Direct. The stream packed new information into the 20 minute broadcast, with details on more monsters added to Pokemon Sword & Shield, a release date for the cloud-based storage Pokemon Home and an unexpected remake of a classic.

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The biggest news, however, was the announcement of an expansion pass for Pokemon Sword and Shield, which will add two huge new maps, many new Pokemon and lots of customization options. The isle of Armor expansion is coming soon in June, and The Crown Tundra will follow this fall. The studio revealed lots of old returning Pokemon and concept art for tons of new Pokemon and Gigantamaz forms, it only revealed three new monsters by name.

You will not have to wait till June to start trying out the new content. A free update for Sword and Shield, available now, lets you get a short experience of the update. You can go to the train station and meet your version’s new rival. The Poison-tye Klara will be for Sword players and the Psychic-type Avery for Shield players. You can also find a Galarian Slowpoke and try to catch it. Items in the two expansions will let it to become a Slowbro and Slowking.

The Crown Tundra expansion allows you to also explore Pokemon dens with a new multiplayer aspect to it. Users will be able to catch new and old Pokemon.

The expansion pass can be purchased for $30 now. If you do end up purchasing the pass, you will get a bonus Pikachu and Eevee uniform, the download code that can be redeemed in your Mystery Gifts.

The new cloud storage service Pokemon Home has been expected for a while now, and Nintendo and the Pokemon company have finally put a date on it. The release will be coming in February 2020. You will be able to transfer your monsters from Pokemon Bank on 3DS to Home, and they will be available in Sword and Shield if they appear in the Galar Pokedex.

The presentation also announced Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, which is a remake of the 2006 games Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue team has improved visuals and blends the two releases into one. The game will be available March 6, but a demo is out now that can transfer and save data to the full game.