Games
Scarlet and Violet: three story paths across open Paldea
Scarlet and Violet are the 2022 Nintendo Switch games set in Paldea, an open region modelled on the Iberian Peninsula, where three story paths (eight gyms, five Team Star bases and five Titan Pokémon) can be played in any order before they meet in a final chapter. The versions differ in the ride legendary, Koraidon or Miraidon, in the academy and professor, and in exclusive species, including the ancient Paradox Pokémon in Scarlet and the future ones in Violet, and the generation's battle mechanic is Terastallization, a once-per-battle type change. Both are sold for Switch and run on Switch 2, The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero adds The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk, and online Union Circle, Tera Raids and trades need Nintendo Switch Online.
Scarlet and Violet, both versions, with The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk. Drafted 8 Nov 2026.
Three paths run in any order and meet in Area Zero
The academy sends students on a Treasure Hunt with three goals. Victory Road is the gym path: eight gyms, then the Pokémon League, where an interview and the Elite Four, Rika, Poppy, Larry and Hassel, lead to Top Champion Geeta and the Champion rank. Starfall Street is five Team Star bases, each ending with a boss. Path of Legends is five Titan Pokémon and the Herba Mystica they guard, which unlock the legendary's riding abilities. The map is open from the start, but the opponents' levels are fixed, so the game has a suggested order. With all 18 goals done, the final chapter, The Way Home, goes into Area Zero at the centre of the map.
The versions split the era, the legendary and the Paradox Pokémon
Scarlet is the ancient version: Naranja Academy, Professor Sada and Koraidon. Violet is the future version: Uva Academy, Professor Turo and Miraidon. Scarlet launched with seven ancient Paradox Pokémon, from Great Tusk to Roaring Moon, and Violet with seven future ones, from Iron Treads to Iron Valiant. Walking Wake and Iron Leaves were added in 2023, and The Indigo Disk adds two more to each. Ordinary lines split as well, among them Armarouge in Scarlet and Ceruledge in Violet, Larvitar in Scarlet and Bagon in Violet. Trading is online with Nintendo Switch Online or local; Union Circle lets up to four players share one world and catch each other's exclusives there.
Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Quaxly, then the academy
Director Clavell offers the starters at the player's home: Sprigatito (Grass, ending as Meowscarada, Grass and Dark), Fuecoco (Fire, ending as Skeledirge, Fire and Ghost) and Quaxly (Water, ending as Quaquaval, Water and Fighting). The first hour runs from the house through Poco Path and the Inlet Grotto, where the legendary joins, to Mesagoza and the academy. The Treasure Hunt opens after a short orientation. The usual first targets are Katy's Bug gym in Cortondo and the Stony Cliff Titan, Klawf, near the start. Nemona, the rival, battles the player at several points. Level the starter on the way, since Katy's team is level 15 or so.
The postgame is a tournament, raids and the Ruinous legendaries
After The Way Home, the Academy Ace Tournament runs as a repeatable bracket against the cast, which is the main source of rematches and money. Tera Raid Battles reach six-star difficulty. The four Treasures of Ruin, Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu and Chi-Yu, are sealed behind stakes scattered across Paldea; pulling eight stakes of one colour opens each shrine. Online Tera Raid events, scheduled by the publisher, add species and rewards that rotate. A second Koraidon or Miraidon is also obtainable, for battles, since the first remains the ride.
Terastallization, the open map and auto battles are the Generation IX systems
Each Pokémon has a Tera Type. Once per battle, using the Tera Orb, it can Terastallize: its defensive type becomes the Tera Type, and moves of that type gain power. The orb is recharged at a Pokémon Center. Tera Types can differ from the species' own, which is what makes raids and competitive play unpredictable. Tera Raid Battles are four-player fights against a Terastallized Pokémon, and raid cheers share one budget. Let's Go mode sends the lead Pokémon to fight wild ones on its own. Picnics produce eggs and sandwiches with Meal Powers. The open map has no loading between towns. The four existing guides here cover eggs, meals, auto battles and raid cheers in detail.
The Teal Mask is a school trip to Kitakami
The Teal Mask, part one of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, went on sale on 13 September 2023. The academy sends the player on an exchange trip to Kitakami, a rural area with a festival, where the siblings Carmine and Kieran are the hosts. The story centres on Ogerpon, a Grass-type legendary whose four masks change its Tera Type and form, and on the Loyal Three, Okidogi, Munkidori and Fezandipiti. New species include Dipplin, Poltchageist and Sinistcha, and Bloodmoon Ursaluna is a story catch. Kitakami has its own Pokédex of about 200 species, many of them returning from earlier games. It can be started once the player has reached the academy.
The Indigo Disk moves to Blueberry Academy and double battles
The Indigo Disk went on sale on 14 December 2023. It is set at Blueberry Academy, a school under the sea with the Terarium, a dome of four biomes. The Blueberry League is played in double battles; its Elite Four are Crispin, Amarys, Lacey and Drayton, and its champion is Kieran. Terapagos is the legendary, and the Stellar Tera Type, which boosts every type once, arrives with it. Blueberry Quests earn points for items and for bringing older starters into the Terarium. A free epilogue, Mochi Mayhem, released on 11 January 2024 for players who finish both chapters, adds Pecharunt.
One DLC purchase covers both chapters for one version
The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero is a single purchase for both chapters, sold separately for Scarlet and for Violet. The base game received free updates through 2023 and 2024 that fixed bugs and added content alongside the DLC, including Pokémon HOME support in 2023. Scheduled online events, such as Tera Raids with featured species and mystery gift codes, are run by the publisher and are time-limited. The game shipped with performance problems on the original Switch, which updates reduced.
Buy either version with the DLC; Switch 2 runs it more smoothly
Both versions are sold on cartridge and in the Nintendo eShop for Switch, Switch Lite and Switch 2, alone or with the DLC. The DLC is a download. A free update improves visuals and frame rate on Switch 2. Pick the version by the legendary and exclusives, since the story differs only in the professor and era. Union Circle, online trades, online raids and Battle Stadium need Nintendo Switch Online. Pokémon HOME moves Pokémon in and out, for species the game includes. A run through the three paths and The Way Home is around 40 hours.
| Order | Town | Leader | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cortondo | Katy | Bug |
| 2 | Artazon | Brassius | Grass |
| 3 | Levincia | Iono | Electric |
| 4 | Cascarrafa | Kofu | Water |
| 5 | Medali | Larry | Normal |
| 6 | Montenevera | Ryme | Ghost |
| 7 | Alfornada | Tulip | Psychic |
| 8 | Glaseado Mountain | Grusha | Ice |
| Scarlet (ancient) | Violet (future) |
|---|---|
| Great Tusk | Iron Treads |
| Scream Tail | Iron Bundle |
| Brute Bonnet | Iron Hands |
| Flutter Mane | Iron Jugulis |
| Slither Wing | Iron Moth |
| Sandy Shocks | Iron Thorns |
| Roaring Moon | Iron Valiant |
| Walking Wake | Iron Leaves |
| Gouging Fire, Raging Bolt (The Indigo Disk) | Iron Boulder, Iron Crown (The Indigo Disk) |
5 checks before you act
- Choose Sprigatito, Fuecoco or Quaxly at home
- Reach Mesagoza and finish the academy orientation
- Take Katy's gym in Cortondo and the Klawf Titan first, as the lowest-level targets
- Set a meal or picnic before a long catching session
- Check which Paradox Pokémon your version lacks before planning trades
Read next
Sources read for this page
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- ReadScarlet Violet version-group metadataread 7 Nov 2026
- ReadOfficial Scarlet & Violet website · Tera Raid Battlesread 7 Nov 2026
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- ReadOfficial Scarlet & Violet Trainer’s Guide · picnics and foodread 7 Nov 2026
- ReadOfficial Scarlet & Violet website · Let’s Goread 7 Nov 2026
- ReadPokémon HOME: Moveread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadNintendo Store: Pokémon Scarletread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadNintendo Store: Pokémon Violetread 8 Nov 2026