Games
Sword and Shield: the Galar Gym Challenge and its two expansions
Sword and Shield are the 2019 Nintendo Switch games set in Galar, a region modelled on Great Britain, where eight gyms lead to a stadium tournament and a final match against the champion, Leon. The versions differ in the cover legendary, Zacian or Zamazenta, in two of the eight gym leaders and in about a dozen exclusive species lines; the generation's systems are Dynamax, Gigantamax and the Wild Area with its Max Raid Battles. Both are still sold for Switch and run on Switch 2, the Expansion Pass adds The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra, and online raids, trades and battles need Nintendo Switch Online.
Sword and Shield, both versions, with The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra. Drafted 8 Nov 2026.
The Gym Challenge is a televised sport with eight stadiums
A challenger needs an endorsement to enter, and the opening ceremony is in Motostoke. Each gym has a mission, a puzzle or a contest, before the leader battle. The leaders, in order: Milo (Grass), Nessa (Water), Kabu (Fire), Bea or Allister (Fighting or Ghost), Opal (Fairy), Gordie or Melony (Rock or Ice), Piers (Dark) and Raihan (Dragon). After the eighth badge the Champion Cup in Wyndon runs as a bracket, with a semifinal against a rival, a final against the gym leaders and the champion match against Leon. The main story crisis, Chairman Rose and Eternatus, interrupts the Cup before the final battle. Every gym leader Dynamaxes their last Pokémon.
Two gyms and about a dozen species lines differ by version
Sword has Bea (Fighting) at Stow-on-Side and Gordie (Rock) at Circhester. Shield has Allister (Ghost) and Melony (Ice) in the same cities. The cover legendary is Zacian in Sword and Zamazenta in Shield. Each version also keeps species lines to itself, among them Deino and Jangmo-o in Sword, Larvitar and Goomy in Shield, and paired Galarian forms: Farfetch'd and Darumaka in Sword, Ponyta and Corsola in Shield. The Applin line splits too, Flapple in Sword and Appletun in Shield. A full Galar Pokédex needs a trade, done locally or online with Nintendo Switch Online. Pokémon HOME also serves as a trade route between two accounts, at no cost for its basic tier.
Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble, then the Wild Area before Motostoke
Leon gives the choice in Postwick: Grookey (Grass), Scorbunny (Fire) or Sobble (Water), all single-typed through their final forms, Rillaboom, Cinderace and Inteleon. The first hour runs from Postwick to Wedgehurst, a visit to the Slumbering Weald, then a train to the Wild Area, which is open before the first gym. Level caps in the Wild Area depend on badges: wild Pokémon above the cap will not obey until more badges are earned. The opening ceremony in Motostoke starts the Gym Challenge, and Milo in Turffield is the first leader. Sobble has the hardest first gym, since Milo's Grass types resist Water.
The postgame is a short story, the Battle Tower and Leon
After the credits the player is champion. A short postgame story with Sordward and Shielbert sends the player to each stadium city to stop rampaging Dynamax Pokémon, and ends with Zacian or Zamazenta caught in the Slumbering Weald. The Battle Tower in Wyndon replaces the Gym Challenge as the main battle facility, and Leon can be battled there. Rematches against the gym leaders run in the Champion Cup. Raid dens in the Wild Area keep producing rare species and Gigantamax Pokémon.
Dynamax, Gigantamax and Max Raids define Generation VIII
Dynamax lasts three turns, can be used once per battle and only where the game allows it: gym battles, Champion Cup battles and Max Raids. A Dynamaxed Pokémon has more HP and turns its moves into Max Moves, which also set weather, terrain or stat changes. Gigantamax is a Dynamax variant for specific species with a Gigantamax Factor, giving a different form and a G-Max Move. The Wild Area is an open zone between towns with its own weather, visible wild Pokémon and Max Raid dens, where up to four players fight one Dynamax Pokémon together. The game uses a regional Pokédex of 400 at launch, so many older species are absent until the expansions or HOME.
The Isle of Armor adds a dojo, Kubfu and two styles of Urshifu
The Isle of Armor went on sale on 17 June 2020 as the first half of the Expansion Pass. The player trains at Master Mustard's dojo on an island reached by train from Wedgehurst. The central reward is Kubfu, which evolves into Single Strike Urshifu (Fighting and Dark) or Rapid Strike Urshifu (Fighting and Water), depending on which of two towers is climbed; the choice is the player's, not the version's. The island adds an open area like the Wild Area, Galarian Slowpoke and Slowbro, and Max Soup, which gives the Gigantamax Factor to species that have one, including the three starters. The dojo rival is Klara in Sword and Avery in Shield.
The Crown Tundra adds Dynamax Adventures and most past legendaries
The Crown Tundra went on sale on 22 October 2020. Peony leads three quests in a snowy area reached from Wyndon. Calyrex is the story legendary; it joins with Glastrier or Spectrier, the player's choice. The Galarian forms of Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres roam the region and the base game's Wild Area. Regieleki or Regidrago is a second choice. Dynamax Adventures in the Max Lair are runs of four raids with rental Pokémon, ending in a legendary; most legendaries from earlier games appear there, and Ultra Beasts too. The Galarian Star Tournament adds double battles with a partner chosen from the cast. A shiny legendary is possible in the Max Lair at raised odds.
The Expansion Pass is one purchase per version
The Expansion Pass bought both expansions at once. A pass for Sword works only with Sword, and a pass for Shield only with Shield. Free updates released with each expansion added features to the base game for all owners, such as more returning species through trade and HOME, and new raid dens. Pokémon HOME connected in February 2020 and moves Pokémon both ways for species in the game's data. Each expansion brought back more than 100 species, over 200 across the two, which restores much of the older roster.
Buy it new on Switch, with the pass if the postgame matters
Both versions are sold on cartridge and in the Nintendo eShop, alone or bundled with the Expansion Pass. They run on Switch, Switch Lite and Switch 2. The pass is a download even with a physical copy. Online play, Max Raids with strangers, link trades and Battle Stadium all need Nintendo Switch Online. The game is single-player at heart, and a full run to the credits, without the pass, is about 30 hours for a player who skips side content.
| Order | City | Sword | Shield |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turffield | Milo (Grass) | Milo (Grass) |
| 2 | Hulbury | Nessa (Water) | Nessa (Water) |
| 3 | Motostoke | Kabu (Fire) | Kabu (Fire) |
| 4 | Stow-on-Side | Bea (Fighting) | Allister (Ghost) |
| 5 | Ballonlea | Opal (Fairy) | Opal (Fairy) |
| 6 | Circhester | Gordie (Rock) | Melony (Ice) |
| 7 | Spikemuth | Piers (Dark) | Piers (Dark) |
| 8 | Hammerlocke | Raihan (Dragon) | Raihan (Dragon) |
| Sword | Shield |
|---|---|
| Zacian | Zamazenta |
| Deino, Zweilous, Hydreigon | Larvitar, Pupitar, Tyranitar |
| Jangmo-o, Hakamo-o, Kommo-o | Goomy, Sliggoo, Goodra |
| Galarian Farfetch'd, Sirfetch'd | Galarian Ponyta, Galarian Rapidash |
| Galarian Darumaka, Galarian Darmanitan | Galarian Corsola, Cursola |
| Flapple | Appletun |
| Stonjourner | Eiscue |
| Turtonator | Drampa |
Deino, Jangmo-o, Galarian Farfetch'd line (Sirfetch'd), Galarian Darumaka and Stonjourner against Larvitar, Goomy, Galarian Ponyta, Galarian Corsola and Eiscue confirmed on the official version exclusives page (swsh-exclusives), 8 Nov 2026. Zacian and Zamazenta, Flapple and Appletun, Turtonator and Drampa are not on that page.
5 checks before you act
- Choose Grookey, Scorbunny or Sobble in Postwick
- Check the badge level cap before catching high-level Pokémon in the Wild Area
- Register at the opening ceremony in Motostoke
- Win Milo's gym mission and badge in Turffield
- Decide now whether the Expansion Pass is wanted, since it matches one version only
Read next
Sources read for this page
- ReadGame knowledge from memoryundated
- ReadSword Shield version-group metadataread 7 Nov 2026
- ReadOfficial Sword and Shield websiteread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadPokémon HOME: Moveread 8 Nov 2026
- Read『ポケットモンスター ソード・シールド エキスパンションパス』公式サイトread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadThe Pokémon Company press release: Pokémon HOME to Launch in February 2020 (28 January 2020)read 8 Nov 2026
- ReadOfficial Sword and Shield website: Version Exclusivesread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadOfficial Sword and Shield website: Expansion Pass charactersread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadNintendo Store: Pokémon Swordread 8 Nov 2026