Coming back after leaving during Generation IX

Generation IX made Terastallization the battle mechanic

Scarlet and Violet went on sale on 18 November 2022 and opened Paldea as one connected region with three story paths. Terastallization replaced Dynamax: once per battle, recharged at a Pokémon Center, a Pokémon defends as its single Tera Type and can reach 2 times same-type bonus. Snow replaced hail, raising Ice-type Defense by 1.5 times. Picnics replaced the Nursery, TMs became single-use crafts again, and Hyper Training opened from level 50. The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk in 2023 added Kitakami, Blueberry Academy and the Stellar Tera Type, and the generation reached 120 new species for 1025 in total.

Three changes since 2024 sit outside Scarlet and Violet

First, Legends: Z-A in October 2025 returned to Lumiose City in Kalos with Mega Evolution and battles that run in real time instead of by turns; the paid Mega Dimension expansion followed on 10 December 2025. Second, Champions launched on Nintendo Switch on 8 April 2026, playable on Nintendo Switch 2 and from 17 June 2026 on iOS and Android, as a battle-only game, and official video game competition moved to it beginning with the Indianapolis Regional Championships on 29 to 31 May 2026. Third, the Nintendo Switch 2 arrived on 5 June 2025, and Winds and Waves are announced for it alone in 2027, with Browt, Pombon and Gecqua as the first partners. Scarlet and Violet themselves gained no new mechanic in that time.

Pick the next game by what you liked in Paldea

If you liked exploring Paldea at your own pace, Legends: Z-A is the next main-series story game, but it is set in one city and its battles are real time, so expect a different feel. If you mostly played ranked battles or tournaments, Champions is now where the official format lives, and the Champions VGC page sets out a first practice cycle. If you played for collecting, HOME and Scarlet and Violet remain the centre, and Legends: Z-A adds Mega forms to catch. Scarlet and Violet still run online on Switch and Switch 2. Winds and Waves are the next generation, with no release day set.

Scarlet and Violet saves move freely, Legends: Z-A is one way

Scarlet and Violet saves live on the Switch and move with a system transfer, including to a Switch 2. The games connect to HOME in both directions, per Nintendo's HOME support page read on 7 November 2026, so a Pokémon can leave for HOME and come back. Legends: Z-A also connects to HOME, but a Pokémon moved into it cannot return to an earlier main-series game such as Scarlet and Violet. Champions takes qualifying Pokémon from HOME as visitors and sends them back afterwards; Pokémon recruited inside Champions cannot be deposited. Pokémon GO and the Switch release of FireRed and LeafGreen send into HOME without a way back.

Limit. Send only copies you can spare into Legends: Z-A; a Pokémon that goes in stays out of Scarlet and Violet for good.

Use the first week back to choose between story and battles

Day one: decide whether you want story (Legends: Z-A), battles (Champions) or more Paldea (the two expansions, if you skipped them). Day two to four: play the choice. For Champions, read the current official rules before your first ranked or tournament match, since the format is set by those documents. Day five: open HOME and sort your Scarlet and Violet Pokémon into those you will keep in Paldea and those you will send on. Day six: send one Pokémon to Champions or Legends: Z-A and see how it arrives. Day seven: rebuild your team with the VGC foundations guide or the first-team guide, depending on the game.