Pokemon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass Release Date, Gameplay, Trailer, and News

Nintendo, Game Freak, and The Pokémon Company have revealed the Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass. The upcoming DLC will add new content to the Galar region featured in Pokémon Sword and Shield.

This expansion will allow players to take on new challenges and enter previously-unseen areas of Galar, while carrying on the same save file that they used in their main Sword and Shield playthrough. The Expansion Pass is being pitched as an alternative to the sequel-style games that Game Freak has made in the past, such as Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, with players now getting downloadable content instead of a whole new game. It’s the main Pokémon series’ first foray into the world of DLC, basically.

Two new locations will be added as part of the Expansion Pass, The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra, both of which are a bit like the Wild Area from the main game. They are sizeable open worlds, where you’ll be able to move the camera and take part in raid battles.

Hot off the presses, this Pokémon Direct video will give you all the info you need:

Off the coast of Galar, The Isle of Armor is stuffed with beautiful nature and it will be introduced as the first part of the Expansion Pass (which is planned to launch in June). Kubfu is a brand new legendary Pokémon, a fighting type, that players will train with on this island. It evolves into Urshifu, which has a Gigantamax form. The final forms of the Pokémon Sword and Shield starter Pokémon will also get Gigantamax forms on The Isle of Armor.

The Crown Tundra is a snow-splattered realm that will be introduced in Fall 2020. This follow-up will be focused on exploration, and it will introduce a legendary psychic/grass-type Pokémon called Calyrex. Also, legendary Pokémon from previous games will appear in underground dungeons that are scattered throughout The Crown Tundra, and players will be able to take part in new co-op raids to try and catch them.

New characters, new outfits, new accessories, and new hairstyles are also among the fresh features that players will be able to interact with through this expansion. And there will be Pokémon to catch in these new locations that cannot be caught in the main game. More than 200 Pokémon will be available in the Expansion Pass, but there still won’t be a fully-fledged National Dex like some fans have been clamoring for.

And here’s a nice extra detail: you will be able to get these newly added creatures through trades, too, even if you haven’t bought the expansion. There will be a free update to the main game that coincides with the Expansion Pass launch, which will presumably make this connectivity possible.

In the meantime, to get you hyped up, a Galarian Slowpoke is being introduced to Sword and Shield today. Later, you’ll be able to evolve your Galarian Slowpoke into a Slowbro on The Isle of Armor or a Slowking in The Crown Tundra.

The exact launch date for the Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass is yet to be revealed, but, as we inch towards the June 2020 release, we’ll be sure to keep you posted as we hear more.