Pokémon Scarlet and Violet release date and pre-order

Last Updated: June 1st, 2022

Announced during February’s Pokémon Presents, the next mainline Pokémon games, Scarlet and Violet, were scheduled for a “late 2022” release. Predictably, they are now confirmed just in time for the holidays, as the Pokémon Scarlet Violet release date has been revealed and pre orders have begun,

Unless you’re able to fork out on two almost identical games, you’ll know you need to make a call regarding which of the new Pokémon titles you’ll be getting at the end of the year. The differences being the Legendary that you encounter and a few version-specific Pokémon. However, with trading available, you’re still able to complete your Pokédex either way.

Pokémon Scarlet Violet release date

As revealed in a trailer released on June 1, 2022, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet will be released on Friday, November 18, 2022. This is in-line with the pre-holiday 2021 release of Pokémon BDSP, which came out on November 19, 2021. With the new titles coming out in 2022, this busy year will have seen a total of three new mainline Pokémon games, with Legends: Arceus having been released in January 2022.

Pokémon Scarlet Violet pre-order

While pre-orders are now open, no bonuses or exclusive editions have been announced yet. We’ll keep an eye on anything being announced, like the in-game early-purchase bonuses that were available with Legends: Arceus.

For now, you can still pre-order your game of choice in either digital or physical editions, or – if you’re more flush than us – the physical double pack.

Which new Pokémon game to choose

So, with the release date confirmed and pre-orders opened, it’s closing in on decision time. So far, the only difference we know is the new Legendary Pokémon, with Koraidon confirmed as the Pokémon Scarlet Legendary, and Miraidon for Pokémon Violet. Little is known about these new Legendary Pokémon so far, but we’ve taken a guess at the types we think they’ll be over on our Scarlet and Violet Legendary reveal page.

So, have you made your choice yet? Let us know in the comments below. We made a bold decision to commit to Pokémon Scarlet before the Legendary announcement, and are still feeling pretty confident in our preference. And, while we can’t tell you which Pokémon will be version-specific just yet, we have compiled a juice list of every Pokémon confirmed for Scarlet and Violet so far.