How Many Pokemon Are In Pokemon Sword and Shield?

Pokemon Sword and Shield officially has 400 different species of Pokemon in the game. Earlier this year, Game Freak announced that Pokemon Sword and Shield players would not be able to transfer and use every Pokemon species from past games. Instead, the new games would only be compatible with "native" Pokemon - those Pokemon found within the Galar Pokedex. Some Pokemon fans reacted poorly to the news, claiming that the decision went against the Pokemon franchise's core premise of collecting every Pokemon species.

Because of the announcement, players were expecting the cuts, and now we know that 490 Pokemon were technically cut from Pokemon Sword and Shield, including many fan favorites. Some of those Pokemon might be added later through special distribution events, but most of the cut Pokemon species simply won't be available in the games.

We'll note that the number of available Pokemon species is comparable to the number of "official" species seen in past regional Pokedex. However, those games also included ways to obtain Pokemon that weren't in the regional Pokedex, either through post-game content or through transfers from past Pokemon games.

However, the decision to not include every Pokemon species doesn't mean that players will lose their beloved Pokemon from past games. The Pokemon Company plans to release Pokemon Home early next year - a new app that will act as a storage place for all Pokemon and act as a temporary home for Pokemon displaced by the decision to move away from adding the full Pokedex to every game. Future games will also bring back old species not incorporated into Pokemon Sword and Shield, similar to how Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon featured species that couldn't be obtained in Pokemon Sun and Moon.

So - are you satisfied by the number of Pokemon species in the game? Let us know in the comment section or find me on Twitter at @CHofferCBus to talk all things Pokemon!