How to Get Bulbasaur and Squirtle in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Pokemon Sword and Shield players can now obtain their very own Bulbasaur or Squirtle to use and evolve in their games. Pokemon Sword and Shield made headlines last year when Game Freak revealed that it would be the first Pokemon game that wouldn't include every Pokemon species. Instead of giving players the ability to use all 800+ Pokemon species, players would be limited to the 400 Pokemon species found in the game. However, dataminers learned that 35 Pokemon species were coded into the game but not yet available, which meant that they could be added through the Pokemon Home service or through some sort of distribution or event. Two of those Pokemon species were Bulbasaur and Squirtle, the original Starter Pokemon that were inexplicably left out of the game despite Charizard having a prominent role.

Now, players can get a free Bulbasaur or Squirtle through Pokemon Home, even if they don't have another Pokemon game to use. When players first download and enter the new cloud-based service, Grand Oak (the "creator" of Pokemon Home) will let players choose between a Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle to add to their collection. Players can pick either Bulbasaur or Squirtle and then immediately transfer it into their Pokemon Sword and Shield games, and evolve it all the way to its final form.

If you want both Bulbasaur and Squirtle, you'll likely need to find a trade partner. Our best suggestion is to breed your Bulbasaur or Squirtle and then put the Pokemon into the Global Trade System in Pokemon Home. You'll likely find someone willing to trade a Bulbasaur for a Squirtle or vice versa.

Pokemon Home is free to download on the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices.