Subscribe to Nintendo Life on

New Pokémon have been revealed for the upcoming Pokémon: Sword and Shield on Nintendo Switch, as well as some brand-new human characters to boot.

It has also been revealed that Dynamaxing – the previously-announced tactic which caused 'mon to grow in size during battle – is just the tip of the iceberg.

Gigantamaxing will also be a thing in the new game, and as well as causing your Pokémon to balloon in size, it enables them to use special G-Max Moves:

Only certain species of Pokémon can Gigantamax—and even among such species, only rare specimens will be able to Gigantamax. The majority of Pokémon will keep their usual appearance when they Dynamax.

Drednaw and Corviknight are two previously-revealed monsters which have the ability to Gigantamax. A whole bunch of new screenshots have been released, which you can view here.

We've also got these all-new beasts to take stock of:

Alcremie

Category: Cream Pokémon

Type: Fairy

Height: 1′

Weight: 1.1 lbs.

Ability: Sweet Veil

Alcremie can produce whipped cream, which becomes richer the happier Alcremie is feeling. Desserts made using this cream are invariably delicious, so many pastry chefs strive to have an Alcremie as their partner. When attacked by an opponent, Alcremie will throw sweet-scented cream to distract them or temporarily blind them, giving itself time to escape.

Gigantamax Alcremie

Type: Fairy

Height: 98′5″+

Weight: Unknown

Ability: Sweet Veil

The cream pouring out of its body hardens when subjected to impacts—the stronger the impact, the harder it becomes—giving Alcremie an impressive resistance to physical attacks. Additionally, the giant “Berry” decorations on Alcremie’s body are as hard as diamonds, and it’s said that most attacks won’t even be able to leave a scratch. Alcremie will launch high-calorie cream missiles around itself to attack its opponents. Any Pokémon that touches this cream will be filled with energy and euphoria but at the same time will fall into a state of complete confusion. Fairy-type moves used by Gigantamax Alcremie will change to G-Max Finale, which will heal all Pokémon on Alcremie’s side while dealing damage to an opponent.

Yamper

Category: Puppy Pokémon

Type: Electric

Height: 1′

Weight: 29.8 lbs.

Ability: Ball Fetch

Yamper tends to be drawn to things that are moving quickly. It can chase after people, Pokémon, or even vehicles. It has an organ in its body that generates electricity, and it’s activated when Yamper runs around. Yamper can’t store the electricity it generates, so it’s often seen running around with electric sparks crackling around it. Yamper’s Ability, Ball Fetch, is a new Ability that comes into play when the Trainer throws a Poké Ball at a wild Pokémon but fails to catch it. If Yamper isn’t holding an item, it will fetch the first Poké Ball that failed to catch the Pokémon, regardless of what type of Poké Ball it is.

Rolycoly

Category: Coal Pokémon

Type: Rock

Height: 1′

Weight: 26.5 lbs.

Ability: Steam Engine / Heatproof

Rolycoly’s red eye can illuminate dark areas, while it uses the lump of coal attached to its body like a wheel to move through coal mines and caves. It is able to travel smoothly even over rough terrain. Until about one hundred years ago, every household in the Galar region had a Rolycoly. The families would use the coal that dropped off its body for cooking and heating their homes. Rolycoly’s Ability, Steam Engine, is a new Ability that provides a Speed stat boost if it’s hit with a Fire- or Water-type move during battle.

Duraludon

Category: Alloy Pokémon

Type: Steel/Dragon

Height: 5′11″

Weight: 88.2 lbs.

Ability: Light Metal / Heavy Metal

Duraludon live in caves and mountainous areas. Their two arms have slightly different shapes, and they use them to grind down rock surfaces for food. Its body is composed of incredibly durable metal but is also surprisingly light, so Duraludon can move quite quickly despite its appearance. Its body is susceptible to corrosion, however, and is known to rust easily. They share their habitat with Tyranitar, so these two Pokémon are often seen battling each other in the mountains of the Galar region.

As well as new Pokémon, some more natives of the Galar Region have been revealed:

Leon

Leon is the strongest Trainer in the Galar region, and he won the Championship in his first-ever Gym Challenge—without being defeated in battle a single time. To this day, his winning streak continues to grow, and his formidable talent for Pokémon battles is unmatched. He’s aided in his countless victories by his partner Charizard, and he’s known to go all out during battles, no matter who he’s facing. His battle style has captured the hearts of the people of Galar.

Chairman Rose

Rose is the chairman of the Galar Pokémon League and the president of a large business conglomerate. He’s made the Galar Pokémon League famous by implementing Gym Battles featuring the Dynamax phenomenon. Chairman Rose was also the first to endorse Leon for the Gym Challenge.

Oleana

Oleana is Chairman Rose’s secretary and is known for her calm and collected personality. She also serves as the vice president of Rose’s company and is largely in charge of the day-to-day running of the company.

Bea

Bea is a prodigy in Galar karate, carrying on its century-old traditions and techniques. Known for her stoicism and rarely showing her emotions, Bea is also an expert on Fighting-type Pokémon. Her battle style remains very precise even when she’s backed into a corner.

Allister

Allister is a talented Trainer of Ghost-type Pokémon who has taken on the mantle of the Ghost-type Gym Leader at a young age. He’s extremely shy and fearful, and he always hides his face with a mask when around other people. Allister rarely makes public appearances and apparently spends most of his time around ruins or in cemeteries.



Certain towns in the Galar region will have different Gyms that Trainers can challenge depending on whether they’re playing Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield. In Pokémon Sword, they will face down Bea, while in Pokémon Shield, they can test their skills against Allister.