Pokémon Sword & Shield: 5 Confirmed Details (And 5 Predictions)

While Game Freak obviously wants to get back to the main series sensibilities, it would be foolish to ignore the popularity of Pokémon GO and the Switch’s Let’s GO! Eevee & Pikachu. Shinies could be the way to provide a link between the casual appeal and the hardcore dedication of seasoned veterans.

As well as the rideable Pokémon, one of the surprising additions of Let’s GO! was the fact shiny Pokémon could be visible in the wild, meaning you’d be able to spot a turquoise Psyduck just waddling along if you were lucky enough.

While this feature isn’t present in Pokémon GO, the app does offer a much higher shiny rate than main series games, including Community Days where the rate is as low as 1/25. For reference, in base games it’s 1/4096, and it used to be 1/8192.

The trailer does show a trainer searching in the long grass before a Pikachu jumps out of nowhere, but it also says game footage is not final, so there’s always a chance.

Shield and Sword isn’t going to devalue shinies when they’re so sought after, but a slight change up could entice more trainers into searching.