Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield[a] are 2019 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. They are the first installments in the eighth generation of the Pokémon video game series and the second in the series, after Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, to be released on a home game console.
Sword and Shield's concept planning began immediately following the completion of Pokémon Sun and Moon in 2016, while full production began a year later in late 2017. Like previous installments, they chronicle the journey of a young Pokémon trainer, with these games taking place in the Galar region – based on Great Britain – with the objective being to dethrone the Pokémon League Champion Leon in a tournament the various gym leaders also take part in. Sword and Shield introduce 81 new Pokémon alongside 13 regional variants of preexisting Pokémon. Several new features were added such as Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing, which increase the size of certain Pokémon and the latter changes their forms. The new Wild Area is a large open world area with free camera movement where players can also participate in raids with co-op battling. The two games also reintroduce features previously seen in Sun and Moon and Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, such as regional variants and roaming Pokémon depicted in the overworld, respectively. Announced in February 2019, Pokémon Sword and Shield were released worldwide in November 2019.