Skip to main content

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: all version differences

Ever since generation one, the Pokémon franchise has launched with two versions for every mainline release. We started with Red and Blue, but have now reached the ninth generation with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. This is the biggest leap the series has had, taking cues from the recent Pokémon Legends: Arceus and giving us a fully open world to explore on our Pokémon adventure. Naturally, there will be new critters to find, catch, train, and evolve, as well as a new story.

However, the nature of releasing two versions isn’t just a marketing stunt. Pokémon Scarlet andViolet, just like all the other pairs of titles, have some key differences in content that are meant to encourage players to cooperate with friends who have the opposite version. However, knowing what each version has beforehand may influence your decision on which one to get since many things, including Pokémon, can only be found in one version or another. Before you head out on this new adventure to catch ’em all, check out all the differences between Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Further reading

Exclusive Pokémon

Ceruledge with a sunset behind.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

What most people will care about when picking which version to buy is what Pokémon they will and won’t have access to. Of course, you can always trade to get these exclusive Pokémon. However, you won’t be able to find them in your game if you play solo or offline. You also can’t get the alternate version’s Legendary, which may be the most important distinction. Here are all the Pokémon exclusive to each version:

Pokémon Violet exclusives

  • Miraidon (Legendary)
  • Eiscue
  • Ceruledge
  • Bagon, Shelgon, and Salamence
  • Dreepy, Drakloak, and Dragapult
  • Clauncher and Clawitzer
  • Gulpin and Swalot
  • Misdreavus and Mismagius
  • Passimian
  • Iron Treads
  • Iron Bundle
  • Iron Hands
  • Iron Jugulis
  • Iron Moth
  • Iron Thorns
  • Iron Valiant

Pokémon Scarlet exclusives

  • Koraidon (Legendary)
  • Armarouge
  • Stonjourner
  • Larvitar, Pupitar, and Tyranitar
  • Stunky and Skuntank
  • Drifloon and Drifblim
  • Deino, Zweilous, and Hydregion
  • Scream Tail
  • Brute Bonnet
  • Flutter Mane
  • Slither Wing
  • Sandy Shocks
  • Roaring Moon
  • Oranguru
  • Great Tusk

To help you find either Iron Treads or Great Tusk, each version will come with either the Scarlet or Violet Book to help you locate them.

Exclusive Professors and Academy

A Spanish inspired landscape and castle from Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In a first for the series, each version will also feature a different Professor that will guide you on your adventure. If you play Pokémon Violet, you will be under the tutelage of Professor Turo, while trainers in Pokémon Scarlet will learn from Professor Sada.

This difference also extends to the main Academy you will be attending in the game. Each version has a different name, emblem, and uniform. In Pokémon Violet, you will be enrolled in Uva Academy, while Scarlet players will go to Naranja Academy. Another small change is that the Academy’s director, Calvell, will wear either a violet or orange coat to match the version.

Exclusive outfits

Armarouge standing on a cliff.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

While this game will give you plenty of customization options for your trainer, the starting outfit will vary based on your version too. Your outfit in the Violet version will feature purple shorts/skirt, black socks, brown shoes, and a purple hat and tie. Scarlet players will start wearing orange shorts, white socks, black shoes, an orange tie, and a blue hat.

Editors' Recommendations

Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…
All Flarlic locations in Pikmin 4
A Flarlic growing in a broken pot.

The Pikmin series has always highlighted the idea of commanding huge numbers of tiny creatures at once. With Pikmin 4 utilizing the power of the Switch, more Pikmin than ever can appear on screen, but that doesn't mean you can just grind out an entire army right off the bat. The game will limit you on how many total Pikmin you can control, forcing you to manage your forces between the different types. While this limitation will feel constricting at first, by collecting special plants called Flarlic, you can increase that number by 10. There are 12 total Flarlics to collect, with each stage having one on the surface and one in a cave to find, but you only need eight of them to reach the max Pikmin limit. Here's where to find all the Flarlic in Pikmin 4 so you can travel with a full army.
Sun-Speckled Terrace
The Flarlic you can find on the surface is way up north beyond the electric fence that you need Yellow Pikmin to pass. You'll need at least five Yellow Pikmin to toss up on the potted plant next to the fence in order to reach the Flarlic on the elevated mound.

The second is in the Last-Frost Cavern. Go to the top-left corner of the large northwest room and pluck it out of a sunken plant pot hidden behind some pots you need to smash.
Blossoming Arcadia
Our surface Flarlic is up north on the south side of the water and requires Blue Pikmin to bring back, or Ice Pikmin to freeze the water below it. It is tucked inside a wooden structure you need to toss some Pikmin up to collect.

Read more
Pokémon Sleep is here and it features some surprising microtransactions
An illustration of a Snorlax and other Pokémon napping from the Pokémon Sleep trailer.

Pokémon Sleep is now available in the United States for both iOS and Android devices. While the sleep tracking app is free to download, it has some surprising monetization built into it thanks to a paid monthly plan and microtransactions.

First revealed in 2019, Pokémon Sleep is a cross between a sleep-tracking app and an idle game. When users leave their phone on their bed at night, it'll record their sleep quality and habits by sensing vibrations and using their phone's microphone. When they wake up, they'll help a professor "research" Pokémon that have gathered around a sleeping Snorlax overnight. It's a cute way to gamify a sleep-tracking app, adding a "catch 'em all" element to the mix.

Read more
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: shiny hunting guide
Shiny Azumarill.

It's already a major task to catch all the Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, or any of the games for that matter, but GameFreak introduced another factor completionists will need to account for starting in Generation 2, that being shiny Pokémon. These are very rare forms of Pokémon that feature alternate colors of their regular, non-shiny forms. They never have any numerical or mechanical differences from their regular versions and are only differentiated based on their color and rarity.

Shiny hunting has been around since shiny Pokémon were introduced, but the methods and odds of encountering them always change from game to game. They are still present in Scarlet and Violet, but the open-world format has made hunting them slightly different. If you want to know how to get the best odds of finding these rare Pokémon, here's everything you need to know about shiny hunting.
Shiny hunting basics

Read more