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How To Trade In Pokemon Shield

How To Trade With Friends In Pokemon Sword And Shield

HOW TO TRADE in Pokemon Sword and Shield

If you’re trying to figure out how to trade Pokemon with your mates in Sword and Shield, well, it’s a fairly straightforward process to start though it might be possible to run into some hiccups. You can either trade using local trades, which is as easy as following the steps that we’ve outlined below:

  • Open the Y-Comm menu
  • Navigate to Link Trade and Start Trading
  • The game will find someone on your local network
  • Set your Link Code to trade to someone who has that code
  • Commence trading with your chosen individual

If you’re wanting to trade online, however, you’re going to require an active Nintendo Switch Online membership. Yes, that’s right. Once you’ve established that you have this, follow the steps below if you’re wanting to trade Pokemon with a mate online.

  • Open the Y-Comm meny
  • Press + to connect to the internet
  • Select Link Trade and Start Trading
  • Set your Link Code and share this with your trading partner
  • Commence trading with your chosen individual

The only downfall with having everything opened up in terms of online trading via the method that is that, well, since it’s open to whoever has a Nintendo Switch Online membership, you might run the risk of someone else running with the same four-digit Link Code as you and your mate somehow hopping in on that trade and messing up some carefully laid plans. If you and the intended recipient are in each other’s vicinity, we would definitely recommend locally trading instead.

How To Trade Pokemon In Pokmon Sword And Shield

The first thing you need to do is unlock the Comm Link. You need to play through the story and will know it has been unlocked when a blue Comm Links icon appears in the bottom left corner of the screen. Hit Y to open the Comm Links menu to begin trading Pokemon. You can do this either offline or online.


Link Trade will allow you to trade Pokemon with anyone on your Friends List or in the local area. If your friends are not near you, using the + button in the Trade Menu to connect to the internet and trade with them that way.

Surprise Trade allows you to send a random Pokemon to someone, and get a random Pokemon from them in return. Unfortunately, these are the only two trading methods in the game, as the GTS and other features from previous games in the series are gone from these newer titles.

Which method you choose to use is up to you, although we much prefer the idea of Link Trade. Remember, you will need to trade with people to get version exclusive Pokemon that only appear in either Sword or Shield.

Trade Pokemon In Pokemon Sword And Shield

Home » Pokemon Sword & Shield » Trade Pokemon in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Trading Pokemon in Pokemon Sword & Shield is one of the core mechanics in the game, as is the case with the majority of other Pokemon games. Pokemon SwSh offers a number of different ways to trade Pokemon with other people. But, of course, you cant start trading immediately, you do kinda have to earn it. And even then, the logistics of how to trade in Pokemon Sword and Shield might confuse some people. All that said, our Trade Pokemon in Pokemon Sword and Shield guide is going to show you how to trade Pokemon in Pokemon SwSh, when you can start trading, and even how to fix the bug where Surprise Trade cant find a match.


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Galarian Meowth For Kantonian Meowth

A significantly better trade than the previous one is a Galarian Meowth in exchange for a Kantonian Meowth, which can be found inside the Turfield gym. This is one of the only ways to get a Persian in the game, which is required to complete the Pokédex, as the gift Gigantamax Meowth isn’t able to evolve. This particular Meowth also has Technician as an ability, one of the better abilities it can use as it can also learn Fake Out, though its nature is locked as Timid, meaning it isn’t going to be as useful for attacking.

Trade To Catch Em All

How to Trade Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Shield

If you are a completionist, trading is a must for completing your Pokédex. Trading allows you to get exclusive Pokémon from the other version of the game. In other words, it is possible and necessary to trade between the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield versions to sometimes evolve and capture all 400 Pokémon available in the games.

As a bonus tip for your journey to catch them all, note that you can get all three starters by trading locally for free. To do so, you need two Nintendo Switches and two copies of either Pokémon Sword or Shield. To obtain the starters on your main account, keep restarting the game from scratch on the Nintendo that will be sending the starter Pokémon to your main account via trading.

Whats your ideal Pokémon trade? What Pokémon did you receive after a Surprise Trade? Let us know in the comment section below.


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How To Participate In Pokmon Sword & Shields Surprise Trade Christmas

Pokémon Sword and Shield players have banded together to create the Surprise Trade Christmas event. Here’s how to take part in the all the fun.

Players of Pokémon Sword and Shield have organized Surprise Trade Christmas to help out players getting the games on December 25. Here’s how to be a part of it.

Pokémon Sword and Shield have been on the market for over a month now. That means people who have been playing it since release day will already be pretty established. However, some Pokémon fans, especially children, might not get the game until Christmas Day. That leaves them at a distinct disadvantage, especially if they are young fans who have never played a Pokémon game before.

That’s why Swordand Shield players have banded together and created something which has been dubbed Surprise Trade Christmas. This is a way to potentially give new trainers to the games a boost by offering up rare, powerful, or just downright cool Pokémon to them. Here’s how to be a part of Surprise Trade Christmas and how to use the games’ Suprise Trade feature.


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First, open up the Y-comm menu by pressing Y. There you can switch between local and online. Choose start trading to be paired with another random player. Pick the Pokémon you want to trade, and try to make it a good one. The game will then start searching for someone to trade with. Once the trade is complete, you will receive a notification in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.

Surprise Trades In Pokmon Sword And Shield

You can trade with your friends to expand your Pokédex, but theres another trade option in the game called Surprise Trades. These unique trades are a feature of Y-Comm.

You can choose any Pokémon from any box and put it up for trade. A random partner will be chosen, the trade will occur, and youll end up with a random Pokémon. Surprise trades also work locally.

To start a Surprise Trade in Pokémon Sword and Shield, youll need a subscription to Nintendo Online and an internet connection. Press Y in-game to open the Y-Comm menu. Next, press the plus sign button on your right Joy-Con controller to connect to the internet.


Wait for the connection notification to appear, and then select Surprise Trade from the Y-Comm menu. A display of your Pokémon party and boxes will appear on-screen, and you must choose one to trade.

You can choose a Pokémon in your party or any of those stored in your boxes. Press A on your right Joy-Con controller to select the Pokémon you want to trade, and then choose Select from the menu to confirm.

Your game will save and start searching for an eligible trading partner while you play.

If you want to cancel the trade, you can do so at any time by selecting another option from the Y-Comm menu.

Eventually, youll be paired with a random player, and you can choose to accept or decline the trade. If you accept, your Pokémon will be traded to the other player, and youll receive one from them.


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Pokmon Sword And Shield: How To Trade Pokmon

One of the most integral aspects of playing Pokémon is trading your catches with friends so you can complete the Pokédex. There are hundreds of Pokémon in the Sword and Shield Pokédex, and several of them are exclusive to one version of the game or the other. So, to catch ’em all, you really need to trade with someone, either online or locally. We’re here to help you out. Here’s how to trade Pokémon in Sword and Shield.

How To Trade Pokmon With Friends Online In Sword And Shield

HOW TO Trade in Pokémon Sword and Shield

It’s not ideal, but it’s all we got.

The Pokémon series is known for its focus on trading and battling, but thats been made increasingly difficult to do with online friends in Sword and Shield.

Trading with friends is not only tedious, but also annoying, and relies on you getting lucky for it to work. There is no way to directly connect to the player that you want in trades and battles, but we are here at least to give you advice on what to do to make the process a little bit easier.


First things first, if you are trading with friends online, you need to open the Y-Comm menu by pressing Y in the overworld. You then need to press the + button to connect online.

After doing this, both players need to head into Link Trade and select the Set Link Code option. Work with your friend to decide a four-digit combination you both will use in hopes of linking each other in a trade.

When you select your four-digit number, the game should match you up online pretty swiftly. Be wary though, other trainers using the same code could be linked up with you, so it might take a couple of tries to finally connect to each other.

Once you have done this, however, you can continue with your trade as normal. Just remember, you need a Nintendo Switch Online membership to be able to trade online, without it, you are stuck using local trades only.

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When Can You Trade Pokemon In Pokemon Sword & Shield

You can start trading Pokemon in Pokemon Sword & Shield about an hour or so into the game. Just before you first enter into the Wild Area, youll get the little Y-comm icon in the bottom left of your screen. This should happen around the time after you do battle against Hop in Magnolias house. From the moment that the Y-comm icon appears, you can start trading Pokemon. You dont even have to go into the Wild Area to begin, just dive right into it. Now, how does one trade Pokemon in Pokemon Sword & Shield? Well, lets dig deep into the subject, shall we?

How To Add Friends

Tab over to where it says Your Room.

Select Friends.

Here you can find your sharable friend code or a QR code so others can add you and you can add friends by entering their code or scanning their unique QR code.

Theyâll need to accept your friend request and, once they do, theyâll appear on your friends list.


Once you’ve added Friends you can trade with friends directly.

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How To Use The Surprise Trade

The Surprise Trade functions exactly like the old Wonder Trade system with one major catch. Unless youre in the room with multiple people all accessing the Surprise Trade, youll need a Nintendo Online subscription to participate. Trades can be done over local internet, but whats the point of a Surprise Trade if youre sitting in the room with the person? You might as well just do a Link Trade in that case.

Since it accesses the internet instead of just local connection, it does require a subscription to Nintendos online service. The once free feature is now locked behind a subscription.

You can only access the Y-Comm system after getting the Pokédex and interacting with Professor Magnolia on Route 6. Once youve done that, all trading options will open.

Once you have the Y-Comm system and a Nintendo Online subscription, hit Y on your Switch controller to open the Y-Comm. Hit the + to connect to the internet. After youve connected to the internet, select the second option, Surprise Trade. The game will briefly inform you of what it is through a random trade with another person also using the feature. After agreeing to proceed, youll be told to pick a Pokémon from your boxes. You cant trade a Pokémon from your party.

When the trade has been completed, the bar at the bottom will turn blue and say Trade Complete. Hit Y to initiate the trade cutscene and reveal your new Pokémon.

How To Trade Pokemon In Sword And Shield

How to WONDER TRADE in Pokemon Sword &  Shield

This pages covers how to trade Pokemon in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield for the Nintendo Switch. Use this as a hub to learn how to trade locally, how to trade online, and more.

See How to Transfer Old Pokemon to Sword and Shield to see how to to trade Pokemon from Pokemon Let’s Go, Pokemon Go, Pokemon Sun and Moon, and more, to Pokemon Sword and Shield using Pokemon HOME

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Trying To Complete Your Pokedex Here’s Some Tips On How To Trade With Friends In Pokemon Sword And Shield So You Can Help Each Other Out

by Ginny Woo

If you’re enjoying Pokemon Sword and Shield so far, then we promise that it’s actually even better with some mates. It’s not just about having curry or battling Pokemon out in the Wild Areas. You can supplement each other’s teams if you’re smart about it, and help each other complete your Pokedexes. Here’s our guide on how to trade with friends in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

How To Battle Online In Pokemon Sword And Shield

  • Press the Y button.
  • Press to connect to the Internet.
  • Select Link Battle.
  • Select the battle type: single battle, double battle or multi battle.
  • Optional: You can press to set a Link Code.
  • Note: A Link Code is the only way to battle with specific players . You do not have to register the players Nintendo Switch friend code to play with them.

    A stamp will be broadcasted to other players when you start searching for a battle. Other players connected to the Internet will randomly be paired up with you if no Link Code is set or if a random player sets the same Link Code as you.

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    How To Trade With Pokemon Home

    You can only trade with the Pokemon Home mobile app. There are 3 different types of trading you can do. When you launch the app select the Trade tab.

    Then select one of the following:

    • Wonder Box

    Wonder Box lets you Wonder Trade, which functions similarly to Surprise Trade.

    Put your Pokemon in the Wonder Box to trade them with people around the world even when you’re not using Pokemon Home. Remember, if you have the Premium subscription you can unlock 10 Wonder Boxes, instead of 3.

    There’s no guarantee what you’ll get in exchange for your Pokemon, it’s all about the surprise!

    How To Trade With Friends In Pokmon Sword

    How to trade in Pokemon Sword and Shield

    Aaron DonaldRead more September 16, 2021

    Like the previous Pokémon titles, Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield let you trade your Pokémon with other trainers to complete your Pokédex. Some Pokémon evolve only after trading. Some Pokémon are only available in one version. Hence, trading is essential to catch them all. This guide is for Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, as both games are one side of the same coin.

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    Trade Pokemon With Other Trainers

    Trades allow you to swap Pokemon with other trainers from across the world! You will be able to use this feature while traveling the Galar region via the Y-Comm feature!

    Trade Online or Locally

    You will be able to trade Pokemon with other trainers over the internet or through local networks using your Nintendo Switch! Keep in mind that for online trades, you will need to have an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription!

    How To Trade Pokmon With Friends

    There are over 400 Pokémon in the Galar Pokédex. If you want to catch them all, though, you might need a little help. Thats where Pokémon trading comes in. Some Pokémon will only change their forms once youve traded them to someone else.

    Obviously, youll then have to get them to trade it back if you want that creature in your Pokédex. For example, the Pokémon Pumpkaboo will evolve into Gourgeist, a trade-based evolution.

    Traded Pokémon also gain experience points in battle faster, but you cant change a traded Pokémons nickname if you received it via trade.

    You have two options when trading with your friends in Pokémon Sword and Shield:

    • You can trade locally with those who are physically nearby
    • You can trade Pokémon online with those who are farther away. This option requires a Nintendo Online subscription, though.

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    To trade locally, you dont need an internet connection or a Nintendo Online subscription. To do so, open Pokémon Sword and Shield, and then press the Y button on your right Joy-Con controller to open Y-Comm. Select Link Trade at the top, and then choose Set Link Code.

    You and your friend will have to type the same eight-digit code to connect and trade with one another. After youve set an eight-digit code, close the menu and wait to be connected. Setting a code will often connect partners faster, but this is unnecessary if only you and your trade partner are trading nearby.

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