How to get Trapinch in Pokemon Sword & Shield

James Busby
Trapinch Sword and Shield

Fans of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire will be pleased to find Trapinch has made its way to the Galar region. However, finding this Ground-type can be a little tricky. If you’re struggling to find Trapinch in Sword and Shield, then be sure to check out our handy location guide.

While this bipedal beast may not look overly strong or imposing, it is known for its ability to endure the harshest of conditions. Trapinch is a desert-dwelling creature that favors hot weather and can survive in the most inhospitable environments. As a result, there are only a few areas you can catch Trapinch in Pokemon Sword and Shield. 

While Trapinch may start as a humble ground-type Pokemon, its evolutionary path sees it take on that of a dual ground/dragon-type. In fact, its fully evolved form, Flygon offers incredible speed stats and highly-damaging moves. Whether you’re struggling to find Trapinch or just want to add its evolved form to your party, you’ll want to check out our guide below. 

Where to find Trapinch in Pokemon Sword & Shield

Trapinch Sword and Shield location
Trapinch is one of the more elusive creatures in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

Trapinch can be found roaming around Route 6 in both Pokemon Sword and Shield, while Hammerlocke Hills gives Shield players another option. Route 6 offers those with Sword an incredibly low 1% encounter rate during all weather conditions, so it can take a long time to find. 

Fortunately, those with Shield have an added 5% encounter rate when searching for Trapinch in Route 6. Additionally, Hammerlocke Hills has a 2% chance of Trapinch spawning, but you’ll only be able to find it during sandstorms. 

For those with Pokemon Shield, we recommend heading over to Route 6 and running back and forth between the various grass patches. Due to its small build and orange coloring, Trapinch can easily blend into the golden grass, so you’ll need to keep a close eye for any subtle movements. 

If you’re not having any luck and want to refresh the overworld spawns, then simply adjust your Switch’s date and time settings. To do this, hit the HOME button and navigate over to the Switch system menu. From here, you’ll be able to access the date and time settings. Once you’ve selected this option, simply advance the date by one day and then head back over to the game. The weather should change and new Pokemon will begin to appear.

Max Raid Battles

  • Axew’s Eye
  • Dusty Bowl
  • Rolling Fields
  • Challenge Beach
  • Courageous Cavern
  • Stepping-Stone Sea

Catching Trapinch

Battling Trapinch
While Trapinch may be on the rarer side, it does have a high capture rate.

Trapinch’s low spawn rates can make finding this Pokemon rather time-consuming, so you’ll want to take extra care when battling this particular ‘mon. Just like with our other Pokemon location guides, we recommend using a party member that has False Swipe. 

This particular move will always leave your opponent with one HP, making it the perfect attack for those wanting to avoid knocking out any wild Pokemon. After all, there’s nothing worse than finally encountering the ‘mon you’re looking for only to then KO it by accident. 

Of course, if you don’t happen to have a Pokemon with False Swipe, then simply use a weaker ‘mon to chip away at Trapinch’s health. If you’re going to do this, be sure to avoid any water, grass, and ice-type attacks. All three of these moves are 2x effective against Trapinch and will invariably result in an instant knockout. 

While Trapinch may have an incredibly low spawn rate in both Sword and Shield, it does have a high capture rate of 255. This makes your chances of success very high, particularly when you’re using improved variants of the standard Poke Ball.  


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