How to change time in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl: Morning, day, night

Meg Bethany Koepp
screenshot of pokemon brilliant diamond & shining pearl

Some Pokemon only appear at a certain point in the day in the Sinnoh region but instead of waiting, you can switch to morning, day, and night whenever you want. Here’s how to change time in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.

In the original games on Nintendo DS, some Pokemon and evolutions were locked behind the time of day, only appearing in the morning, during the day, or at night. There was a way of getting around this, though.

The Sinnoh remakes bring back the mechanic, tying specific ‘mon to certain hours and dates on the clock. But like in 2006, you can bypass it by changing the time in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.

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How to change time in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Note that if you adjust your clock, date-based spawns will not occur for 24 hours. So if you’re after a Drifloon on a Sunday, tough luck – you’ll have to wait until Friday to catch it at the Valley Windworks because you can’t change the date. Time-based spawns will still appear, though.

To switch the time in the Gen IV remakes, follow these steps:

  1. When on your Nintendo Switch console’s main menu, go to the System Settings.
  2. Scroll all the way down to the bottom and click on System.
  3. Then navigate to Date and Time and turn “Synchronize Clock via Internet” off and adjust to the time of day you want. You can swap your console back to the current time at any point by turning “Synchronize Clock via Internet” back on.
screenshot of nintendo switch clock
You need to adjust your Nintendo Switch clock to affect time in the game.

Times of day in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Knowing how to adjust the time is one thing, but you need to know when to switch to. There are three points in a day in the Sinnoh remakes: morning, day, and night.

Misdreavus, for example, only appears in the Eterna Forest at nighttime and Gligar evolves after 8 PM, so it is crucial to alter your Nintendo Switch clock to the right settings for certain Pokemon.

  • Morning (sky has pale blue tint): 4 AM – 9:59 AM
  • Day: 10 AM – 7:59 PM
  • Night (everything is dark): 8PM – 3:59 AM

Now that you know how to change the time in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, take a look at our other BDSP guides and walkthroughs:

How to get Jirachi | How to get Mew | Version exclusives | All Legendary Pokemon | How to get the Poketch | Best starter to pick | All Styles | How to beat all Gym Leaders | How to walk with your Pokemon