Pokemon Sword and Shield players can get their hands on some of the coolest free Mystery Gifts and if you would like to claim them, there are some tricks you need to know about. They do have deadlines, though, so act fast!
With both expansions for Sword and Shield — The Isle of Armor & The Crown Tundra — released, there’s nothing stopping us from opening some special presents in the Galar Region this year, with the chance to get ahold of a number of useful items for a limited time.
If you’re looking to catch ’em all in these Pokemon games, opening some mystery gifts will certainly help you along the way. So, let’s take a look at what you can claim and how it all works.
Mystery gifts mostly have different variants of PokeBalls in them, but recently actual Pokemon have been added to the mix.
How to get Mystery Gifts in Pokemon Sword & Shield
Mystery Gifts can be unlocked in a number of ways. Occasionally, there will be free codes linked to an event like a Pokemon anniversary or new release. Players can also unlock Mystery Gifts through Ranked Battles and in-game events.
Claiming your Mystery Gifts in Pokemon is easy, but it won’t be available until you complete the game’s first event in Slumbering Weald. This is where you encounter Sword or Shield’s legendary Pokemon for the first time.
Once you’ve done this, follow the steps below to claim your Mystery Gift:
- Load up Pokemon Sword or Shield.
- Open the game menu by pressing X and select Mystery Gift, with the pink present icon.
- Select the Get A Mystery Gift option.
- Choose which method you want to use to receive a gift. If you have a code, select the Get With Code/Password option.
- Collect your gifts and enjoy!
Pokemon will be added to your Party or your Pokemon Boxes if there’s no room. Fashion items can be found by visiting the fitting room of any in-game boutique. Non-fashion items will appear in your Bag.
You can see previously downloaded Mystery Gifts by choosing ‘Check Mystery Gifts’ in the menu.
Pokemon Sword & Shield Mystery Gifts (January)
Free Kibo’s Pikachu
To celebrate the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, The Pokemon Company teamed up with the International Space Station to give away a free ‘mon to Sword & Shield players.
Kibo’s Pikachu is available in the Nintendo Switch titles until January 15, 2021 and can be obtained via Mystery Gift’s “Get via Internet” option – no code needed! The special monster holds a Comet Shard and has a unique Ribbon, as well as the Thunderbolt, Swift, Wish, and Celebrate moves.
More free rewards in Pokemon Sword & Shield
There are plenty of wonderful gifts and rewards that players can claim for their journey across Galar:
Free Zarude
By heading to the Official Pokemon website and signing up for a newsletter before December 18th 2020, players can obtain a free level 60 Zarude via email. Once signed up, Pokemon will begin rolling out emails that will contain the code for this fantastic Pokemon.
This grass and dark-type Pokemon’s codes have already gone out to those that are in America, but European players can still take advantage of this fantastic chance to grab this popular Pokemon.
Free Gigantamax capable Melmetal
Those who have played Pokemon Go are in luck, as transferring Pokemon between Pokemon Go & Pokemon HOME will allow you to open a Mystery Box in Sword & Shield containing a special Melmetal with Gigantamax capabilities!
Free Gigantamax capable Pikachu & Eevee
Those who have played Pokemon Let’s Go: Pikachu or Pokemon Let’s Go: Eevee and have saved data on their game can grab themselves a special version of the game case stars in the Galar Region.
You will receive a Pikachu or Eevee, depending on what title you played, that can transform into its Gigantamax form. You can collect that free gift inside the Wild Area’s train station. More information on how to do that in our guide.
On that note, there we have it! Those are all of the ways we have found to receive a free mystery gift in Pokemon Sword and Shield. If we find any more, we’ll update this article with more codes and tricks.