Pokemon reveals locations that inspired Sword & Shield’s Galar region

Brent Koepp
pokemon sword and shield logos

To celebrate Sword & Shield’s upcoming The Crown Tundra DLC, the Pokemon Company has released a Galar travel guide. The document officially reveals the real life locations that inspired the Gen VIII region.

The Pokemon franchise entered its eighth generation with the release of Sword & Shield in 2019. The Nintendo Switch title introduced players to the Galar region, which is largely based on various sections of the United Kingdom.

While we have known most of the major locations that the RPG was based on since 2019, on October 16, Game Freak released an in-depth guide that compares every area in the Gen VIII game to its real life counterpart.

pokemon sword and shield galar expedition guide art
The Pokemon Company released a detailed travel guide for Galar.

Pokemon Company releases Galar region Expedition Guide

To give players a more in-depth look at the Galar region, The Pokemon Company launched a five-part Bus Tour series on October 14. The YouTube show will stop off at the real life locations in the U.K. that inspired the Gen 8 RPG.

As a companion to the limited series, the Nintendo company has also released an Expedition Guide on the official Pokemon site. The travel document is jam-packed full of details about the game’s development.

The guide gives a deeper insight into how Game Freak took the U.K. locale and incorporated it into the title. For instance, The Crown Tundra DLC was modeled around Edinburgh, Scotland, and the Raid dens are based on the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland.

pokemon sword & shield galar book raid den page
Raid dens are based on the rocky natural wonders of Northern Ireland.

Locations confirmed by The Pokemon Company

  • The Wild Area – The Lake District County of Cumbria in Northern England
  • Postwick, Wedgehurst – The Lake District (Keswick, Grasmere, Bowness-on-Windermere)
  • Raid dens – The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland
  • Turffield – Stonehenge in Amesbury, South England
  • Motostoke – Manchester, River Irwell in Northern England
  • Glimwood Tangle – Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England
  • Circhester – City of Bath in Somerset, South England
  • Wyndon – London
  • The Crown Tundra – Edinburgh, Scotland
pokemon sword & shield galar book wooloo page
The upcoming Crown Tundra DLC is based on regions of Scotland.

Even if you already know the real life locations of Sword & Shield, the guide is definitely worth checking out as it gives more context and developer info. Those wanting to check it out can read the 28-page book here.

The Crown Tundra is set to hit stores on October 22. The DLC will greatly expand Sword & Shield’s map, and whisk players away to the snowy landscape. The add-on also brings back almost all the series’ Legendary monsters.

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About The Author

Brent is a former writer at Dexerto based in the United States, who covered topics such as Pokemon, Gaming, and online Entertainment.