What was the first release date of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were first released on November 18, 2022.

The paired role-playing games launched worldwide for Nintendo Switch and began the franchise’s ninth generation. They introduced the Paldea region, which draws heavily on the Iberian Peninsula, along with new Pokémon, regional forms, and Paradox Pokémon.

Scarlet and Violet expanded the series’ open-world approach. Players could pursue three major story routes and generally choose the order of objectives, a shift from the more linear structure of many earlier main-series games. Koraidon and Miraidon served as the player’s ride Pokémon, depending on the version.

The release date is sometimes confused with Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which launched earlier in 2022, or with the later downloadable content releases. The Teal Mask arrived in September 2023, followed by The Indigo Disk in December 2023, but both are expansions rather than the original games.