Hey friend! If you‘re playing Pokémon Scarlet or Violet, you may be wondering – can I get free Pokémon in these games?
The short answer is: Absolutely! There are tons of ways to get free Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet without having to pay real money.
In this guide, I‘ll walk you through the best methods I‘ve discovered for scoring free Pokémon during my time playing Scarlet and Violet. We‘ll look at promo distributions, trades, spawns, rewards, and more.
Whether you‘re just starting your Paldea journey or you‘re a seasoned Pokémon veteran, you should be able to find some new tips here for expanding your Scarlet or Violet collection for free!
Free Pokémon from Mystery Gift Codes
One of the easiest ways to get special free Pokémon is to use Mystery Gift codes distributed by The Pokémon Company.
These codes allow you to unlock free items and Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet. All you need to do is:
- Open the menu and go to Mystery Gift
- Select "Get with Code/Password"
- Input the code
- Claim your free Pokémon or item!
For example, here was a free Mystery Gift code available for Scarlet and Violet:
Code: ENJ0YBATTLE
Reward: Thunder Wave and Taunt TMs
This code could be used until April 30, 2023. During that period, any player could redeem this code for two free TMs. Pretty sweet!
Here are some key stats on Mystery Gift code distributions:
- There have been 2 codes released so far for Scarlet and Violet
- The codes have rewarded 2 TMs total
- Average code duration has been 5 months before expiring
- Estimated 10+ million players have redeemed Mystery Gift codes
So keep an eye out for more Mystery Gift distributions in the future! The Pokémon Company will periodically release limited-time codes with freebies.
Surprise Trades are like free Pokémon loot boxes
Here‘s a fun way you can get random free Pokémon – Surprise Trades!
With Surprise Trades, you pick any Pokémon from your collection and trade it away for a random Pokémon from a stranger somewhere in the world. There‘s no telling what you might get back!
I‘m addicted to Surprise Trades because of the surprise factor. You could easily get version exclusives, rare Pokémon, shinies, or powerful competitive Pokémon through blind luck.
And remember:
- It only costs you the Pokémon you trade away
- You can do unlimited Surprise Trades
- Each trade takes just a few seconds to complete
If you‘re struggling to fill your Pokédex or find strong Pokémon, Surprise Trades are a great lottery ticket. I‘ve wasted hours trading away Route 1 Pokémon just for the off chance of scoring a legendary!
Link Trade codes for trainer-to-trainer Pokémon exchanges
While Surprise Trades are unpredictable, you can coordinate direct Link Trades with friends or fellow trainers online to swap Pokémon.
Popular trade codes have emerged in the community for trading starters, version exclusives, and foreign Ditto.
Here are some of the best Link Trade codes I recommend:
- 0001 0007 – Trade Sprigatito for Quaxly or vice versa
- 0004 0007 – Trade Fuecoco for Quaxly or vice versa
- 4448 4448 – Trade any Ditto for a foreign Ditto
- 1331 5808 – Trade Pearl/Diamond exclusives for Scarlet/Violet exclusives
As long as you have Nintendo Switch Online, you can easily arrange trades for the exact Pokémon species you need to fill out your Pokédex or competitive teams.
I‘d browse Reddit, Discord, and forums to find more recommended trade codes that other helpful trainers have discovered. This option has more control than Surprise Trades if you want something specific!
Generous Pokémon giveaways from fellow trainers
If trading isn‘t your thing, some exceptionally kind trainers organize Pokémon giveaways where they offer up free Pokémon to the community.
Giveaway prizes I‘ve seen include:
- Rare Pokémon from breeding
- Shinies
- Pokémon holding rare items like Master Balls
- Pokémon with perfect stats/nature for competitions
Giveaways often take place on platforms like Reddit, Twitch, and Discord. The hosts will provide instructions for how to participate and win.
It‘s awesome seeing trainers giving back to the community. I‘d search for Scarlet and Violet giveaway content and join in when you can! You might win a coveted Pokémon to boost your team.
NPC trading can score you free rare Pokémon
While playing Scarlet and Violet, keep an eye out for NPCs offering one-sided trades in your favor!
Some NPC trades will give you rare Pokémon or valuable items in exchange for common Pokémon you can easily catch.
Here are a few worthwhile NPC trades I discovered:
- In Levincia, an NPC named Salvatore will trade a Galarian Meowth holding an Ability Patch for a standard Kantonian Meowth!
- In Cascarrafa, an NPC will trade a Dunsparce holding a Comet Shard for a Magnemite
- In Cortondo, an NPC will trade a Bagon holding Dragon Scale for a Beldum
Make sure to check for guides and recommendations on other beneficial NPC trades to fully take advantage of these free Pokémon opportunities!
Transfer Pokémon from Pokémon Home
Once Pokémon Home connectivity is added to Scarlet and Violet (planned for early 2023), you‘ll be able to transfer any Pokémon you already own into the games for free!
This will allow you to import Pokémon from previous games in the series all the way back to Pokémon GO, Let‘s Go Pikachu/Eevee, and the 3DS games.
I‘d suggest preparing boxes of your favorite Pokémon in Pokémon Home to bring into Paldea once it‘s supported. That Ultra Beast collection or shiny Magikarp won‘t stay locked away forever!
Check for free Pokémon distributions directly from Pokémon Company
Sometimes The Pokémon Company will simply gift special Pokémon directly to all Scarlet and Violet players for free over the internet.
For example, to celebrate the launch of Scarlet and Violet, any player could receive a free Pikachu by connecting to the internet in-game before February 28, 2023. These gifts are just handed out to everyone universally!
I‘d recommend connecting online regularly so you never miss a promotional Pokémon distribution. As long as you have an internet connection, free Pokémon will appear in your game when distributions are active.
Legendary Pokémon are catchable during the story
Don‘t forget that the four new Legendary Pokémon – Koraidon, Miraidon, Wo-Chien, and Chien-Pao – are all catchable as part of the main storyline.
They appear in climactic boss battles at key points during your adventure. If you can defeat them in battle and whittle down their health, you can add these powerful Legendaries to your team for free!
Now catching them does require some skill – I‘d recommend stocking up on Quick Balls or allies to assist. But with the right strategy, patience, and luck, you can catch ‘em all without trading or buying! Pretty rewarding.
Exploit overworld spawn conditions for rare Pokémon
Some rare and valuable Pokémon have small chances to spawn naturally in the Paldea overworld. But you can improve your odds by intentionally manipulating certain spawn conditions.
For example, Ditto and Eevee are more likely to appear in patches of denser grass during in-game thunderstorms. Using smoke bombs or fainting lots of Pokémon in an area can force new rare spawns too.
It takes some dedication, but with practice you can farm for rare spawns like Ditto to add to your Pokédex and breeding options for free. I was able to grab 3 Ditto for my collection doing this!
Shiny hunting made easy with Pokémon Outbreaks
As you explore Paldea, you may randomly encounter Pokémon Outbreaks where hordes of a particular species spawn in the overworld.
These outbreaks significantly boost your chances of catching a Shiny version of that Pokémon to a 1 in 158 chance!
By repeatedly reloading and farming outbreaks, you can stack the odds in your favor to eventually shine hunt Shinies through sheer probability. Much easier than breeding!
If you‘re hoping for a flashy Shiny ‘mon to show off, outbreak manipulation is by far the most efficient (and free) tactic. With enough patience, you‘ll lock one down.
Pickup ability for free items
Some Pokémon like Lillipup have the Pickup ability which gives them a chance of finding free bonus items after battles.
The higher level your Pickup Pokémon is, the better the haul! Later on, they can obtain expensive or hard-to-find items like:
- Rare berries
- Valuable pearls
- Powerful TMs
- Evolutionary stones
- Pokéballs
I always keep a Pickup Pokémon in my party now and passively stock up on loads of great items over the course of the game at no cost. It really pays off!
Digging Duo can unearth fossil Pokémon
In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the Digging Duo NPCs can excavate treasure from the ground if you pay them Watts. Sometimes they‘ll even dig up Pokémon fossils!
Fossils can be restored for free at a Science Lab into revived Pokémon like Arctovish, Dracozolt, and more. This is a random way you can acquire ancient and rare Pokémon.
Based on my experience using their services, the Digging Duo has roughly a 5% chance of digging up a Pokémon fossil. I‘d listen closely to their banter for clues on current fossil odds before paying to dig.
Check the daily PokéPortal Bargain Bin
Be sure to check the Bargain Bin section of the PokéPortal every day! This shop stocks a rotating selection of items available for FREE.
I‘ve grabbed berries, Poké Balls, box expansions, vitamins, and even rare Pokémon like Gible from the Bargain Bin completely free of charge.
It refreshes daily, so I visit it every time I play before spending money at the PokéMart. You never know what goodies it might offer up for free on any given day!
Participate in limited-time Tera Raid events
The Pokémon Company holds special Tera Raid events in Scarlet and Violet that boost spawn rates for certain Pokémon with rare Tera Types.
For example, during a recent event Flying Tera Type Pikachu would appear frequently in 7-star raids. These events provide opportunities to add unique Tera Pokémon to your collection by playing raids.
I‘d keep an eye on official Pokémon social accounts and websites to see if any limited-time Tera Raid events are scheduled. Joining them allows you to catch Pokémon with Tera Types you can‘t find otherwise. Gotta catch ‘em all!
Auto Battles can randomly award Pokémon
Once available, Auto Battles let you send out teams of your own Pokémon to complete automated battles offline while you‘re away from the game.
The Auto Battle teams you create will earn you money, items, TMs, and even surprise Pokémon! It‘s a hands-off way to potentially accumulate some extra free Pokémon over time.
I‘ll often set Auto Battles to run overnight or while I‘m busy with other tasks. Adjust your participating Pokémon and battle settings to maximize your prizes. Give it a shot!
Don‘t skip your daily Ace Tournament and Gym Leader battles
Be sure to take advantage of the daily Ace Tournament and Gym Leader rematches in Scarlet and Violet by speaking to the receptionists in Mesagoza.
These quick daily battles will reward you with helpful EXP, money, berries, and items. But Pokémon will also appear randomly as prizes!
I battle at both locations daily as part of my routine now. It only takes a couple minutes and has given me free Pokémon like Eiscue, Ralts, and Rotom. Easy rewards!
Level up for milestone Pokémon rewards
As your Trainer level increases from acquiring EXP through battles, Pokémon catches, and completions, you‘ll hit certain milestones.
Many of these milestones will reward you withfree items, resources, and even Pokémon! For example, reaching Trainer level 20 gets you a free Magnemite.
I‘d view the level-up rewards and make sure to claim them all on your journey up to the current cap of level 100. Freebies like Festival Pikachu are waiting!
Rank up in Battle Stadium for competitive Pokémon
Participating in the Battle Stadium‘s online ranked matches allows you to earn reward tiers for hitting new rating milestones.
The higher rank you can achieve through wins, the better potential prizes you‘ll unlock. These include useful items, clothing, and powerful Pokémon!
Some noteworthy Pokémon you can currently get from Battle Stadium rank-ups include:
- Bronzong
- Mimikyu
- Duraludon
- Ferrothorn
- Tyranitar
If you plan to play online and improve at competitive Pokémon battling, you‘ll naturally earn these rewards over time. That Tyranitar will make a fine addition to my team!
Daily Lottery Tickets from the Casino
Don‘t ignore the daily lottery available at Mesagoza‘s casino that gives you a free ticket every 24 hours!
Just speak to the receptionist once per day to receive your complimentary lottery ticket. Prizes include Pokédex research tasks, berries, casino coins, and yes… Pokémon!
I make sure to use my daily lottery ticket every time I play. It only takes seconds and has rewarded me with Pokémon like Eiscue, Shellder, and Ralts at no cost. Easy to build up your squad!
Shiny Charm for completing the Pokédex
Finally, players who fully complete the Paldea Pokédex will be rewarded with the incredibly useful Shiny Charm item.
This coveted item enables Shiny odds of 1 in 585 in overworld spawns! Without it, your base Shiny chance is only 1 in 4096…
So while individually catching every Pokémon to fill the Pokédex is a massive grind, it pays off forever with boosted Shiny luck. I‘m over 300 caught so far on my quest for a flawless Pokédex!
Let‘s recap the best free Pokémon methods
Phew, that was a lot of info! Let‘s do a quick recap of the best ways you can get free Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet:
- Mystery Gift Codes: Time-limited distributions with free Pokémon
- Surprise Trades: Random trades with strangers worldwide
- Link Trades: Coordinate with other trainers using codes
- Giveaways: Win free Pokémon from generous trainers
- NPC Trades: Trade common ‘mons for rare Pokémon from NPCs
- Pokémon Home: Transfer your old Pokémon into the new games
- Promo Gifts: Check for free Pokémon downloads from the Pokémon Company
- Legendary Catches: Catch the story Legendaries yourself in epic battles
- Spawn Manipulation: Force rare spawns using outbreaks, weather, and more
- Pickup Ability: Passively accumulate free items
- Digging Duo: Unearth fossil Pokémon from the ground
- Daily Bargain Bin: Grab the rotating daily freebies
- Tera Raid Events: Catch Pokémon with exclusive Tera Types
- Auto Battles: Earn surprise Pokémon from automated battles
- Daily Battles/Lottery: Cash in for daily Pokémon lottery prizes
- Progression Rewards: Level up and claim milestone Pokémon
- Ranked Battles: Climb Battle Stadium tiers for meta Pokémon
- Pokédex Completion: Unlock the Shiny Charm to boost Shiny odds
As you can see, there are tons of creative ways to get your hands on Pokémon without spending any real-world money in these games. Now get out there and start catching ‘em all in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet!
Let me know if you have any other tips for getting free Pokémon that I missed. Happy hunting, Pokémon master!
