Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were announced during the latest Pokémon Presents stream, confirming that the new Generation 9 games will be released later this year, as well as a number of Pokémon that will appear in the two titles. As the second mainline Pokémon games to be released in 2022, Gen 9's Pokémon Scarlet and Violet promise to expand on the revolutionary gameplay featured in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, bringing its free-roaming Pokémon into the modern era of the Pokémon universe. Scarlet and Violet have a release window of late 2022, which indicates that they’ll likely be released during the holiday season at the end of the year.

According to the official Pokémon Scarlet and Violet website, the new Gen 9 games will be fully open-world, allowing trainers to freely travel between towns and wild areas. Pokémon will appear in every part of the world as well, including towns and city streets, which promises to provide a more immersive experience than games of the past. While Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ semi-open world was a major evolutionary step for the franchise, Scarlet and Violet seem to take its gameplay even further, allowing trainers to explore with more freedom than ever before in the franchise.

Related: Legends: Arceus' Linking Cord Is A Good Sign For New Pokémon Games

In addition to the gameplay footage showcased in the trailer posted on the Official Pokémon YouTube channel, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Starter Pokémon were revealed, giving trainers their first glimpse of their potential partners for Gen 9. Trainers will have the choice between the Grass-Type Sprigatito, the Fire-Type Fuecoco, and the Water-Type Quaxly as they begin their journey into Gen 9’s new open-world region. Currently, the three Starters are the only new Pokémon appearing in Scarlet and Violet that have been revealed, but several other familiar species made an appearance in the trailer as well.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet revealed Lucario and other familiar Pokemon.
  • Starly
  • Hoppip
  • Petilil
  • Bounsweet
  • Psyduck
  • Combee
  • Drifloon
  • Meowth
  • Stonjourner
  • Clauncher
  • Pelipper
  • Swablu
  • Pikachu
  • Blissey
  • Seviper
  • Larvitar
  • Magnemite
  • Lucario
  • Dratini (depicted as a statue)

For now, it’s unclear whether or not the evolutionary forms of each of these Pokémon will be featured in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet as well, or if some of them will receive new evolutionary forms for the new Gen 9 region. So far, this line-up of Pokémon spans every Generation of Pokémon games, and it’s possible that Scarlet and Violet’s Regional and National Pokédexs may include Pokémon from every region in the series so far. As the games’ release date approaches, it’s likely that the Pokémon Company will reveal new Pokémon designs and evolutionary forms for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet over the course of the year, giving players the first glimpse of brand new Pokémon since the release of Pokémon Sword & Shield back in 2019.

Next: All Pokémon Legends: Arceus Endings Explained

Source: The Official Pokémon YouTube channel