How multiplayer with friends works in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

How to team up with pals for Pokémon adventures

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are out today, with new adventures in store. But players might not be looking to go it alone. There is, after all, the thrill of playing some multiplayer with friends in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Yes, you are able to play multiplayer with friends in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Alongside the classic competitive Pokémon battles, Trainers can also team up and go on adventures together.

Utilizing the Union Circle

To undertake any multiplayer, Pokémon Trainers have to head to the Union Circle. There, you can link up with friends over the Nintendo Switch’s local wireless function, or spread out further using an internet connection.

Using the Poke Portal feature, players can bring in friends to do a variety of activities together. This includes battling each other’s Pokémon, cheering them on as they compete, or just walking around with your favorite monsters outside of their spherical homes.

Players can also use the co-op feature to team up for Tera Raid Battles, where you can try to capture special Pokémon with Terastalize capabilities.

Make a trade

Battling isn’t the only way to interact with friends in the Paldea region, either. Two different features allow for trading between players.

A Link Trade will let you trade with a specific person, in the classic “one-for-one” manner. Who doesn’t fondly remember passing trade evolutions back and forth?

A Surprise Trade, meanwhile, lets you choose one Pokémon to trade and then links you up with a random Trainer somewhere else in the world. So if you want to dig into the grab bag of potential Pokémon matches, there’s your option.