RUMOR: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet leak indicates 400 Pokémon will be in game at launch

There’s still a lot we don’t know about the upcoming Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, but a recent leak from @Riddler_Khu may have shed some light on the number of Pokémon that will be included in the game. Like Sword and Shield, these new versions won’t include the entire roster of Pokémon in their Pokédex, but fans are still eager to learn just how many they’ll be able to catch.

Leaker Riddler_Khu shared the following cryptic tweet on the subject:

If you’re confused by that tweet, don’t worry, as others online have done their best to decipher it already. It seems that the most likely interpretation is that Scarlet and Violet will feature 297 returning Pokémon, plus 103 new ones, for a total of 400 in its Pokédex. This would account for a bit less than half of the 905 Pokémon that currently exist.

The “40+” figure could be referring to Pokémon that were discovered in the game’s code, but don’t seem readily available. These could be Pokémon reserved for future events, giveaways, or DLC content. They may also be Pokémon that can be transferred from the Pokémon Home app.

Again, all of this is strictly rumor. Neither Nintendo nor Game Freak have directly commented on the number of Pokémon that will be included in Scarlet and Violet. We’ll have to wait and see if this leak pans out, though its source does seem to have a history of revealing reliable information in the past. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will be released on Switch in just over a month, on November 18, 2022.