Sword And Shield Might Only Have A Total Of 400 Pokémon

In case you hadn’t heard, early copies of Pokémon Sword and Shield have found their way out into the open.

As you might expect, some of the lucky few to have secured their ticket of entry to Galar ahead of the pair’s official release date have already started leaking a huge number of details online. The franchise’s central subreddit, in particular, has been overwhelmed with new Pokémon reveals and in-game screenshots, to the extent that full-on spoiler warnings are in place to protect unassuming new visitors.

It goes without saying, of course, that with new discoveries continuing to emerge almost hourly, some secrets still remain, though, of those to have already been uncovered, enigmatic legendary critter Eternatus is undoubtedly a headliner. Arguably even more interesting is that the evil ‘Mon’s placement on Sword and Shield‘s Pokédex appears to have inadvertently confirmed the final number available in the UK-inspired region.

Major spoilers abound from here on out, so proceed with caution.

As the in-game screenshots above reveal, Eternatus, like its all-powerful counterparts in previous generations, is the final Pokédex entry in Sword and Shield which, listed as #400, implies that less than half of Game Freak’s creations will be obtainable in either game. The potentially contentious revelation isn’t quite set in stone just yet, however.

Sword and Shield won’t have a National Dex, this much we know. What remains unclear, though, is if the Generation 8 titles will have a truncated alternative that’s only unlocked following completion of the main campaign. Doing so could unlock further entries, though at this point, that seems more like wishful thinking than a realistic expectation.

Either way, we’ll likely find out which way the wind blows as first explorers commit more time to document everything Galar has to offer. Watch this space.