How to watch today’s Pokémon Presents stream: Everything we saw in the upcoming games

Expect to hear more details about ‘Scarlet’ and ‘Violet’ among other updates

Wednesday 03 August 2022 12:08 EDT

Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Quaxly are the confirmed starters (iStock/The Independent)

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Good news for Pokémon fans – a new “Pokémon presents” event took place on 3 August 2022 and showed off new details around its range of apps and games, including the upcoming Pokémon Scarlet and Violet titles arriving on Nintendo Switch later this year.

Trainers also heard more details about other existing titles, such as the (still) hugely popular Pokémon GO, as well as the MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena), Pokémon Unite.

We’ve already seen new details around the three starter Pokémon – Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Quaxly, the grass, fire and water type, respectively – as well as other new creatures, including Lechonk, Pawmi and Smoliv and confirmed legendaries, Koraidon and Miraidon, which appear on each new title’s box art.

Now, we’ve seen new regional variants of existing monsters as well as some new ones, as well as a new region-specific ability called “Tera form”.

To find out how to watch the event, what new details we saw and how to unlock an early purchase bonus, then keep reading the rest of the article below.

How to watch Pokémon presents event in the UK

In a Twitter post from the official Pokémon account, a new presentation has been confirmed, with Scarlet and Violet details expected to be shown.

The event took place at 2pm BST, but the video can now be watched in full using the link above.

The video has now premiered and as confirmed, has shown off some new features for Scarlet and Violet. Here’s everything we saw...

What we saw in the Pokémon presents announcement

Players will start their adventure in the Paldea region, which looks to be based on the Iberian peninsula, a land of vast open spaces dotted with lakes, towering peaks, wastelands, and mountain ranges. Players will find lots of people and Pokémon living together in a variety of locations, ranging from a farming village with bountiful harvests to a port town with a bustling marketplace. There are also Pokémon living in treetops, rivers, and other locations in the wilderness.

In the center of Paldea sits the largest city in the region: Mesagoza. It’s here that players will find either Naranja Academy or Uva Academy, depending on which copy of the game they are playing. Similar to previous titles, the name of the school, its emblem, and its uniforms and other details will differ depending on whether Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet is played.

The Pokédex will be loaded on the Rotom Phone as an app. Players will be able to see a map of the entire Paldea region here, which will show their current location. You will also be able to see all kinds of information, like nearby towns, Pokémon Centers and of course, wild Pokémon.

Terastal Pokémon explained

Like “mega-evolutions” and “gigantamax” before it, Scarlet and Violet introduce a new ability for Pokémon found only in the Paldea region, that makes Pokémon shine and glimmer like gems.

When a Pokémon “Terastallizes”, a Tera Jewel appears above the Pokémon’s head like a crown, and their body glistens like a cut gemstone. All Pokémon in Paldea can Terastallize to gain special power, which allows players to enhance their battle strategies by increasing the power of any moves that have the same type as their Pokémon’s “Tera” Type. In total there are 18 types, meaning there are countless combinations to be made.

Players can Terastallize a Pokémon once per battle and the transformation will last until the battle ends. However, you will need a Tera Orb to Terastallize a Pokémon, which will need to be recharged after each use. Players can charge their Tera Orb by touching crystals overflowing with Terastal energy or by going to a Pokémon Center.

Raids also make a return from Sword and Shield, with “Tera Raid Battles” occurring in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet when three other players team up to take on a Terastallized wild Pokémon. Trainers can find other players to participate in a raid battle through the handily named Tera Raid Battle option, then choose to recruit allies or join someone else’s raid. To have a battle together with friends, players will need to set a Link Code.

This battle system has a time limit and allows players to continue attacking seamlessly without having to wait for other Trainers to choose their actions.

Poké Portal and the Union Circle explained

In Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, players can trade and battle with Trainers all over the world by using a feature called the “Poké Portal”. Here, a “Link Trade” lets players trade with a specific person. With a “Surprise Trade”, after choosing a Pokémon to trade, players will be able to trade with a random Trainer somewhere in the world.

Also on the portal, in the “Link Battle” option, players will be able to have Pokémon battles with other Pokémon Trainers. Additionally, with the new Union Circle feature added to the Poké Portal, a player and up to three friends can adventure together in the same space.

New Pokémon revealed

As well as new abilities, new and returning Pokémon were also confirmed for Scarlet and Violet, with different creatures appearing in different versions of the game. For example, Larvitar and Stonjourner appear in Pokémon Scarlet, while Bagon and Eiscue will appear in Pokémon Violet.

The first to be announced during the event was Fidough, a puppy Pokémon whose moist, smooth skin has elastic qualities and is both firm and soft at the same time.

A regional variant of Gen 2 Wooper also appears as a ground/poision type. After losing in a struggle for territory, it seems they began living in bogs on land. To keep from drying out while living on land, they began to cover their bodies with a poisonous film.

Finally Cetitan is a whale-type and need to have tough muscles to be able to support their immense bodies, and physical attacks using their bodies have incredible power. They also migrate around the snowy regions, protected by a thick layer of fat.

Koraidon and Miraidon are the two legendary Pokémon that appear on the game’s cover, and will join players on their journey at the beginning of the game. These Pokémon can change their forms to better suit what they’re doing or what terrain they’re traveling over, such as driving over plains, crossing waterways, or even flying.

‘Pokémon Scarlet’ and ‘Pokémon Violet’ purchase bonuses announced

By purchasing Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet early, players will receive a special in-game Pikachu as a gift. As indicated by its balloons, it knows the move “Fly”, which it normally cannot learn and its Tera type is flying, which would mean that it’s flying-type attacks are stronger.

Players can receive it by choosing “Get via Internet” from the Mystery Gift feature in their game. But they won’t have long to do it, as the deal will expire on Tuesday 28 February 2023.

To find out how to get your early copy of Scarlet and/or Violet, then read our pre-order guide for more information.