Pokemon Sword & Shield: Don't Forget To Claim Your Free Pokemon

Pokemon Sword and Shield are finally out on Nintendo Switch, and The Pokemon Company is giving away a few freebies for early adopters. Not only can you pick up a free track suit outfit for your trainer from Walmart starting November 16, but everyone who purchases the game by January 15, 2020 can claim a special Meowth that’s capable of Gigantamaxing. Here’s how to get yours.

How To Claim Your Free Gigantamax Meowth

Unlike the track suit outfit, you won’t need to head to a specific store to get your Gigantamax Meowth; rather, you can claim it using the Mystery Gift function from the game’s menu screen. Select Mystery Gift, then choose the option to get your gift via the internet. Follow the prompts to connect online and your special Meowth will be downloaded in the game. You can then find it waiting in one of your boxes at the Pokemon Center.

Other Free Pokemon

Meowth isn’t the only free Pokemon you can claim in Sword and Shield; you can also get a Pikachu and Eevee that are capable of Gigantamaxing, but only if you have save data from Let’s Go Pikachu or Eevee on your Switch. If you fall in that camp, you can pick up the Pokemon from Wild Area Station fairly early on in your adventure. Neither Pikachu nor Eevee can evolve, but they’re the only variants in their species capable of Gigantamaxing, so you’ll want to add them to your collection if you can.

As for the aforementioned free track suit, you’ll need to head to a participating Walmart store in the US before November 25 to claim a free download code for the outfit. Before you can get the code, you’ll first need to download and install the Pokemon Pass app on your smartphone, then use that to scan a QR code on display at the store. Once you’ve received your download code, you’ll need to input it in your copy of Sword or Shield via Mystery Gift to claim the outfit.

We gave the Gen 8 Pokemon games a 9/10 in our Sword and Shield review. Critic Kallie Plagge wrote, “Sword and Shield cut down on the tedious and protracted elements from previous games in favor of amplifying what makes Pokemon great in the first place. This is the most balanced a Pokemon game has felt in a long time, and with that, Sword and Shield mark the best new generation of Pokemon games in years.” If you’re just getting started on your Pokemon journey, be sure to check out our Sword and Shield guides below.

Pokemon Sword & Shield Guides