With the release of Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield for the Nintendo Switch, we wondered what aspects of modern design Gamefreak would implement. With the release we saw a large, open area and higher quality graphics, but now Gamefreak have taken that one step further, revealing that both games will be receiving an expansion pass containing two brand-new adventures: Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra.

Isle of Armor will release by the end of June 2020 and will bring a brand new seemingly-open world landmass to explore, as well new characters, a new story and a whole bunch of returning and new Pokémon to catch. We got a peak at a brand new legendary Pokémon, as well as it’s evolution, along with a new Galatian regional variant for Slowpoke.

The Crown Tundra will release some time in Spring 2020 and will introduce a new co-op experience, which will have you hunting for legendary Pokémon with a friend. We also saw glimpses of brand new Galatian regional variant legendary Pokémon, which is a first for the series, but we won’t spoil any of those here.

Across both expansions the Pokédex will be expanded, with a range of returning Pokémon being introduced into the Galatian Pokédex. While you seemingly won’t be able to catch these Pokémon in-game without the expansions, you will be able to transfer any introduced Pokémon into the games via Pokémon Home and Pokémon Lets Go without purchasing the expansion pass.

The expansion pass will cost $45, and will need to be purchased separately for Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield if you want to experience the content across both games. in the meantime, check out the Nintendo Direct announcing both packs below.

https://youtu.be/o5afasEAiN0