Multiplayer has almost always been a part of the Pokémon series. In the early days, you could use a link cable to either battle or trade Pokémon with a friend, and as the series has evolved, online multiplayer has become a prevalent part of the franchise. While multiplayer features were scaled back considerably for Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the series’ ninth-generation entries Pokémon Scarlet and Violet may please fans with their multiplayer options — including a series first.
Battling and trading in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Similar to other mainline Pokémon entries, Scarlet and Violet will allow players to pit their Pokémon against one another in Pokémon battles. Additionally, you’ll still be able to trade Pokémon with others. The specifics of how you go about battling/trading with other trainers are currently unknown, but we’ll update this article as more information is released.
Multiplayer Pokémon battles have been a staple of the franchise for quite some time, but they were notably absent in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The open-world Pokémon spinoff had no multiplayer features whatsoever aside from trading.
Four-player co-op in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Game Freak and Nintendo have confirmed that the titles will feature not just competitive multiplayer, but also a four-player co-op mode — a first for the series.
Cooperative multiplayer in a Pokémon game has long been a dream for many fans of the series, and it looks like Scarlet and Violet are set to deliver on that. As seen in the games’ second trailer, you can link up with up to three other players to go explore the region as a four-person party. It’s not exactly clear how you link up with others, how battles work in this mode, or if there are limits to what you can do while playing the co-op mode, but we’ll update this article as more information becomes available.
Online cooperative multiplayer is a feature new to the mainline series. However, several previous Pokémon titles have attempted to implement cooperative features. Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee and Let’s Go Pikachu previously featured two-player co-op multiplayer, but this was only available for those playing on the same console. Pokémon Sword and Shield also had very limited co-op features, such as allowing players to group up in Max Raid Battles.
