From the very beginning of the mainline Pokemon series, the games have been divided up into two versions (occasionally with a third or fourth version added later to tie things together). While the general experience of these games is always more or less the same, the versions always have a few subtle differences, including available Pokemon, encountered characters, and other notable touches. Here are the differences and exclusives between Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
All Differences & Exclusives in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
Going by the trailers that have been released for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet so far, we can pinpoint a few obvious differences between the two versions. Those differences include, but most likely will not be limited to, the following:
- Locale Designs
- Trainer Outfits
- Pokemon Professors
- Legendary Pokemon
Locale Designs
Trailers have shown multiple iterations of what is likely the same location, differentiated by game version. It’s not currently known how prevalent or major these differences will be throughout the games, but even these small differences can be monumental compared to the smaller aesthetic differences present in older Pokemon games.
Trainer Outfits
As the protagonist trainer in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet seems to be a younger, possibly school-aged kid, their outfits seem to be primarily based on school uniforms. However, the predominant colors on these outfits seem to correspond to the version they’re playing: orange for Scarlet and deep blue for Violet. This could be related to the aforementioned different buildings.
Pokemon Professors
In a first for the mainline Pokemon series, you’ll be tasked to complete your PokeDex by a different Pokemon professor depending on the version you’re playing. In Pokemon Scarlet, you’ll answer to the wild-styled Professor Sada, while in Pokemon Violet, you’ll report to the sophisticated face of Professor Turo. Both of these Professors are studying local lore, though, given their aesthetics, they may not be looking for exactly the same thing.
Legendary Pokemon
The one definitive difference between any pair of new Pokemon games is the mascot Legendary Pokemon, each with an impressive stature that is meant to invoke a powerful primal concept. For Pokemon Scarlet, our Legendary is the bright red, billowing figure of Koraidon, while Pokemon Violet features the futuristic, lightning-rimmed figure of Miraidon. While this isn’t confirmed, based on their designs and some hints in their names, these two Pokemon likely represent the concepts of the distant past and the far future.
Related: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Starters – Names, Types, and Abilities
When the games actually come out, we should have a more comprehensive list of version differences, including more important elements like version-exclusive Pokemon. Even without those, though, this quick taste has shown us that they’re looking to make the versions a little more distinctive from one another this time around.
