How Many Pokémon Can Be in Your Party in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet? Answered

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the newest Pokémon games for the Nintendo Switch. These highly anticipated games are a lot different than previous Pokémon games, however, and have changed a lot of the standard features that were prevalent in past Pokémon games. Keep reading to see if the Pokémon party limit stayed the same as in previous games or if it was changed in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet!

How Many Pokémon Can Be in Your Party in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Just like in past Pokémon games, you’re able to have up to 6 total Pokémon in your party at a time. Unlike in past Pokémon games, however (except in Soul Silver and Heart Gold!), you’re able to let a Pokémon out of their Poké Ball to follow you around in the real world as well! You can only do this with one Pokémon at a time, similar to Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver.

Related: What Are Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Starter Evolution Types?

Unlike in Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver, your companion Pokémon is able to battle enemy Pokémon without you! If you’re exploring the wilds with your Pokémon in tow and you use the Let’s Go command, don’t be surprised if they start fighting every wild Pokémon they see. Make sure your Pokémon are healed up before you go exploring, to ensure they win every fight they pick!

How to Swap Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Wild Caught Pokémon/Pokémon Boxes

If you catch a Pokémon out in the wild but don’t have enough space on your team (you can only have 6 Pokémon in your party), you can always just swap them out for a current team member. Once the Pokémon has been caught, you will be asked what you would like to do with it. You should be given these prompts to choose from:

• Add to your party
• See [Pokémon]’s summary
• Check summaries of your party Pokémon
• Send to your Boxes

To add it to your party, simply click “Add to your party“; you’ll then have to choose which Pokémon should be replaced with the newly-caught one. Once you’ve chosen which Pokémon to take out of your team, it will be sent directly to your Pokémon Boxes. If you catch a Pokémon and you have less than 6 Pokémon on your team, the wild-caught Pokémon will automatically be added to your team.

The process is similarly simple if you’re trying to swap out a Pokémon on your team with one from your Pokémon Boxes. Once you’re in your Pokémon Boxes, all you need to do is choose which Pokémon from your Boxes you’d like to put on your team, and then add it to your team. If you already have 6 Pokémon on your team, you’ll have to put one of them in your Boxes to make room.

Team Order

If you don’t want to replace any of your team members with new Pokémon but want to switch up their order a bit, you can always swap them out with each other in your party. To do this, all you need to do is go into your Pokémon party and select one of your Pokémon that you’d like to move. Once you’ve selected a Pokémon, you should’ve presented with these options to choose from:

• Check summary
• Change position
• Restore health
• Give an item to hold
• Back

To swap out that Pokémon with another in your team, click on the “Change position” option. Once you’ve clicked “Change position”, you’ll need to click on the Pokémon you want to swap it out with. Doing this should automatically switch the Pokémon’s places in your team.

If you’re excited about starting your journey in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, then you should definitely check out Gamer Journalist’s numerous helpful guides for these brand new Pokémon games!