Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are your brand new Switch RPG titles

The Pokemon Company has announced a brand new pair of core Pokemon games:  Pokemon Sword and Shield. The games are set in a brand new location called the Galar Region, which looks to be based on London, or at least the United Kingdom.

Instead of the Trials format that Pokemon Sun and Moon introduced on Nintendo 3DS, you'll be going back to the Gym battling system of old, with your end goal being to become Champion. 

Three more of the Generation 8 Pokemon were also shown off, the three starter Pokemon. You've got the Grass Type chimp Pokemon known as Grookey, the Fir Type rabbit Scorbunny and the Water Type lizard Sobble.  They'll no doubt join Meltan, the very first Gen 8 Pokemon, which was introduced through Pokemon Go. 

It'll be coming to Switch in late 2019, we'll no doubt learn more at E3 2019, but for now it's awesome to see the various new locations - and WEATHER TYPES - you'll be able to explore, from caves to little villages. It all looks utterly adorable. 

Sam Loveridge
Global Editor-in-Chief, 12DOVE

Sam Loveridge is the Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar, and joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.