Pokemon Direct Recap: All The Biggest Announcements

Nintendo's first video presentation of the new year was a Pokemon-focused Direct. The broadcast packed a lot of new information into the 20 minute stream, with details on more monsters coming to Pokemon Sword and Shield, a release date for the cloud-based storage Pokemon Home, and a surprise remake of a classic roguelike.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass

The big news of the day was the announcement of an expansion pass for Pokemon Sword and Shield, which will add two huge new regions, tons of new Pokemon, and lots of customization options. The Isle of Armor expansion is coming in June, and The Crown Tundra will follow this fall. Though the studio showed lots of old returning Pokemon and concept art for tons of new Pokemon and Gigantamax forms, it teased only three new monsters by name.

But, you won't have to wait until June to start sampling the new content. A free update for Sword and Shield, available today, lets you get a small taste of the expansions. You can visit a train station to encounter your version's new rival--the Poison-type Klara for Sword players, or the Psychic-type Avery for Shield players. You can also find a Galarian Slowpoke and try to catch it. Items in the two expansions will let it evolve into a Slowbro and Slowking, respectively.

The Crown Tundra expansion will also allow you to explore Pokemon dens with a new co-op element, and you can catch both new and classic Legendary Pokemon this way.

The expansion pass costs $30 and will be available for purchase today. Purchasing the pass will also get you a bonus Pikachu and Eevee uniform, via a download code that can be redeemed in your Mystery Gifts.

Pokemon Find a Home

The cloud storage service Pokemon Home has been a long time coming, and Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have finally put a date on it. The feature will be coming in February 2020, and will let you store monsters from Pokemon Go, Pokemon Let's Go, and Pokemon Sword and Shield. You'll also be able to transfer your monsters from Pokemon Bank on 3DS to Home, and then they'll be available in Sword and Shield if they appear in the Galar Pokedex.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Returns

The presentation also announced Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX. The remake of the 2006 games Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team has enhanced visuals and combines the two releases into one. The game is coming on March 6, but a demo is now available that can transfer save data to the full game.