How to Obtain Rare Gigantamax Pokemon | Pokemon Sword and Shield

This page explains about special events and limited-time availability boosts for encountering some of the new Gigantamax Pokemon in the games Pokemon Sword and Shield.

What are Gigantamax Pokemon?

Gigantamax Pokemon are an extreme form of Dynamax Pokemon, much larger and more powerful than their original form. These Pokemon can be encountered very rarely in Max Raid battles. However, there are some Gigamantax Pokemon which will only be available through special methods.

Only a few species of Pokemon are able to use the power of Gigantamaxing, and even within a species, most members will not be able to Gigantamax, and will retain their original form while Dynamaxing. While unconfirmed, it seems that an important method for guaranteeing that a Pokemon will be able to Gigantamax is to catch it in its Gigantamax Form during a Max Raid battle.

All About Gigantamax Pokemon

How to Find Gigantamax Pokemon

Limited-Time Availability Boosts

It has been confirmed that during the period from November 15, 2019, until early January, 2020, three Gigantamax Pokemon will be much more likely to appear in Max Raid Battles than usual.

Gigantamax Butterfree

Gigantamax Drednaw

Note: Appearance rate boosted in Pokemon Sword only.

Gigantamax Corviknight

Note: Appearance rate boosted in Pokemon Shield only.

Note that in the cases of Gigantamax Drednaw and Gigantamax Corviknight, this special boost in their Appearance Rate will only occur in one of the two games, with Gigantamax Drednaw appearing more frequently in Pokemon Sword, and Gigantamax Corviknight appearing more frequently in Pokemon Shield.

Available by Special Methods

Three other Gigantamax Pokemon have been confirmed to be available as an extra bonus for players who fulfill special requirements. Moreover, official sources imply that these three Pokemon will only be obtainable in their Gigantamax forms through these methods.

Note that while all three Pokemon have evolved forms, none of the three will be able to evolve.

Gigantamax Meowth

A special Gigantamax Meowth is available as a bonus to players who purchase the game up through January 15, 2020. Note that players are required to connect to the internet in order to obtain Gigamantax Meowth. However, a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership is not required to obtain the Meowth.

Players can obtain the Gigantamax Meowth by choosing the Mystery Gift option, then selecting Get via Internet. Be warned that even if you purchase the game within the early-purchase period, players will not be able to download the Gigantamax Meowth after January 15, 2020.

How to Obtain the Gigantamax Meowth Mystery Gift

Gigantamax Pikachu & Eevee

Fans around since the Red & Blue days will be stoked for the glorious return of Fat Pikachu.

For players who purchased the previously released Pokemon games for Nintendo Switch, Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, a Gigantamax version of each game's mascot is available. Let's Go, Pikachu! players can receive a Gigantamax Pikachu, while Let's Go, Eevee! players can receive a Gigantamax Eevee.

Note that these Pokemon must be obtained through standard gameplay, and will not be available until around 2 hours into the game (depending on your speed in progressing), at the Wild Station Area. Because the bonuses are obtained based on the play records in the player's Nintendo Switch, connecting to the internet should not be required to receive the gifts.

Other Gigantamax Pokemon

As for the other Gigantamax Pokemon, it hasn't been confirmed when, but official sources imply that more Limited-Time Availability Boosts for different Gigantamax Pokemon will be announced. Check back here for the latest updates on what Pokemon to catch and when!

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