Pokémon fans might not have access to all 800-plus members of the Pokédex in Sword and Shield, but Catching ‘Em All (figuratively speaking) in Galar still isn’t an easy feat, by any stretch of the imagination.
As usual, Trainers will not only need to catch, train and evolve their ‘Mons to complete their collection, but trade with other players around the world. Both versions of the Switch games contain a number of Pokémon exclusive to their shores and a small number can only be obtained either as gifts from NPCs or in Max Raid Battles. With a little perseverance, then, your surplus storage boxes will start hitting capacity in no time at all.
No matter how hard you search, though, there’s one ‘Mon in particular that can’t be found via conventional means. For completionists who never truly consider their work done until a perfect 100% has been achieved, your only option is to spend some cash. And no, we’re not talking about Poké Dollars.
Mew, the original mythical Pokémon from Red & Blue, can be obtained in Sword and Shield, but to do so, you’ll need to purchase the Poké Ball Plus. Originally released alongside last year’s Let’s Go spinoffs, the peripheral, when bought brand new, comes bundled with a digitized Mew ready and waiting to be given a new home and, as luck would have it, Sword and Shield are compatible.
As for how the transfer process works, we’ve put together a guide below:
- Turn on Pokémon Sword or Shield.
- Load your save file and open the main menu.
- Select the ‘Mystery Gift’ option.
- Connect the Poké Ball Plus by choosing the ‘Take a stroll with Poké Ball Plus’ option.
It’s as simple as that, then, but there’s a caveat some fans will need to be aware of. As only one Mew can be received per Poké Ball Plus, any Let’s Go owners who already transferred the critter to those games are out of luck. You can, of course, go out and buy another Plus, but our advice would be to simply wait until the release of Pokémon Home early next year. Not ideal, but it saves you some cash in the long run.