Pokemon Sword and Shield are finally out on Nintendo Switch, and The Pokemon Company is giving away a couple of freebies for early adopters, including a special Pokemon. Everyone who picks up a copy of either game by January 15 can claim a special Meowth that's capable of Gigantamaxing. Here's how to get yours.
How To Claim Your Free Gigantamax Meowth
Unlike many freebies offered for previous Pokemon games, you won't need to head to a specific store to get your Gigantamax Meowth; rather, you can claim it using the Mystery Gift function from the game's menu. Select Mystery Gift, then choose the option to get your gift via the internet. Follow the prompts to connect online and your special Meowth will be downloaded in the game. You can then find it waiting in one of your boxes at the Pokemon Center.
Other Free Pokemon
Meowth isn't the only free Pokemon you can claim in Sword and Shield; you can also get a Pikachu and Eevee that are capable of Gigantamaxing, but only if you have save data from Let's Go Pikachu or Eevee on your Switch. If you fall in that camp, you can pick up the Pokemon from Wild Area Station fairly early on in your adventure. Neither Pikachu nor Eevee can evolve, but they're the only variants in their species capable of Gigantamaxing, so you'll want to add them to your collection if you can.
Pokemon Sword And Shield News & Guides
- Pokemon Sword & Shield: All Max Raid Events Happening Right Now
- Pokemon Sword And Shield: Every Free Gift Available Right Now
- Pokemon Sword & Shield Eevee Guide: How To Get Every Evolution
- Pokemon Sword & Shield: How Do Fossils Work?
- Pokemon Sword Vs. Pokemon Shield: Exclusive Pokemon, Legendaries, And Raids
The Pokemon Company is giving away a few other freebies for a limited time. This month, you can claim a handful of rare Poke Balls via Mystery Gift, as well as some free Battle Points. You can see all the free gifts available right now for Pokemon Sword and Shield in our roundup.
We gave the Gen 8 Pokemon games a 9/10 in our Sword and Shield review. Critic Kallie Plagge wrote, "Sword and Shield cut down on the tedious and protracted elements from previous games in favor of amplifying what makes Pokemon great in the first place. This is the most balanced a Pokemon game has felt in a long time, and with that, Sword and Shield mark the best new generation of Pokemon games in years." If you're just getting started on your Pokemon journey, be sure to check out our Sword and Shield guides below.
Pokemon Sword & Shield Guides
- Pokemon Sword & Shield: Essential Tips To Help Get You Started
- Pokemon Sword & Shield: Where To Catch Cool And Rare Pokemon
- Pokemon Sword & Shield: How To Evolve Applin
- Pokemon Sword & Shield: How To Evolve Sinistea Into Polteageist
- Pokemon Sword & Shield: How To Evolve Galarian Linoone Into Obstagoon
- Pokemon Sword & Shield: How To Evolve Milcery into Alcremie
- Pokemon Won't Drop Its Guard - What Does That Mean?
- Pokemon Sword & Shield: What Are Watts?
