Pokemon Sword and Shield leaks are flooding the internet

(Image credit: Nintendo)

We're only a couple of weeks away from Pokemon Sword and Shield now, but that hasn't stopped a deluge of leaks from flooding the internet in the last 24-hours courtesy of a prematurely-released guide book.

There's no way to confirm yet whether or not these reports are real, of course, but if you'd prefer not to be spoiled, it's probably best if you click away now. The information detailed below will likely include Pokemon Sword and Shield spoilers, so please proceed at your own risk!

I'm being cautious because nothing's certain, and some of the pictures are so hilariously blurry, they could be taken from any old pokemon guide and we probably wouldn't know the difference. But as some certainly look legit, we're recommending both caution and salt in equal measure. Consequently, I won't be sharing images here (although if you're curious, the Twitter thread below opens up into all kinds of spoilery treasure), but I will mention some of the Pokemon that seem to have leaked below... Ready?

The leaks – which been collated in the very spoilery r/SwShLeaks – reportedly include images of evolutions for starter Pokemon Grookie and Sobble, as well as Galarian forms such as the Meowth, and a Perrseker, which some think might be the Galarian Meowth's evolved form. Head on over to Reddit if you're hungry for more leaks.

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Having been so overwhelmed by leaks, the Pokemon Sword and Shield Reddit (thanks, Polygon) had to take drastic measures recently and temporarily ban posters from sharing images in order to stop idle visitors getting spoiled. 

In less spoilery news, we recently shared the quaint British countryside of Pokemon Sword and Shield's starting town, Galar. Complete with water features and birdsong, our first glimpse of Galar has a decidedly British look about it, and as many fans have noted, the buildings seem to actually scale now, too. The NPCs appear a little stiff, granted, but watch closely, and you'll see them turn and smile at you as you walk by.

The Pokemon Company revealed a little while back that Galarian Ponyta is going to be exclusive to Pokemon Shield, joining a few other Pokemon Sword and Shield exclusive variants. The "Unique Horn" Pokemon was revealed in the 24-hour Pokemon Sword and Shield livestream earlier this week, which showed footage from the forest area in the Galar region known as Glimwood Tangle. 

November 15 really can't come soon enough, can it?

Here's your guide to every Pokemon we know about in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

Vikki Blake
Weekend Reporter, GamesRadar+

Vikki Blake is GamesRadar+'s Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter.