It sounds like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are going truly open world

A home in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet — (Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

The Pokemon Company clearly want people to know that the two new games, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, are going to be truly open-world adventures.

Announced today as part of the Pokemon Day Direct, the titles certainly looked like they would offer an open-world structure, at least similar to that of Pokemon Legends Arceus.

"Welcome to the open world of Pokémon. Embark on an open-world adventure in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, arriving on Nintendo Switch in late 2022."

I mean, The Pokemon Company can't really make it much clearer than that, can it?

"With these new titles, the Pokémon series takes a new evolutionary step, allowing you to explore freely in a richly expressed open world."

"Various towns blend seamlessly into the wilderness with no borders. You’ll be able to see the Pokémon of this region in the skies, in the seas, in the forests, on the streets—all over! You’ll be able to experience the true joy of the Pokémon series—battling against wild Pokémon in order to catch them—now in an open-world game that players of any age can enjoy."

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Official screeshots of environments from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet — (Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

That means that this should be a seamless open-world adventure, unlike the segmented open-world zones offered in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which in itself was a huge leap forward for the series.

Dropping in late 2022 exclusively on the Nintendo Switch, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will debut the new Gen 9 Pokemon, three of which - seemingly the starters - have been revealed so far. We've got a Grass-Type cat, a Water-Type bird with adorable hat, and a Fire-Type croc of sorts with a touch of T-Rex.

Of course, there's a whole load we don't know yet about the game, including the name of the region where the titles are set. However, by the looks of the aesthetics, we could be exploring a Mediterranean or Spanish-inspired locale, with a church in the city looking remarkably like Barcelona's Sagrada Familia.

We now know the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet release date, thanks to a new trailer!

Sam Loveridge is the Brand Director and former Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar. She joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.