Pokemon Sword and Shield – How to Trade With Friends

Trading Pokemon is one of the key things that has made Pokemon games special over the years.  With two games and unique Pokemon in each one, being a good trader is about as important as being a good trainer.  That said, you’re going to want to be able to trade with friends often to round out your Pokemon collection.  This guide will explain how and when you’ll be able to trade with friends in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

First things first, you’ll have to wait a bit to trade with friends in Pokemon Sword and Shield.  After you’ve met the professor on Route 2 and after you’ve battled with Hop you’ll get the ability to trade with friends.

To open the trade menu you’re simply going to press the Y Button.  Then you’re going to chose the Link Trade option and then set your Link Code.  Your Link Code is a code that you and your friend can share that allows your games to connect with each other to make the trade happen.

So first you will want to select “Set Link Code” this will be a four-digit code that you each enter into your system through the Y-Comm menu.  Once you’ve got that, hit “Start Trading”.

There are a few ways that trades can play out in Pokemon Sword and Shield.  You can trade with one another in person by linking your consoles locally.  You’ll need to be physically close for this to happen.  Or, you can connect to the internet to to do a trade.