Can You Disable the Exp Share in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet build off of their predecessors in various ways. Breeding returns in a new form, regional variants exist within Paldea, and — perhaps unfortunately for some players — shared experience is back in full force. This feature has appeared in multiple Pokémon titles, and in its most recent appearances, it could not be turned off whatsoever. With the release of Scarlet and Violet, players might wonder if these latest Pokémon games finally allow players to disable the Exp Share once again.

Is it Possible to Disable the Exp Share in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Unfortunately, there is no way to disable shared experience in Scarlet and Violet. This has been the case for every Pokémon game that has appeared on the Switch including the Generation IV remakes, but it’s still disappointing to see such a long-requested feature still absent from these titles. As usual, this can be mitigated by simply swapping Pokémon back into the boxes, but there’s no way to prevent your current team members from gaining additional experience during fights. This even applies during the new Let’s Go feature, allowing your entire team to gain experience without having to press more than one button.

In fairness, the lack of an Exp Share doesn’t matter as much in Scarlet and Violet, mostly thanks to the freeform progression of the games. The lack of scaling actually goes hand-in-hand with the lack of a choice to disable experience sharing. By picking and choosing your battles on your way to higher level gyms, you can end up giving yourself a pretty big challenge while still eliminating the tedium of grind. It would still be nice to see this feature restored in future games — or even a future update — but it’s still possible to challenge yourself with a full party even with the Exp Share permanently on.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are Nintendo Switch exclusives.