Trade Pokemon in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Trading Pokemon in Pokemon Sword & Shield is one of the core mechanics in the game, as is the case with the majority of other Pokemon games. Pokemon SwSh offers a number of different ways to trade Pokemon with other people. But, of course, you can’t start trading immediately, you do kinda have to earn it. And even then, the logistics of how to trade in Pokemon Sword and Shield might confuse some people. All that said, our Trade Pokemon in Pokemon Sword and Shield guide is going to show you how to trade Pokemon in Pokemon SwSh, when you can start trading, and even how to fix the bug where Surprise Trade can’t find a match.

When Can You Trade Pokemon in Pokemon Sword & Shield?

You can start trading Pokemon in Pokemon Sword & Shield about an hour or so into the game. Just before you first enter into the Wild Area, you’ll get the little Y-comm icon in the bottom left of your screen. This should happen around the time after you do battle against Hop in Magnolia’s house. From the moment that the Y-comm icon appears, you can start trading Pokemon. You don’t even have to go into the Wild Area to begin, just dive right into it. Now, how does one trade Pokemon in Pokemon Sword & Shield? Well, let’s dig deep into the subject, shall we?

How to Trade Pokemon in Pokemon Sword & Shield?

To trade Pokemon in Pokemon Sword & Shield, there are several avenues to explore. So, let’s get down to business; we’re gonna get into the nitty-gritty of all the options at your disposal.

1. Link Trade
   You use the Link Trade if you wanna trade with any one player from anywhere around the world. If you want to trade with a specific person, aka a friend, both of you are going to have to use a Link Code. That way, you can trade with each other. You can also turn on the Link Trade and wait for the automatic “matchmaking” to find you somebody to trade with. You know, if you’d prefer to spin the roulette wheel and see what happens.
2. Surprise Trade
   Surprise Trade is the Wonder Trade equivalent in Pokemon Sword and Shield. In other words, it’s about as random as it gets, and has a set-it-and-forget-it element, too. Basically, with Surprise Trade, you put a Pokemon up for trade and just go about your business. When the game finds you somebody random to trade with, you’ll get a little notification on your Y-comm. Press Y to bring up the trading screen.
3. Pokemon Home
   Pokemon Home will not be available until 2020. It’s going to be a cloud service used to trade and store Pokemon. When it comes out, it’s going to work with the Pokemon Bank, Pokemon Go, both Pokemon Let’s Go games and, of course, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield. The app will be available on the Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android devices. We don’t really know the ins and outs of it just yet.

Pokemon Sword & Shield Surprise Trade Not Finding Match Bug Fix – How to Solve?

To solve the Surprise Trade not finding match “bug” in Pokemon Sword & Shield, first, go into the Y-comm menu. Then, highlight Surprise Trade. In the bottom right corner, you’ll find the prompt to press the + button to connect to the internet. So, that’s exactly what you have to do. See, the game sets the Surprise Trade to work only in your vicinity by default. Yes, even if the console itself is attached to Wi-Fi or wherever. By connecting the Surprise Trade to the internet, the problem should go away. If not, well, then it might be some kind of connection problem after all. In that case, I’m afraid you’re gonna have to do some troubleshooting on your own.