You can no longer catch 'em all in Pokémon Sword and Shield Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. You can no longer catch 'em all in Pokémon Sword and Shield And you might never be able to again. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Updated on 17 Jun 2019 62 comments Sword and Shield will be the first new, mainline Pokémon games not to support every single Pokémon species. Not only will you not be able to catch 'em all in Sword and Shield, you also will not be able to transfer Pokémon outside of the games' regional Pokédex. Sword and Shield will push the series' overall Pokémon count over 1000, developer GameFreak has said, and this marks a tipping point where catching them all may simply never be possible again. "The total number of Pokémon has exceeded 1000, including new Pokemon and the various forms of existing Pokémon. As a result, it has become extremely difficult to make Pokemon with a new personality play an active part and to balance their compatibility," Game Freak produer Junichi Masuda told Famitsu. Not only would it be tough to include more than 1000 in-game models with the graphical quality demanded by a Nintendo Switch game, Masuda added, it would also be too much work to ensure every Pokémon was balanced in battle. "That is the reason for this decision," Masuda concluded, "and we have decided that it is difficult to make all Pokémon appear in future works. "This decision is personally sad. Of course, I wanted to be able to bring all Pokémon if I could do it, but it was also a decision that I had to make some day. In the end, I had no choice but to choose the quality." Famitsu asked about the possibility of adding more of Pokémon's species back catalogue into Sword and Shield post-launch - perhaps as another game launched, and more Pokémon models became available for use. Masuda said this was "undecided". But it's not all bad news for fans hoping to have all their collection in one place. While you might not be able to catch 'em all in a single game again, you can store 'em all in the upcoming Pokémon Home app, a place to transfer creatures from the previous Pokémon Bank service, Pokémon Go, and last year's Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee games. And, I'm sure, Pokémon Go will let you collect every creature eventually - although at the current rate, Sword and Shield's new menagerie likely won't appear there until at least 2023. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 5 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 11 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Sennheiser's legendary HD 599 open-back headphones are just £70 at Amazon in the Prime Early Access Sale Comfortable with neutral sound and a wide sound stage. Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. 1 Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store