Although every single Pokemon in the Sword and Shield Pokedex can Dynamax, the all-new Gigantamax forms introduced for generation eight are altogether rarer. Both types of transformation increase a Pokemon’s size and strength for just three turns, but Gigantamaxing also profoundly affects the appearance of any given Pokemon. This has proven to be enticing to players, so we’ve put together a Pokemon Sword and Shield all Gigantamax forms and locations list for your perusal.
All Pokemon with Gigantamax forms in Sword and Shield
Although several species of Pokemon in Sword and Shield have Gigantamax forms available in-game, it’s important to note that only a very select few within a species actually have the capacity to Gigantamax during battle. If you catch a standard wild Pikachu, for example, it will have a Dynamax form as standard, but will be incapable of performing a Gigantamax transformation, despite its species being compatible.
Keeping that in mind, all Pokemon that are able to Gigantamax (provided you have their correct forms) are listed alphabetically below:
All Gigantamax Pokemon
- Alcremie
- Appletun/Flapple
- Butterfree
- Centiskorch
- Charizard
- Coalossal
- Copperajah
- Corviknight
- Drednaw
- Duraludon
- Eevee
- Garbodor
- Gengar
- Grimmsnarl
- Hatterene
- Kingler
- Lapras
- Machamp
- Meowth
- Orbeetle
- Pikachu
- Sandaconda
- Snorlax
ALSO: Pokemon Sword and Shield ‘Disappeared Somewhere into the Den’ Meaning
Guaranteed Gigantamax Pokemon locations in Sword and Shield
Of the 22 possible Gigantamax Pokemon (listed above) for you to collect in either Pokemon Sword or Pokemon Shield, four of them have guaranteed methods of acquisition. These are Pikachu, Eevee, Meowth, and Charizard. How to collect each of them is outlined below.
- Gigantamax Pikachu — If you have Let’s Go Pikachu save data on your Nintendo Switch, talk to an NPC in the Wild Area train station
- Gigantamax Eevee — If you have Let’s Go Eevee save data on your Nintendo Switch, talk to an NPC in the Wild Area train station
- Gigantamax Meowth — If you’re playing Pokemon Sword or Shield prior to January 15, 2020, claim Meowth as a free gift in-game
- Gigantamax Charizard — After completing Pokemon Sword or Shield by becoming Champion, head to Hop’s house to find a Charmander upstairs in his brother Leon’s bedroom
- You’ll need to evolve the Charmander into a Charizard in order for it to Gigantamax
Of course, you’ll also need to gain the ability to trigger Gigantamax transformations from Professor Magnolia early in the game before you can utilize these forms. Additionally, they can only be triggered in certain circumstances like when battling Gym Leaders and in Raids.
How to get more Gigantamax Pokemon in Sword and Shield
Although you’ll encounter plenty of Gigantamax Pokemon when battling Gym Leaders, obviously you can’t capture tamed creatures from fellow Pokemon Trainers. In order to add more Gigantamaxing Pokemon to your party, you’ll need to head to the Wild Area and engage in Max Raid battles while either teaming up with NPCs or other players online.
When roaming the Wild Area, you’ve probably noticed that there are glowing rock formations on the ground that can be interacted with. These are Raid Dens, and when they’re active you’ll be shown the silhouette of the Pokemon that’s available to battle alongside your teammates. Although these silhouettes are featureless, from the outline alone it’s often possible to tell whether or not they relate to the Gigantamax version of a Pokemon or not.
If you’re lucky enough to find a Gigantamax variant in a Max Raid — currently Gigantamax Butterfree has been made a common encounter until “early January 2020” — provided you can first defeat them, you’ll then be afforded the opportunity to catch them. Using something like Great Ball or a Pokeball specific to the Pokemon type in question is recommended, as failure will result in the Gigantamax Pokemon retreating back into the Raid Den.
It’s also worth noting that you can’t pass on the ability to Gigantamax through breeding, so get accustomed to patrolling the Wild Area in search of Max Raids.
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