The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →To start a new playthrough of Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet, delete the save from the Nintendo Switch system menu: go to System Settings > Data Management > Delete Save Data, select the game and the user whose save you want to erase, then confirm. Nintendo warns that deleted save data cannot be recovered.
How to delete your Pokémon Scarlet or Violet save
- Return to the Nintendo Switch HOME Menu and open System Settings.
- Choose Data Management, then Delete Save Data. If prompted by parental controls, enter the PIN.
- Select Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet.
- Select the user whose playthrough you want to erase. If the menu offers an option to delete save data for all users, choose it only if you intend to remove every user’s save for that game.
- Review the confirmation screen and choose Delete Save Data to proceed. Nintendo says, “Once deleted, save data cannot be recovered.” Nintendo’s save-data deletion instructions explain the process and warning.
- Launch the game again and follow the opening setup to begin a new playthrough.
Which save-data option should you choose?
Choose the individual user option to erase only that user’s save, if the console presents it. This preserves other users’ playthroughs. The all-users option erases save data for the game across users, so use it only when no one’s save needs to be kept. Nintendo’s instructions for deleting save data describe both scopes.
Deleting a save is different from deleting the game
For a fresh playthrough, use Delete Save Data in Data Management. Do not choose Manage Software > Delete Software: that removes the installed game software, not the save you intend to reset. Nintendo distinguishes software deletion from save-data deletion in its Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet troubleshooting guidance. The game does not need to be uninstalled to start over.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Don the role of a Pokémon Trainer as you travel through Kanto
- Discover a new species of Pokémon with the Pokémon Lets Go series
- Catch Pokémon in the wild using a gentle throwing motion with either a Joy-Con controller or a Poké Ball Plus accessory, which will light up, vibrate, and make sounds to bring your adventure to life
- See the world in style by customizing Pikachu and your Trainer with a selection of outfits
- Connect to Pokémon GO* to transfer caught Kanto-region Pokémon, including Alolan and Shiny forms, as well as the newly discovered Pokémon, Meltan, from that game to this one
Rank #4
- On the surface of the glossy white dock, the Legendary Pokémon Koraidon and Miraidon are displayed in their respective version colors. The bottom-left side of the back of the dock has a Poké Ball motif.
- A special illustration featuring the three Pokémon that you can choose as your first partner in the games, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly, adorns the back of the system alongside symbols that appear throughout the games.
- The included Joy-Con controllers have the main colors of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet and are decorated with the respective crests of the schools from the games, Naranja Academy and Uva Academy.
- Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games sold separately.
Rank #3
- Only one code for a Hisuian Zoroark can be used in either the Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet game. Upon purchase of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC, an email with your code will be sent to the email address registered to your Nintendo Account. From the in-game menu, go to the Poké Portal, then select Mystery Gift, select Get with Code/Password, and then enter your code.
- The Mystery Gift option can be found within the Poké Portal menu option in the X menu after you unlock the feature in the Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet game. (This occurs after about 1 to 1.5 hours of gameplay, though individual gameplay time may vary.) An internet connection and a Nintendo Account is required to redeem the item in game. A Nintendo Switch Online membership is not required. Each item can only be redeemed once.
Rank #2
- If you purchase either the physical or digital double pack, you will receive a 200 Poké Ball bonus via download codes* that can be entered in the Mystery Gift** feature in your game!
- The packaged version of the double pack includes 1 physical Pokémon Scarlet game and 1 physical Pokémon Violet game
- Catch, battle, and train Pokémon in the Paldea Region, a vast land filled with lakes, towering peaks, wastelands, small towns, and sprawling cities
- Choose either Sprigatito, Fuecoco, or Quaxly, to be your first partner Pokémon before setting off on your journey through Paldea
#1 Best Overall
- New Pokémon to Discover - Learn new details about Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly—the three Pokémon from which you’ll choose your first partner—along with other wonderful new Pokémon, including the Legendary Pokémon Koraidon and Miraidon!
- The World of Pokémon Has Evolved - Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet offer an open-world experience that only the Pokémon series can deliver—one welcoming even to newcomers to the series.
- You can experience a new style of adventure, with a world that you’re free to explore at your leisure and not in an order dictated by the story. You will, of course, journey to hone your skills as a Pokémon Trainer, but many more discoveries and stories await you. Meet a variety of people and Pokémon, and adventure in the world of Pokémon the way you want to.
- A Deeper Experience with Multiplayer* Gameplay - Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet allow multiplayer gameplay with up to four players. Along with series staples, such as trading and battling Pokémon, you will be able to explore the various locations of the region in these games with other players. You can discover new Pokémon and explore unfamiliar areas with your friends and family, opening the door to an adventure more precious and fun than ever!
- Meet the characters - As one of the main characters, you’ll set off on your adventure. Your outfit will vary depending on whether you play Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet. Who knows what kind of story awaits you? For the first time in the series, one of two different professors will appear in your game depending on the version you choose to play.
What to know before confirming
- The deletion is permanent. Nintendo says the save cannot be recovered after deletion.
- A microSD card is not a save backup. Nintendo says Switch game save data is stored in the console’s internal memory and cannot be saved or moved to a microSD card. See Nintendo’s save-data guidance.
- Pokémon HOME effects are not established by these reset instructions. The Nintendo support pages cited here do not explain what happens to Pokémon HOME contents or other account-linked data when a local save is deleted. Check authoritative Pokémon HOME guidance if that matters to you before proceeding.
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