The Wild Area in Pokémon Sword and Shield is where players will spend countless hours, catching Pokémon in raids or just encountering them naturally throughout the environment. It's also...well, wild, completely unpredictable in terms of both the weather and the Pokémon you'll encounter. This can be frustrating as the type of weather you're in directly affects the kinds of Pokémon that are out and about.
How to change the weather in Pokémon Sword and Shield
There's nothing you can do in-game to change the weather. There are, however, specific dates that trigger specific types of weather. To get a particular kind of weather, you'll need to change the time and date of your Nintendo Switch.
- Go into System Settings.
- Select System.
- Select Date and Time.
- Disable Synchronize Clock via Internet.
- Change the date to your desired date.
When you do it right, you can get the right weather to show up.
A storm is coming
If you're looking for a specific weather pattern, here are the different dates for particular types of weather. The following types of weather can be triggered at any time in the games.
- Clear: 5/1/2020
- Sunny: 7/1/2020
- Cloudy: 3/1/2020
- Raining: 10/1/2020
- Thunderstorm: 11/1/2020
- Snow: 12/1/2020
The remaining three kinds of weather require having some badges, which you'll need to make at least a chunk of progress through the game. For Hail and Sandstorm, this could mean anywhere from three to eight badges. Fog, however, definitely requires you to finish the game before it takes effect.
- Hail: 2/1/2020
- Sandstorm: 4/1/2020
- Fog: 6/1/2020
Credit goes to AustinJohnPlays on YouTube for figuring these dates out in the first place.
Change in weather
So, did it work for you? Which Pokémon are you on the look-out for in the crazy weather patterns? Let us know in the comments below.
