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Pokémon Scarlet & Violet

What Are Picnics and How Do They Work?

By
Vincent Lau

This page explains everything you may wish to know about the new picnic feature in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. It’s a great mechanic and can be used in advanced ways as you progress through the game.

What are Picnics in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet?

(1 of 2) When a picnic begins, all of your Pokémon will come out from their balls. (Credit: The Pokémon Company)

When a picnic begins, all of your Pokémon will come out from their balls. (Credit: The Pokémon Company) (left), Your Pokémon will probably enjoy stretching their legs, wings, etc.! (Credit: The Pokémon Company) (right)

Picnics are the latest way to get cozy with your Pokémon while exploring, similar to the camping feature in Pokémon Sword & Shield.

You can have a picnic almost anywhere while traveling.

What Can You Do at Picnics?

There are a few activities available during picnics.

Interact with Pokémon

During a picnic, your party Pokémon, as well as your Legendary Pokémon (Koraidon or Miraidon) will come out of their Poké Balls and wander around nearby.

You can go up to one of these Pokémon, to speak to them or play with them using toys.

(1 of 2) Every now and then, your Pokémon may need a good scrub. (Credit: The Pokémon Company)

Every now and then, your Pokémon may need a good scrub. (Credit: The Pokémon Company) (left), Besides the cutesy factor, you can restore your Pokémon’s HP this way. (Credit: The Pokémon Company) (right)

In addition, as you travel around a lot, your Pokémon can get a little dirty. When this happens, you can wash your Pokémon. Doing this will also restore their HP and improve their Friendship.

Take Photos

While your Pokémon are all gathered outside, this is the perfect opportunity to take some photos! You can also choose from various photo filters, which can alter the mood of the photo.

Make Sandwiches

You can’t very well have a picnic without some food. Thankfully, your player character is quite skilled at making sandwiches.

(1 of 2) There’s a wide variety of ingredients to choose from. (Credit: The Pokémon Company)

There’s a wide variety of ingredients to choose from. (Credit: The Pokémon Company) (left), Sandwiches restore HP and provide buffs. (Credit: The Pokémon Company) (right)

Before making a sandwich, you can choose what fillings and condiments to use, as well as the sandwich pick to hold everything together.

After deciding, you’ll then need to carefully arrange your ingredients on the bread, doing your best to stack them together. If you don’t balance them properly, they may slip off your bread!

Succeed and you may end up with a sandwich to end all sandwiches. Eating sandwiches will restore the HP of your Pokémon and may confer buffs.

Obtain Eggs

It’s possible to obtain Pokémon Eggs, while on a picnic. At the time of writing, the mechanics of this are unknown.

In past games, you can walk around with a Pokémon Egg in your party and eventually it’ll hatch into a Level 1 Pokémon.

Play With Other Pokémon Trainers

(1 of 2) Other players can bring some of their Pokémon along with them. (Credit: The Pokémon Company)

Other players can bring some of their Pokémon along with them. (Credit: The Pokémon Company) (left), If you’re having fun, don’t forget to take some photos! (Credit: The Pokémon Company) (right)

If you want to liven things up, you can play with other players (either locally or online) via the Union Circle. To do so, you simply approach another player’s picnic.

Up to four players can play together, creating sandwiches, taking photos, etc. You can even find Pokémon Eggs.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Nintendo, Pokemon Company International
  • Platforms,
    Switch
  • Genre
    RPG
  • Guide Release
    17 November 2022
  • Last Updated
    3 January 2024
    Version History
  • Guide Author

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