How to tell if a Pokémon is shiny in Scarlet & Violet

Shine on you crazy Diancie

Much like the three core story paths you can take, there are many objectives you can pursue in the endgame of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. Some opt to catch ‘em all, others opt to battle competitively. Yet possibly the most time-consuming pursuit of them all is shiny hunting.

Compared to early Generation games, shiny Pokemon are relatively easy to come by. You can double their appearance rate with the Shiny Charm, and you can even see them out in the open before you encounter them. That said, this presents a bit of a conundrum. In older games, you’d see a little sparkle when encountering a shiny Pokemon. What does Pokemon Scarlet & Violet do to alert you to the presence of a shiny Pokemon?

There unfortunately isn’t a great answer for this, but there are a few tricks you can use to spot shiny Pokemon for yourself.

How to spot shiny Pokemon in the wild

There unfortunately is no audio cue when a shiny Pokemon appears in Scarlet & Violet. Additionally, because of the game’s limited draw distance, you won’t be able see a shiny Pokemon until you’re relatively close to it. It’s already a hassle to see tiny Pokemon like Flabébé, let alone notice if it’s shiny.

Having said that, you will be able to see if a shiny Pokemon has its distinctive coloring before you initiate an encounter with it. While it’s a bit of a tall order, studying the colors of each Pokemon is the best way to identify a shiny monster out in the wild. To make this process easier on you, consider visiting mass outbreaks to hunt for shiny Pokemon. With so many copies of the same Pokemon hovering around, you’ll be able to identify which is colored differently at a glance.

If you go this route, be sure to make a sandwich that boosts the shiny rate of the Pokemon that is featured in the outbreak. If you need materials, make sure to farm some high-end Tera Raids.

Other ways to tell if a Pokemon is shiny

When you enter a battle with a shiny Pokemon, it will show a small animation and play a distinctive sound like in past games. While you probably don’t need this extra assurance, it is nice to get a confirmation from the game that you are about to catch a shiny Pokemon.

Shiny Pokemon will also feature a unique icon on its status page when you examine it. It may be hard to tell if a Pokemon is shiny in the wild, but you’ll sure know it is once you own it!

Related: Best Vivillon movesets and counters in Pokémon GO on Twinfinite