If you were scrolling through Twitter or lurking on Reddit in late 2022, you probably remember the chaos. It was a weird time. People were posting clips of giant Pokémon falling through the floor and main characters turning into terrifying spaghetti monsters during cutscenes. But among all the memes and the genuine frustration, one question kept popping up for those who hadn't pre-ordered: when did scarlet and violet release and is it even playable yet?
The official global launch happened on November 18, 2022.
It felt like a fever dream. One minute we were celebrating the first truly "open world" entry in the massive Pokémon franchise, and the next, we were watching YouTube videos of the frame rate dropping into the single digits whenever it rained in-game. Game Freak had promised us the world—literally, the Paldea region—and while they delivered the scale, the technical polish was... well, it was rough. Honestly, it was a heartbreak for a lot of long-time fans who had just come off the high of Pokémon Legends: Arceus earlier that same year.
The Timeline of the Paldea Era
We first heard about these games on February 27, 2022. That was Pokémon Day. The trailer dropped, showing off the Mediterranean-inspired landscapes and those three new starters: Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly. People lost their minds over the grass cat. Then, the wait began.
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Leading up to that November 18th release date, the hype was massive. You have to understand that Pokémon Sword and Shield had been criticized for being too linear, so the promise of "go anywhere, do anything" was like catnip for the community. By the time November rolled around, Nintendo was reporting record-breaking pre-orders.
Then Friday hit.
In Japan and Australia, the game went live while those of us in the States were still sleeping. By the time the sun came up in New York, the internet was already flooded with "glitch" compilations. It sold 10 million copies in the first three days. That is an absurd number. It became the fastest-selling game in Nintendo's entire history, outperforming icons like Mario and Zelda, even as critics were panning the technical performance. It was a total paradox.
Why the Date Mattered So Much
Nintendo usually sticks to a very specific November window for their heavy hitters. They want those Black Friday sales. They want the holiday stockings stuffed. But releasing Scarlet and Violet in 2022 meant it was coming out less than a year after Legends: Arceus (which dropped in January 2022).
That’s a grueling pace.
A lot of industry experts, including folks who track development cycles like those at Digital Foundry, pointed out that the hardware of the Nintendo Switch was struggling to keep up with Game Freak's ambitions. The 2022 release date wasn't just a day on the calendar; it was a deadline that many felt the developers weren't quite ready to hit. But the Pokémon Company has a massive machine to feed. They have plushies to sell, TCG sets to print, and an anime to produce. Everything is tied to the game's launch. You can't just delay a Pokémon game by six months without the entire multi-billion dollar merchandise empire collapsing like a house of cards.
Breaking Down the Post-Launch Updates
If you're asking when did scarlet and violet release because you’re thinking about buying them now, the story doesn't end in November 2022. The game you play today isn't exactly the same one we suffered through on day one.
Version 1.1.0 (December 2022): This was the first "emergency" patch. It fixed some music bugs and tried to address the memory leak issues that caused the game to crash after a few hours of play. It didn't fix the frame rate, though.
The Big 1.2.0 Update (February 2023): This was a meaty one. It added more functionality to the Pokémon Boxes and tried to reduce the number of NPCs appearing on screen to save the Switch's soul.
The DLC Drops (2023): The Teal Mask arrived on September 13, 2023, and The Indigo Disk landed on December 14, 2023. These expansions added hundreds of Pokémon back into the game and introduced a much higher difficulty ceiling for veteran players.
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Does it actually run better now?
Kinda.
If I'm being honest, the game still struggles in Casseroya Lake. The water physics and the sheer number of Veluza (the most annoying fish in existence) can still make the game stutter. But the game-breaking crashes are mostly gone. The lighting looks a bit better. The draw distance is... okay, the draw distance is still not great, but it's playable. If you go in expecting The Witcher 3 levels of performance, you’ll be sad. If you go in wanting a great Pokémon story—and truly, the "Area Zero" finale is the best writing the series has seen in a decade—then you’ll have a blast.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Launch
There’s this narrative that Scarlet and Violet were "hated." That’s not true. They were criticized, sure. But the player base was deeply divided. While the "hardcore" fans were complaining on forums about the lack of anti-aliasing, millions of kids were having the time of their lives riding around on Koraidon and Miraidon.
The Tera Raid events also kept the game alive. When the 7-Star Charizard raid dropped shortly after the November 18 release, it turned the game into a social event. You had to coordinate with friends. You had to build specific competitive sets. It proved that even with technical flaws, the core "Pokémon loop" is still incredibly addictive.
Essential Steps for New Paldean Trainers
If you are just now jumping into Paldea years after the launch, there is a specific way you should approach the game to avoid the headaches we all had in 2022.
- Update your software immediately. Don't even think about playing the version on the physical cartridge without downloading the latest patches. You're looking for at least version 3.0.1.
- Restart your Switch frequently. The game still has a minor memory leak issue. If you leave the game running in "Sleep Mode" for three days straight, the frame rate will start to chug. Close the software entirely every few hours.
- Follow the "Correct" Level Path. Even though the game says you can go anywhere, the gym leaders do not scale to your level. If you head East first, you might find yourself accidentally fighting a Level 40 leader with your Level 12 Fuecoco.
- Focus on the Path of Legends. To make exploration easier, prioritize the Titan Pokémon storyline. Each one you defeat gives your mount a new ability (swimming, gliding, climbing), which makes the open world much less frustrating to navigate.
The release of Scarlet and Violet remains a landmark moment in gaming. It was the moment the biggest franchise in the world finally flew too close to the sun. It showed that the "Release now, patch later" culture had finally reached the hallowed halls of Nintendo. Yet, despite the glitches and the rocky start, the Paldea region is filled with heart. The music is incredible—shoutout to Toby Fox for his contributions—and the new designs like Tinkaton and Clodsire have already become all-time fan favorites.
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If you're looking for the definitive answer on when did scarlet and violet release, it was November 18, 2022. But the game's actual "evolution" took place over the following year through patches and DLC. It’s a better experience today than it was then, provided you can look past some blurry textures and the occasional jittery windmill.
For those getting started, check your Switch system settings to ensure you have at least 10GB of free space for the updates and DLC data. Clear your cache if the game starts stuttering in urban areas like Mesagoza. Most importantly, don't rush the final story arc in Area Zero; it’s the most impactful ending to a Pokémon game ever made, and it deserves your full attention without the distraction of a second screen.