Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC: Release date latest & pre-order news

DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is confirmed – but what does it include?

By Daniel Furn

Published: Wednesday, 21 June 2023 at 12:00 am

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet continue to be colossal successes for Nintendo despite the fact they launched with some unfortunate performance issues.

If by some feat of gaming prowess, you have checked off every Pokémon in the Paldea Pokédex, caught all Paradox Pokémon and conquered all the Tera Raids then you’ll be glad to know that more ‘mons are on the way as Scarlet and Violet will be receiving a ginormous DLC.

First announced at a special Pokémon Presents for Pokémon Day, the DLC is going to be split across two parts that see us departing Paldea for exchange trips to new areas.

New gameplay was shown at the latest Nintendo Direct so be sure to read on to find out everything you need to know about the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC, titled The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero.

When is the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC release date?

As with Pokémon Sword and Shield’s DLC, the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet expansion will be split into two parts. The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero will be the overall name of the DLC, with Part 1 titled The Teal Mask and Part 2 named The Indigo Disk.

Part 1: The Teal Mask will be released first in autumn 2023, with a specific date set to be announced nearer the time.

Part 2: The Indigo Disk will arrive soon after in winter 2023, as was confirmed in the latest Nintendo Direct.

Can I pre-order the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC?

Yes! You can pre-order the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC now. The expansion is also available as part of a bundle with the base games.

Make sure you purchase the DLC for the right game – there are separate pages for both Scarlet and Violet!

There are also several pre-order incentives for those who purchase before Tuesday 31st October 2023. The main draw is a code for a special Hisuian Zoroark that knows the move Happy Hour, has a Dark Tera Type and has the Charismatic Mark.

"Hisuian

Early purchasers will also get the New Uniform Set set by pressing the X button and accessing the in-game Downloadable Content menu.

Both of those incentives are available right now – there’s no need to wait for the DLC to release!

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC: Gameplay and story details

"Promo

The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero will have two distinct parts set in different locations, though it looks as if the two will link into the same overarching story.

Part 1: The Teal Mask will see players go on a school trip to the land of Kitakami, participating in an outside study program with another school at the base of a large mountain. The trip will coincide with a festival held in the village which looks to be based on Japanese folklore, and will see new Pokémon and street vendors appear.

Part 2: The Indigo Disk allow players to go on an exchange program to Blueberry Academy, an underwater school that specialises in Pokémon battles.

The DLC introduces new legendary Pokémon: Ogerpon in The Teal Mask and Terapagos in The Indigo Disk. There is also a rumoured third legendary Pokémon, which is said to be the cause of the Terestral mechanic in Paldea…

Three other new Pokémon have also been confirmed to appear in the Teal Mask: the dog-like Okidogi, the monkey-like Munkidori and the bird-like Fezandipiti. They appear to be based on the Japanese folk tale of Momotarō, in which a boy born from inside a peach travels with a talking dog, monkey and pheasant to defeat ogres.

A whopping 230 past Pokémon have also been confirmed to return across the two DLC parts, with the following confirmed so far:

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC trailer

We got a little glimpse of the locations we’ll be visiting in the latest Nintendo Direct. It was the first showing so hit play and enjoy!