After weeks of complaints about performance issues, Nintendo has finally released an update for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet that fixes bugs and introduces Season 1 of Ranked Battles.
This year's instalment of Pokemon has been a bit of a let-down for fans of the series. From significant performance issues, game-breaking bugs, and the bland, underwhelming visuals, it's a huge departure from the standard we'd expect from the franchise. Nintendo hasn't been very vocal on the issues up until now, but it's finally dropped an update – and an apology for the state of the game.
Annoyingly, we don't know exactly what's been fixed as the patch notes are comprised of a scant three bullet points. The bug that stops the music from playing properly during battles with the Elite Four and the Top Champion in the Victory Road path has been fixed, but aside from that, Nintendo just says that "other select bugs" have been addressed. Although it does go on to acknowledge the poor performance in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, saying:
"We are thankful that Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are being played by so many consumers, but we are also aware that players may encounter issues that affect the games' performance.
"Our goal is always to give players a positive experience with our games, and we apologise for the inconvenience. We take the feedback from players seriously, and are working on improvements to the games."
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet patch notes and how to install
The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet update is having a regional rollout by the looks of things. On the American website, the patch is available today. According to the UK site, players will have to wait until tomorrow – Friday, December 1. You'll need to have around 1GB of free space on your Nintendo Switch to download it, and here's a rundown of the (very short) list of patch notes:
- Following the start of Ranked Battles season 1, you can now enjoy Ranked Battles from the Battle Stadium
- Please check the in-game notice for more details about Ranked Battles Season 1
- An issue has been fixed that caused the music to not play correctly during the battles with the Elite Four and the Top Champion in the Victory Road path
- Various other issues have also been fixed
You'll need to update the game if you want to play online, now that Season 1 of Ranked Battles is kicking off. Of course, you'll also need a Nintendo Switch Online membership, which starts at £3.49 / $3.99 / AU$5.95 for a one-month subscription. You can also pick up three, six, and 12-month memberships, with the annual tier offering a second option that includes an expansion pass.
In case you're struggling to figure out how to download the update, here's a reminder – although if you don't want to do it manually for every title, just make sure your console is connected to the internet, and you've enabled the Automatic Software Updates setting. Bear in mind that if you don't keep an eye on it, you run the risk of the available space on your Switch being quietly whittled away which is the only real con of auto-updates.
- Connect the Nintendo Switch console to the internet.
- From the HOME Menu, highlight the icon for the software you wish to update without actually starting the software.
- Press the + or - Button on your controller, then select Software Update followed by Via the Internet.
- Once the update is installed, the newest version number will be displayed on the title screen.
We'll be downloading the update ourselves before playing the game for our review, so stay tuned to see how much of a difference the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet patch has made.
