Sword and Shield take players through the hills of the Galar region and feature a wide array of new and returning Pokémon species. While many of these Pokémon evolve through leveling up, others require items or special methods to reach their next form.
One of these evolutionary methods is trade evolution. This method dates back to the franchise’s first generation with Haunter and Machoke, who only evolve via trade. Over the years, Game Freak added several new Pokémon who require a trade to evolve and many of them appear in the franchise’s newest title.
Here are all of the Pokémon in Sword and Shield that evolve through trade.
| Pokémon | Held Item / Requirement | Evolution |
| Haunter | – | Gengar |
| Machoke | – | Machamp |
| Onix | Holding Metal Coat | Steelix |
| Rhydon | Holding Protector | Rhyperior |
| Feebas | Holding Prism Scale | Milotic |
| Dusclops | Holding Reaper Cloth | Dusknoir |
| Shelmet | Trade for Karrablast | Accelgor |
| Karrablast | Trade for Shelmet | Escavalier |
| Gurdurr | – | Conkeldurr |
| Phantump | – | Trevenant |
| Pumpkaboo | – | Gourgeist |
| Boldore | – | Gigalith |
| Swirlix | Holding Whipped Dream | Slurpuff |
| Spritzee | Holding Satchet | Aromatisse |
Trainers can trade their Pokémon through Sword and Shield’s new online system, the Y-Comm. There are two different options for players to use: Surprise or Link Trade. The Surprise Trade works much like previous generations’ Wonder Trade, where players choose a Pokémon to send off and get a random one from a random trainer in return. Link Trade allows players to match up with a random person to trade multiple Pokémon at once. Those who are looking to trade with their friends will be required to enter a code to match up with a specific person.
Unlike previous generations, players must have a paid online subscription before they can use Sword and Shield’s online system. Upon opening the Y-Comm, those who don’t have a Switch Online subscription will be prompted to purchase one before they’re able to trade or battle online.
