Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s breeding may seem a little confusing at first. There are no daycare centres or nurseries for you to take your Pokémon to, so you instead have to set up a picnic. While the same rules still apply, being aware of the intricacies can help make the process a little smoother.
So, head below to find an in-depth guide to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s breeding system and start hatching eggs like your making the biggest omelette in history. Or, if you want to dive into some different aspects, we’ve got Pokémon Scarlet & Violet starters, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet gym leaders, and Pokémon Scarlet & Violet legendaries guides to lend you a hand.
How do I breed in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?
To start Pokémon Scarlet and Violet breeding, you need to set up a picnic. We have an in-depth look at Pokémon Scarlet and Violet picnics if you want some more detail about what they are.
Make sure you have the two Pokémon you want to breed – they have to be opposite genders and in the same egg group – in your party roster at the time, set up the picnic, and then just start hanging out. Do whatever you fancy, until you get told to check out your picnic basket.
Check out the basket and you’ll find an egg inside. Hooray! You’re Pokémon have now made a baby. The magic of life, eh?
How do I hatch an egg in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet?
Just as in previous main series entries, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet breeding requires you to move around to hatch the egg. Whether atop a Pokémon or simply on your own two stems, keep moving until the game interrupts you to tell you an egg is hatching. Easy peasy.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet meal powers
Breeding can be made a lot easier with meal powers. Rather than list all the recipes here, however, you can just head to our Pokémon Scarlet & Violet recipes guide to find the dish that works for you.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet egg moves
Egg moves are back in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s breeding mechanics, and function much in the way they do in the prior instalment Sword and Shield, with two different ways to pass on egg moves. The first and easiest way is to bring two Pokemon together at a picnic, one with a move that you want to teach the other.
Providing that they share the same egg group – unfortunately, it’s a trial by error for now, but if they can breed, they share an egg group – you can equip each with a mirror herb, and the egg move will pass over to the empty move slot. For this method, gender or species doesn’t matter, so long as the Pokemon can learn the egg move in question.
The classic way of getting an egg move is still possible, and in fact, might be easier if you’re struggling to figure out exactly what egg groups your Pokemon belong to. For instance, if you want a Paldean Wooper with access to Acid Spray, you can breed a male Mareanie with the move in its roster with any female Paldean Wooper and boom, before you know it, you have a Wooper egg that will hatch with Acid Spray.
That’s all you need to know about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet breeding. For more, check out our Pokémon Scarlet and Violet paradox Pokémon, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Terastal Pokémon, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet multiplayer guides.
We also have some general ‘mon content such as our dark Pokémon weakness, steel Pokémon weakness, ghost Pokémon weakness, ground Pokémon weakness, Scyther evolution, Misdrevus evolution, Budew evolution, Happiny evolution, ghost Pokémon, psychic Pokémon weakness, ice Pokémon, and ice Pokémon weakness guides