Pokémon Sword and Shield Gigantamax Pokémon explained - including G-Max moves and possible Gigantamax locations explained

What are Gigantamax Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Gigantamax Pokémon are Pokémon that, when they Dynamax, not only grow in size, but change form completely.

Your Alcremie, for example, will go from being a cute little blob of sentient cream to a towering cake monstrosity.

Only a specific list of Pokémon have the ability to Gigantamax. You'll know if you've caught a Pokémon with the Gigantamax factor, because, when you look at its summary, there will be a special red X symbol between its name and the picture of the Poké Ball it lives in.

Due to this each Gigantamax form has its own entry in the Pokédex, through, thankfully, these entries are not required for completing the Pokédex.

Like Dynamaxing, Gigantamaxing will only last for three turns, but the Gigantamax Pokémon will also be able to use a unique move, called a G-Max move, that have a number of special effects.

Finally, it's important to note that, while you can breed Pokémon that have the Gigantamax factor with other Pokémon, both Gigantamax and not, the baby Pokémon they create won't be able to Gigantamax.

Sadly, you can't breed your Gigantamax Pokémon army.

What are limited release Gigantamax Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Limited release Gigantamax Pokémon are special Gigantamax Pokémon that aren't usually available in the games and only appear during specific dates.

Instead of being able to track them down in the Wild Area , you'll have to wait for them to be added to the spawn table.

You can regularly update your Wild Area spawn table by connecting your Nintendo Switch to the Internet or by getting the latest Wild Area new via the Mystery Gift function.

These special Gigantamax Pokémon will never be locked behind any difficulty ranking, which means you don't need the eighth gym badge to battle them.

Which Gigantamax Pokémon are available in Max Raids?

Currently, there is only one limited release Gigantmax Pokémon available:

• Gigantamax Toxtricity - Thursday 6th February to Sunday 8th March

Which Pokémon have the Gigantamax Factor in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Here is a complete list of all the Pokémon that currently have the ability to Gigantamax in Pokémon Sword and Shield in order of their national Pokédex number:

With the announcement of the Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass, also came the reveal of a new selection of Gigantamax Pokémon. These Pokémon will be released as part of the DLC.

There are the upcoming Gigantamax Pokémon we know about so far:

• Rillaboom - G-Max Drum Solo
• Cinderace - G-Max Fireball
• Inteleon - G-Max Hydrosnipe
• Urshifua

How to find Gigantamax Pokémon in the Wild Area in Pokémon Sword and Shield

Pokémon with the Gigantamax factor are incredibly rare and can only be found in five-star Max Raids, which occur in the Wild Area.

Five-star Max Raids will only start appearing once you earn the Dragon Badge, the eighth and last gym badge in Pokémon Sword and Shield. These raids are usually marked by having a pillar of swirling, dark purple, energy emerging from the Pokémon Den, though can appear in Dens with light red pillars too.

After you've defeated all the Galar gym leaders - it's time to go Gigantamax hunting!

Be prepared for this to be a long hunt, because, without boosted spawn rates, there is only a 5% chance of a Gigantamax Pokémon making an appearance.

You can increase your chances of encountering a Gigantamax Pokémon by using a Wishing Piece on a Pokémon Den. This will attract with a Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokémon to that Pokémon Den.

Just remember - while you can use as many Wishing Pieces as you like each day, if you use a piece on a Pokémon Den that already has a Pokémon in it, this will force that current Pokémon out. If you want to fight that Pokémon, make sure you do it before using a Wishing Piece.

It's also a good idea to defeat all the Pokémon in every Den each day. If you do this, the Dens will reset and your chance of encountering a rare Pokémon will increase.

Finally, using the Wild Area News function in Mystery Gift will update your Pokémon Den spawn tables. This will give you a chance of encountering a Gigantamax Pokémon that is only available for a limited time.

Occasionally this will also increase the likelihood of a certain Gigantamax Pokémon appearing. When this happens, this Gigantamax Pokémon will be removed from the five-star / eighth badge restriction, giving any player the chance to hunt down this rare Pokémon.

Gigantamax Pokémon locations in the Wild Area in Pokémon Sword and Shield

Each Gigantamax Pokémon can only be found in a specific Pokémon Den in the Wild Area.

Visiting one of these Dens does not guarantee you an encounter with a Gigantamax Pokémon, but, if you are after a specific Gigantamax Pokémon, then it's a good idea to know which Den they can appear in. That way you know where to toss your Wishing Pieces.

Below you'll find a list of the Gigantamax Pokémon and the location of their specific Pokémon Dens within the Wild Area:

Pokémon	Location of Pokémon Den
Alcremie	Bridge Field
Appletun	Dappled Grove (only in Pokémon Shield)
Butterfree	Rolling Fields - two separate locations
Centiskorch	Stony Wilderness
Charizard	Lake of Outrage
Coalossal	Giant's Seat (only in Pokémon Sword)
Copperajah	Stony Wilderness
Corviknight	Giant's Cap
Drednaw	Giant's Cap
Duraludon	Giant's Seat
Flapple	Dappled Grove (only in Pokémon Sword)
Garbodor	East Lake Axewell
Gengar	Stony Wilderness (in Pokémon Shield)
Grimmsnarl	Dusty Bowl
Hatterene	Bridge Field
Kingler	West Lake Axewell South Lake Miloch
Lapras	Giant's Seat (only in Pokémon Shield)
Machamp	Stony Wilderness (in Pokémon Sword)
Orbeetle	Bridge Field Dappled Grove
Sandaconda	Dusty Bowl - two separate locations

Gigantamax Pokémon you can receive in Pokémon Sword and Shield

Throughout your travels in the Galar region, you will be gifted a couple of Pokémon that have the Gigantamax factor.

The first requires you to have a saved file for either Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu! or Let's Go Eevee!

When you reach the Meetup Spot in the Wild Area, you'll be able to find two people who will give you either a Pikachu or Eevee depending on which version of the game you played.

Both Pikachu and Eevee have the Gigantamax factor.

After you've completed the main storyline of the game, you should return to Leon and Hop's home in Postwick.

Head upstairs to Leon's room and, in the middle of the floor, you'll find a Poké Ball containing a Charmander.

Train this Charmander and, once it's evolved into Charizard, you'll be able to use Gigantamax Charizard.

Finally, you'll occasionally be able to download certain Gigantamax Pokémon through Mystery Gift.

This includes Pokémon like Gigantamax Meowth, which was downloadable between Friday November 15th 2019 to Wednesday 15h January 2020.

With it finally in the wild, here's how to start the Crown Tundra DLC and our full Pokémon Crown Tundra walkthrough. Plus, here's how to catch Calyrex, Glastrier and Spectrier, the Regieleki and Regidrago puzzle solution and Regirock, Regice, Registeel locations, details on how to catch Legendary Birds Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres in the Crown Tundra, the Ultra Beasts and Necrozma adventure, Dynamax Adventures, including the legendries you can catch on these adventures, and the new Crown Tundra Pokédex and returning Pokémon explained. For Isle of Armor players, here's how to find the Slowpoke, where to find Max Mushroom locations, and how to get Kubfu, become best friends and evolve it, plus all Diglett locations too! For the base game, here's info on the ability to transfer Pokémon to Pokémon Home, the Wild Area, lists of all TM locations and TRs, all Galarian forms and finally our main Pokémon Sword and Shield walkthrough for the whole game.

G-Max Moves in Pokémon Sword and Shield explained

G-Max moves are special moves that can only be used by Gigantamax Pokémon when they're in their Gigantamax form.

Each Gigantamax Pokémon has their own G-Max, which has a variety of effects. This can be anything from changing the battlefield to healing certain status conditions.

Below you'll find a list of all the current Gigantamax Pokémon and their G-Max moves in Pokémon Sword and Shield:

We also have a guide on Dynamax Pokémon, which you might find useful.