Pokemon BDSP: How to Catch Alolan Pokemon

Despite the fact that Nintendo continues to release new Generations of Pokemon, there are only a finite number of Pokemon in the Pokemon universe. Sometimes, there are regional variants of existing Pokemon available. If you have played Pokemon Sun or Pokemon Moon, you’ll know that the Alola Region is home to some of the best regional variants out there!

Here’s everything you need to know about how you can get your hands on Alolan Pokemon in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

Can you catch Alolan Pokemon in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl?

At the moment, there’s no way to get your hands on Alolan Pokemon in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl. There are ways you can get your hands on Pokemon like Mew and Jirachi through Save Data and the Mystery Gift system – however, there’s nothing in the game that let you get your hands on the Alolan Pokemon that have been released through Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon – although they do pop up in other Pokemon titles.

READ MORE: Pokemon Generations Ranked from Worst to Best

This decision has proven to be a divisive one within the Pokemon community surrounding these recently-released titles.

On the one hand, this is a welcome effort from Nintendo and The Pokemon Company to preserve Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl – there are quite a few changes in the re-releases and a lot of things have stayed the same. For the most part, the decisions made have been positively received; however, not all of them – such as the graphical decision to maintain the ‘chibi’ style of the older games rather than adopt the modern stylings of Pokemon Sword and Shield. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl don’t really need the additional Pokemon when you consider the fact that there’s the National Dex available after you beat the Elite Four.

To counter this, a lot of Pokemon fans want as many Pokemon as possible in their Pokemon games – and why shouldn’t they? Pokemon games aren’t going to change dramatically if you increase the variation of Pokemon that you can catch in the wilderness and more options are often always better for user experience. Nintendo Switch games aren’t cheap and having the full selection of Pokemon available in each title would help players get the most out of each game they buy.

READ MORE: Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Wiki Guide