Shiny Pokémon are usually the final challenge to keep players interested after they have completed all the content in a core entry of the series. If you are at the point in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet where you are shiny hunting, here are some glitches that allow you to farm unlimited.
In general, the odds of finding these incredibly rare versions of Pokémon with altering color schemes are 1/4096. However, recently, the fan community has discovered an exploit that makes it quite simple to catch one in less than an hour without the need for any special items.
As of the time of writing, these exploits have yet to be patched. To keep up with the ongoing software updates to the games, check out our patch notes article.
Glitch 1 – Shiny Picnic Reset Method
One of the two exploits that have been passed around was found by PhillyBeatzU, a YouTuber. Essentially, it relies on outbreaks that spawn a huge group of Pokémon to increase the probability of finding a shiny. This is comparable to the best shiny hunting strategy in Pokémon Legends Arceus, the other open-world game in the franchise that debuted in January.
The exploit relies on the picnic table feature. To implement the method, simply travel to an ongoing Pokémon outbreak, marked on the map with a flashing red icon.
Add a Pokémon to your party with False Swipe to ensure you can easily catch the shinies. Visit the outbreak and begin to battle the Pokémon you encounter. Once 60 Pokémon have been defeated, the shiny odds increase to 1/1365, according to PhillyBeatzU.
Using the picnic table causes outbreak Pokémon to despawn and then respawn when packed away. This quirk quickly resets the outbreak and maintains the increased shiny rate to give you the best chance to encounter a shiny Pokémon. In his demo, he found a shiny Drifblim after only 15 resets.
Glitch 2 – Duplicate Wild Shiny Pokémon
The other of the two exploits for shiny hunting in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet was discovered by Austin John Plays, a YouTuber. This lets players continuously capture the same shiny Pokémon over and over when they follow the steps.
In order for this glitch to work, you need to be in an area close to an open town or an area that requires no loading screen for entry. This allows any player to find and catches copies of the same shiny, or any Pokémon they wish to duplicate, for that matter.
Simply walk towards the area, and the moment the new location or town appears on the screen, save and restart. When you load back in, the captured Pokémon will remain in storage, but the wild version you encountered will reappear in the same area you found it. This lets you capture it again.
You will still need to get lucky and find a Shiny Pokémon in the first place. If you combine this exploit with the other one mentioned, you may be able to have the best shot.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet was released worldwide on November 18, 2022, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
