Pokemon Sword and Shield: How to Get Charmander

One of the most beloved Pokemon of all time, it's possible to get your own Charmander in Pokemon Sword and Shield to catch and train for yourself. We'll show you how to get Charmander here, and whether it's possible to get other first-gen starters too.

On this page:

• How to Get Charmander in Pokemon Sword and Shield
• How to Get Dynamax Charizard
• How to Get Squirtle and Bulbasaur

How to Get Charmander in Pokemon Sword and Shield

To get Charmander in Pokemon Sword and Shield is no easy feat. Unfortunately, the loveable firestarter won't actually be available until you've completed the game, and are placed back into the house where you kicked off your adventure with Hop.

We're not going to spoil the end of Pokemon Sword and Shield in this guide. All we're going to say is that you need to have beaten all eight Gym Leaders in either game. Then, once you've attained the status of Pokemon Champion, you'll find yourself back in your home with your mum, where the adventure began.

Exit your house, and run down the small hill to Hop's house, where Leon first gave you the choice between Grookey, Scorbunny, or Sobble as your starter Pokemon. Enter the house, and then go into Leon's room, which is on the right from the entrance. On the ground in Leon's room, you'll find a PokeBall, which contains none other than Charmander itself! It's now yours for the keeping.

How to Get Dynamax Charizard

As soon as the Dynamax feature was revealed for Pokemon Sword and Shield, questions bounced around about who could be Dynamaxed. Game Freak actually showed off Dynamax Charizard in artwork for Sword and Shield before the games even launched, which is why this has become a pretty popular search query.

Unfortunately, Charizard can't be fought in a standard Dynamax battle. The only way to obtain Charizard for yourself is to beat the game, find Charmander using the steps above, and then evolve it all the way to Charizard. You'll have to do it with experience - there's no way to do it using a Fire Stone.

Once you've eventually evolved your Charmeleon into a Charizard, you'll finally be able to see what the Dynamax version of Charizard looks like. It's definitely a sight to behold, and it's undoubtedly one of the most powerful Fire-type Pokemon in either game.

How to Get Squirtle and Bulbasaur

There's currently no way to get the other to starters with any reliability within the game itself, though both Squirtle and Bulbasaur have been brief raid battles in the past and may return. You can also transfer them over from previous games using the Pokemon Home App outlined here.

There's Pokemon content everywhere here at USgamer! Nadia's review of Sword and Shield is waiting for you here, or check out how the Twilight Wings show is exploring new sides of Pokemon.