How to Restart Pokemon Sword and Shield

Not happy with some of the choices you've made? Join the club. Here's how to restart Pokemon Sword and Shield if you want a fresh do-over.

How to Restart Pokemon Sword and Shield

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Starting fresh means that you might need to replay items that you’ve previously overcome, but the price of doing so seems less taxing than continuing your current game. We understand. That’s why we put together this game guide on how to restart your Sword and Shield Pokemon game, just for you.

Maybe the starter that you’ve picked has soured on you and you can’t stand that your Pokemon Sword and Shield rival has the critter that you want. I mean, Hop has no damn idea how type match-ups even work so why would he deserve the perfect ‘mon?

While you can acquire all the starters eventually thanks to trading, maybe you can’t envision yourself even finishing the game with a subpar choice. Well, here’s how to restart Pokemon Sword and Shield for those who are truly desperate. 

Step By Step Instructions 

So, it’s a little bit more straightforward than the button configuration that we remember mashing to get our save files to just quit it with the older Pokemon games. Since we’re operating on the Nintendo Switch this time and it has its own system to do with save data, there’s basically no guesswork anymore. Here are the steps that you’re going to have to do to restart Pokemon Sword and Shield and to delete your existing save data:

  • Go to System Settings
  • Go to the Data Management tab
  • Select Delete Save Data
  • Select Pokemon Sword / Pokemon Shield
  • Delete the Save Data for the relevant user
  • Select Delete Save Data when prompted

Once that’s been done, booting up Pokemon Sword and Shield from that particular user account will have you start with a whole new save file. Whatever your reasons may have been for deleting, let’s just hope that you don’t make the same mistakes as before.

And well, even if you do, we guess you can just come back to this guide now that you know how to restart Pokemon Sword and Shield and never have to really live with the real consequences of making a mistake ever again. Oops, that probably got a bit dark. Cheer up a little by reading about the Regis that are to come

Need a hand with anything else while you traipse around the Galar region with the starter Pokemon of your dreams while you’re trying to become the best at fighting other kids and their pets? Here are some tips and tricks that we’ve put together for you:


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About the Author

Ginny Woo

Ginny hails from just south of Mordor, and when she's not debating others about the One Ring then she's probably glued to an MMO or a JRPG. With Final Fantasy XIV, Destiny 2, and World of Warcraft on her plate, she's always got something to chat about and a sneaky guide up her sleeve. If writing's not on the cards, then she's probably drinking way too much coffee.