Pokemon Sword and Shield may have finally solved its hacking problem

Hacking has been a major problem in Pokemon Sword and Shield since it released in November of 2019. However, trainers will be delighted to hear that it looks like the latest update may have all but resolved cheating in the Nintendo Switch game.

Pokemon that weren’t available in the game being released ahead of time was one problem, but a more prominent issue has been hacked Max Raid Battles. These hacks would allow trainers to catch species which aren’t normally found in Raid Battles.

Moreover, they could also increase the chance of finding Shiny Pokemon. This may sound harmless on the surface but if everyone has Shiny Pokemon, then the incentive to try catch them and the feeling of reward when you do finally snag one is diminished.

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Since the latest update (1.2.1) was implemented there have yet to be reports of cheating. This is why many believe, and are hopeful, that hacks like these are a thing of the past.

This confidence comes from the overhaul of the Y-Comm system whereby no hacked Raid are appearing. It’s a complicated change, but in simple terms if hacked data is detected then the Raid won’t appear.

However, these hacked Raid Battles can still reportedly be accessed while offline, and there isn’t much Nintendo or Game Freak can do about this either.

1.2.1 patch notes

The 1.2.1 update patch notes don’t discuss cheating specifically but they look they allude to it. The full patch notes are as follows:

• A bug in regards to the number of digits for password settings has been fixed.
  • In regards to the passwords that can be set for Y-Comm and Max Raid Battles, we fixed the bug where players could be matched with others whose passwords were not coinciding.
• Other updated content
  • We fixed several other issues to improve gameplay experience.

We’ll have to live with all the hacked Pokemon already in the game but at least now there shouldn’t be any new ones introduced. There’s little doubt the battle between hackers and Nintendo will continue.

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With the second Pokemon Sword and Shield DLC, The Crown Tundra, releasing in just a few month’s time, it is more important than ever for Nintendo that they stay on top of the exploits.