Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Free Download Officially Available Until July 9

23 hours ago 7

Pokemon scarlet and violet protagonist holding a pokeball

Published Jul 6, 2026, 5:43 AM EDT

Ewan is Deputy Editor for ScreenRant's gaming section. He still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase, and knows more about The Legend of Zelda and Doctor Who than is probably healthy.

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Thanks to a better late-than-never Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet are much closer to being the games we always wanted them to be. When they first launched back in 2022 for the original Nintendo Switch, the ninth generation Pokémon games were a hot mess that only just about got away with it because it was clear there was a great game hidden under the horrendous graphics and technical performance.

To be fair, the release of Scarlet & Violet was enough to put some fans off for good — so much so that maybe not even Pokémon Winds & Waves can tempt them back. If, however, there are any gamers out there keen to dive back into the Paldea region for another round, now is the time: between now and July 9, there's a brand-new limited-time event that won't cost you a penny.

A series of Tera starter pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

At the time of writing, you have roughly 72 hours to re-download Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet and catch a Hisuian Typhlosion with the Mightiest Mark as part of a special black crystal Tera Raid Battles. The Hisuian Typhlosion that appears during this event has Fire as its Tera Type, and it definitely won't go down easy. These limited-time Tera Raids are particularly tough, so make sure you prepare.

Some long-time players may notice that this Hisuian Typholision has already been offered as part of a Tera Raid in the past. Those players should be very aware now that this Pokémon can be caught only once per save data. So, if you caught this Hisuian Typhlosion previously during a Tera Raid Battle event, you cannot catch it again. You can still participate in Tera Raid Battles against this Hisuian Typhlosion to farm other rewards like Ability Patches, Bottle Caps, and Rare Candies, even if you have already caught it before.

I should also stress that you can only take part in these tough 6- and 7-star Tera Raid Battles once you've unlocked black Tera Raid crystals through a series of post-game events. After you’ve beaten all the main storylines in the game, make your way back to the academy and talk with Clavell in the Director’s Office, and he'll tell you where to go from there.

Between the ongoing support for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet and the upcoming release of Pokémon Winds & Waves, it's definitely a good time to be a Pokémon fan. Now, head back to Paldea and get some practice in before the next generation drops.