Pokemon Sword and Shield are due for release on the Nintendo Switch by the end of the year, but the games still don't have a release date. However, it seems likely that Pokemon Sword and Shield could get an official release date sooner rather than later, maybe even as early as E3 2019 in June.

We know that the E3 2019 Nintendo Direct presentation, which will take place on June 11 at 9am PT, will focus on 2019 Switch games. Nintendo has said repeatedly that Pokemon Sword and Shield will come to the Nintendo Switch in 2019, and since it revealed the game as early as February, it stands to reason that the games are on track to meet that goal. Therefore, it seems likely that the Pokemon Sword and Shield release date will be announced at E3 2019 on June 11 during the Nintendo Direct presentation.

What is the Pokemon Sword and Shield Release Date?

pokemon sword and shield release date likely coming at e3

At the time of this writing, Pokemon Sword and Shield lack an official release date. However, we can make an educated guess based on previous leaks and the release dates of past Pokemon games. Most recently, a leak suggested that Pokemon Sword and Shield will launch somewhere between November 15 and November 20, and out of those dates, we think November 15 is the most likely candidate.

November 15 falls on a Friday, which is the day of the week Nintendo tends to release its games. The Pokemon Let's Go games came out on November 16, 2018, and so the Pokemon Sword and Shield November 15 release date would nearly be the one year anniversary of those games.

Leaked release dates for other 2019 Switch games also seem to indicate that November would be the most likely month for Nintendo to release Pokemon Sword and Shield. If we believe those leaks, Animal Crossing is coming in September, Luigi's Mansion 3 in October, and Pokemon Sword and Shield in November. Nintendo typically releases one exclusive per month, and so this lineup would make sense.

Of course, it's possible that E3 2019 will throw us a curve ball and we won't get any news on the Pokemon Sword and Shield release date. However, it seems like a surefire bet that the games will be featured at the show in some capacity, so perhaps we'll at least get clarification on armored Pokemon evolutions and some of the other rumors about the games.

Pokemon Sword and Shield are in development exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.