How to soft reset Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Pokémon launch day is always an exciting day for Shiny hunters, since it marks the beginning of a new Shiny hunting adventure with new forms of Pokémon to discover in slightly different colors than their normal versions.

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, there is no shortage of new Shinies to hunt, and players will likely be doing a bit of Shiny hunting before they even dive deep into the story and the meat of the game. Because all of the Pokémon are in the open world, there are plenty of Pokémon to scour while searching for one that looks slightly different.

What is soft resetting in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet used for?

One of the key things that Shiny hunters need to know how to do is to soft reset the game. This allows players to sit in front of a Shiny Pokémon in case of a failed capture. Typically, when hunters find a Shiny Pokémon, they’ll immediately save the game. Then, they’ll try to catch the Pokémon.

Sometimes things happen, where the Pokémon is accidentally knocked out, or it runs away. There are some Pokémon that will also knock themselves out, or suddenly disappear easily, which is why saving the game in front of them is so integral. Saving just before encountering makes it so that when players do fail to capture the Pokémon, all they need to do is soft reset and try again.

How to soft reset in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Soft resetting is easy in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, but before you start Shiny hunting, the first thing players will want to go is go into the options and turn off auto-save. This will allow players to choose what point they save the game, which will eliminate an accidental save after a Shiny or desired Pokémon has fled. Players can turn off auto-save by pressing X, accessing the options menu, and toggling auto-save off.

Once you have auto-save turned off and you’ve found a Shiny Pokémon, save the game in front of it. If you fail to capture the Pokémon, simply press the Home button, and press Y when hovered over your game. Select “Close” and then reopen the game. You should spawn back in front of your Shiny Pokémon and be able to encounter it. Keep repeating this process until you’ve successfully captured the Pokémon.