How to delete save data and restart Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Whether you made a poor decision when picking your starter Pokémon or if you’re just looking for an alternative method to fixing your sudden FPS drops, you need to know how to delete your save data, restart Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and make a new save file. 

Generally speaking, there are three main ways of resetting your Pokémon Scarlet and Violet game: resetting to start a new game, starting a second save, and soft resetting. In this guide, we’ll guide you through all three ways of resetting your game. 

How to reset Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and start a new game

1. The first thing you’ll need to do is you’ll need to go to your “System Settings” on your home screen.
2. Once you have your settings opened, you need to go to “Data Management,” which appears on the left side of your screen.
3. After that, choose the “Delete Save Data” option and proceed by selecting Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
4. Choose the correct Nintendo Switch Profile’s data and confirm this by pressing A.
5. After that, you’ll need to confirm you’ll be deleting all the saved data from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet for that profile
6. Then, you can start Pokémon Scarlet and Violet again and the option to start a new game will be there.

How to start a second save with a new Nintendo Switch profile

1. First, you need to navigate to your “System Settings” on your Nintendo Switch home screen. 
2. After you opened settings, select “Users” and then “Add User.” 
3. Now you’ll need to fill out the necessary information, name it, and assign a profile picture to it. 
4. (Optional) Nintendo will then ask you to either create a new Nintendo account or link your existing profile to the new one. 
5. Finally, you can run your Pokémon Scarlet and Violet anew with your new profile and start a new save file. 

How to do a soft reset in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

1. As you’re playing Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and you decide you need a soft reset, you’ll first need to press the X button and open the menu.
2. Once the menu window pops up, you’ll find the “Main Menu” option. There, you’ll select “Options.”
3. The most important thing to remember when trying to soft reset is that you need to turn off your “Autosave.” To prevent the game from autosaving, scroll down in the “Options” tab to “Autosave,” and turn it off.  
4. Confirm this action by pressing the A button on your controller. 
5. Go back to your home screen by pressing the “Home” button. 
6. Restart the game and enjoy.