Can you get banned for having hacked Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet?
Yes, you absolutely can get banned for using hacked Pokémon in the online features of Scarlet and Violet. According to the official Nintendo bans policy, manipulating game data andrepeatedly participating in online play with hacked Pokémon may result in:
- Restricted access to online play and trading in current and future Pokémon titles
- Limited ability to use trading features in Pokémon HOME
- Outright suspension from Pokémon HOME
What percentage of Pokémon are hacked?
Statistics on hacking rates are hard to pin down, but according to various player surveys and analysis from sites like Smogon, between 5-15% of rare and competitive Pokémon in circulation have been genned or hacked.
This table shows the likelihood of encountering hacked Pokémon based on rarity:
| Pokémon Type | % Chance Hacked |
| Common | 0.5% |
| Uncommon | 2% |
| Rare | 5% |
| Legendary | 10% |
| Competitive | 15% |
| Shiny | 20% |
As you can see, the rarer the Pokémon, the higher probability it has been generated.
Has Nintendo banned players before for hacking?
Absolutely. Back in 2020 thousands of Sword and Shield players were banned for using websites to gen rare Pokémon. In 2017 up to 100,000 3DS users were penalized for Pokémon Sun & Moon bans. So Nintendo has and will hand out mass suspensions for hacking.
How are hacked Pokémon detected?
Legitimate and legal Pokémon have data that lines up across various attributes like Trainer ID, Original Trainer name, catch location, Ribbons and so on. But generated Pokémon often have mismatches or impossible combinations in these fields that essentially act like digital fingerprints.
In addition, Pokémon Bank, Transporter and HOME run legitimacy checks on Pokémon being transferred. Those failing checks will be rejected. However, not all hacked Pokémon trigger these filters if cleverly generated.
Why are players hacking Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet?
Hacking allows players to bypass the immense grind and RNG of obtaining perfect IV, Shiny, Hidden Ability and egg move combinations competitively. Instead of breeding endlessly without results, hacking gives instant access to battle-ready Pokémon.
In trading communities, rare and exclusive hacked Pokémon are also used essentially as black market currency. The more unusual the gen, the more leverage it has for demanding high value legit Pokémon in return.
Should you use hacked Pokémon received in Surprise Trade?
I strongly advise caution with using Pokémon received randomly via Surprise Trade in ranked battles, Max Raid events or breeding. Even if you personally did not generate it, benefiting repeatedly from hacked stats, moves or abilities considered cheating.
On the first offense it may just be a warning. But repeated usage could trigger anti-cheat detections that restrict your broader Pokémon access.
Instead, carefully check any Surprise Trade Pokémon against the advice above, and box or release it if any attributes seem impossible or mismatch. Don‘t take the risk!
Will overpowered Pokémon get banned?
In both VGC and Smogon tiers, if any one Pokémon centralizes the meta too strongly or proves utterly broken, it will likely see a ban.
For example in Scarlet specifically, the version exclusive Iron Hands and Great Tusk legendaries may need restrictions. Their unique typed Terastallizing combined with huge mixed attacking stats will be extremely difficult to counter.
Elsewhere the new gimmick Pokémon Cyclizar also poses balance issues with its three different forms. Any of these could join the existing ban list of box legendaries and Charizard/Cinderace.
Will hacking decrease in future Scarlet and Violet patches?
We can hope so! Pokémon Violet 1.2.0 already indicates Game Freak is taking hacking and injection seriously. As more connectivity and stability patches roll out, it may shore up vulnerabilities that enable generated Pokémon to slip through.
I‘m optimistic Scarlet and Violet may see lower hacking rates long term than Galar once missing anti-cheats are fully implemented. But only time will tell!
In the meantime, we as a community should speak up against hacking culture, and focus on legit breeding our perfect Pokémon the right way – even if it takes longer! What do you think?
