Highlights

• Generation 9 introduces true open-world gameplay and eliminates random encounters in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
• Shiny Pokemon can now be seen roaming freely in the overworld, but they are difficult to spot due to lack of sparkle or sound cues.
• Some Shiny Pokemon, like Minior and Joltik, have subtle color differences that make them hard to distinguish from their regular forms.

Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet are the first true open-world mainline Pokemon games in the franchise. Generation 9 does away with Random Encounters, which have been the only method of battling/catching wild Pokemon since Red/Blue/Yellow. Now, every Pokemon is visible in the overworld and must be physically approached to battle. This includes Shiny Pokemon, which can now be seen roaming freely, much as they could in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

However, these different-colored Pokemon won't sparkle or "chime" from a distance in Scarlet & Violet, making it difficult for trainers to spot them. Large Pokemon such as Dondozo can be seen a mile away, but smaller ones, such as Tynamo, are nearly impossible to see unless trainers are right next to them. It doesn't help that some species have barely any color differences from their regular counterparts.

Updated on January 15, 2024 by Renri Seong: Both parts of the expansion pass for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are fully accessible as of December 14, 2023. The Teal Mask and Indigo Disk introduce multiple returning Pokemon from previous generations - including Legendary Pokemon. This potentially means more Pokemon to Shiny Hunt, but like the 400 Pokemon in Scarlet/Violet's base game, some of the species in Disk have underwhelming Shiny Forms. Unfortunately for avid Shiny Hunters, the Legendary and Mythical Pokemon in Indigo Disk are still Shiny Locked. Wild, Hatched, and Tera Raid Pokemon are still fair game in part 2 of the DLC. The following list has been updated to include several species of Pokemon from the Indigo Disk with hard-to-spot Shiny Variants, their most-common locations, and their type effectiveness.

19 Flabebe & Floette

Where to Find: South Province (Area One), North Province (Area Three)

The Flabebe-line are pure Fairy-type Pokemon, but they're also capable of learning Grass-type moves such as Magical Leaf. Aside from Florges, the final-evolved form, Flabebe and Floette are quite tiny, clocking in at 4 inches and 8 inches tall, respectively. To make this even more frustrating, Flabebe and Floette's Shiny Forms have subtle differences.

Pokemon fans may think it would be the flower that changes color for Shiny Flabebe/Floette, but it's not. In fact, it's the eyes, lower body, and eyebrows (for Floette) that change color. A regular Flabebe/Floette will have a green body and gray eyes. A Shiny Flabebe/Floette has a purple body, blue eyes, and purple eyebrows (Floette). Some players may not even see Flabebe or its evolution unless they accidentally run into one. Those Shiny Hunting for Flabebe/Floette may want to be on the lookout for the different-colored flowers they carry, as this will be the only indication that they're nearby.

18 Tadbulb

Where to Find: South Province

Tadbulb made its debut in Scarlet/Violet. It's an Electric-type Pokemon that evolves into the larger Bellibolt, but Tadbulb is, as fans may have guessed, a small Pokemon. Standing at 1 foot tall, it's a bit larger than Flabebe and Floette. Meaning they're not hard to miss. What holds Shiny Tadbulb from being noticed (by most) is its color. A regular Tadbulb has an orange-tipped tail and "foot contact." The Shiny Tadbulb has a red-tipped tail, "foot contact," and a red-outlined mouth and eyes.

Looking at them side-by-side, it's easier to spot the differences. However, that may not be the case when trainers are riding around on Koraidon/Miraidon. Fortunately, Tadbulbs are commonly found by rivers and bodies of water and are easier to spot than most small Shiny Pokemon. Its color variation, while not obvious, has enough of a difference to stand out for some.

17 Flittle

Where to Find: Asado Desert, East Province (Area Two)

Flittle is a Psychic-type Pokemon that's known for its weak stats compared to its evolution, Espathra. Trainers that are able to evolve it at level 35 may find a powerful fighter, Espathra's signature move, Lumina Crash. Flittle and Espathra are speedy and powerful Special Attackers. Perhaps less impressive is Flittle's Shiny Form, especially when compared to Espathra's.

The only difference between regular and Shiny Flittle is its pink "skirt." The Shiny Flittle has a neon green "skirt" instead and a dark brown lower body. Flittle's also 8 inches tall, meaning it's not going to be standing out any time soon. Perhaps the neon green of its skirt will make it stand out more to eagle-eyed gamers.

16 Tynamo

Where to Find: North Paldean Sea, West Paldean Sea, Timeless Woods (Teal Mask), Chargestone Cavern (Indigo Disk)

Tynamo is a small, tadpole Pokemon with an electric stripe running down its side. Tynamo's shallow movepool, inability to learn no more than 3 Moves via TMs, and meager stats means it's likely to be ignored by rookie trainers. However, it can evolve into Eelektrik and Eelektross, two Pokemon that have good Attack and Special Attack. Once it evolves, it can learn a variety of moves such as Flamethrower and Dragon Pulse (via TMs). Despite its Electric-typing, Tynamo can only be spotted in the water, and its tiny, translucent body doesn't make it easy to spot among the waves, either.

While Shiny Eelektrik and Eelektross have strikingly different color variations from their regular counterparts, Tynamo is not as lucky. It not only stays the same color, but the only difference is the barely-visible stripe on its side. A regular Tynamo will have a yellow stripe, whereas a Shiny Tynamo will have an orange stripe. Maybe the orange coloring is bright enough for some trainers to notice, but for the majority, this is one Pokemon that will be difficult to spot.

15 Paldean Tauros

Where to Find: East Province (Area One)

Unlike the Kantonian, Normal-type Tauros, Paldean Tauros come in three different forms: Regular, Blaze Breed, and Aqua Breed. These Tauros are Fighting-type with the Blaze Breed (Scarlet exclusive) being Fighting/Fire-type, and the Aqua Breed (Violet exclusive) being Fighting/Water-type. These Tauros have black/gray fur with red and blue flecks in the Blaze Breed and Aqua Breed's mane, respectively. The Shiny Kantonian Tauros is a striking pale green compared to its regular form. One would think that the Paldean Tauros would stand out just as much.

However, the problem with Paldean Tauros' Shiny Form is the colors of the mane (black) and body (gray) are swapped. Tauros aren't nearly as small as Tynamo or Flabebe. Plus, they travel in hordes, meaning it's easier to run into more than one at a time. On the downside, Tauros are ruthless. They will charge the player character the minute they see them and can potentially lock them into one battle after another. Since they all rush trainers at the same time, it can be difficult even getting to the Shiny Paldean Tauros. Even then, the barely-there changes from regular Paldean Tauros to Shiny Tauros require a careful eye, especially when searching for them at night.

14 Slowpoke

Where to Find: Casseroya Lake

Kantonian Slowbro and Slowking have enough color variation in their regular vs. Shiny Forms. These two are the Water/Psychic-type evolutions of Slowpoke. If Slowpoke is leveled to 37, it will evolve into Slowbro. If it's traded while holding a King's Rock, it will evolve into Slowking instead. Unfortunately for Slowpoke, its Shiny coloring isn't as impressive as its final evolutions.

A regular Slowpoke is pink with a pale muzzle and tail tip. A Shiny Slowpoke is the exact same, only the pink coloring is much less saturated. Back in Generation 2, Shiny Slowpoke was purple. Unfortunately, this did not carry over into later Generations, and this can be extremely frustrating for Shiny Hunters. To make matters worse, Shiny Slowpoke's pelt may be harder to distinguish depending on the time of day in-game.

13 Sunkern & Sunflora

Where to Find: South Province (Area One), South Province (Area Two)

Sunkern and Sunflora made their debut in Generation 2, and Sunflora even plays a role during the test for Brassius' Gym. While most trainers may pass over the Sunkern-line in favor of other Grass-type Pokemon, there are those that prefer to use it in battle simply for a challenge. These sunflower Pokemon can be caught in various provinces (ex: South Province) or in Tera Raids.

Shiny Sunkern has a darker, almost-orange body with brown stripes. The sprouting leaves are also paler than regular Sunkern. The petals of a Shiny Sunflora are less saturated than a regular Sunflora. Its lime-green stem/body may stick out more for Shiny Hunters than Shiny Sunkern. Not to mention that Shiny Sunflora is easier to spot since it's taller, albeit rarer. Despite these differences, their Shiny Forms aren't too striking compared to their originals.

12 Petilil

Where to Find: West Province (Area One), Wistful Fields (Teal Mask), Reveler's Road (Teal Mask)

Perhaps even worse than Sunkern/Sunflora's Shiny Form is Petilil. This little Pokemon evolves into Liligant when exposed to a Sun Stone. In Legends: Arceus, the Petilil in Hisui could evolve into the Grass/Fighting-type Hisuian Liligant. So far, the Petilil caught in Paldea only evolve into regular Liligant, which is unfortunate for those that preferred the Hisuian version.

While Liligant's Shiny Form has more visible differences, Petilil's does not. Its body and head have a more yellowish look to them, and its eyes go from red to purple/gray (depending on who's asked). When spotting Petilil, this is hardly enough of a difference to go on, and Scarlet/Violet players may have to get close just to see if it's Shiny. It doesn't help that Petilil isn't exactly the tallest Grass-type, either.

11 Tandemaus

Where to Find: West Province (Area Two), West Province (Area Three), Pokemon League, Wistful Fields (Teal Mask), Paradies Barrens (Teal Mask)

Tandemaus is a unique Normal-type Pokemon with a unique evolution method. The mouse duo can be seen hopping about Paldea, particularly outside Medali, or they can be caught in Tera Raids. Because of their small stature, spotting the Shiny Tandemaus can be challenging for Shiny Hunters.

A regular Tandeamus will have pale blue "clothing" while the Shiny Tandeamaus has sandy brown "clothing." Since it's difficult to even see the faded colors on a regular Tandemaus, it's not going to be any easier spotting the Shiny Tandemaus. Most Scarlet/Violet players may find they'll need to be face-to-face with these mice Pokemon to see the difference. Fortunately, Tandemaus isn't aggressive, so trainers can approach without worrying about being dragged into battle.

10 Cutiefly

Where to Find: Kitakami Road (Teal Mask), Wistful Fields (Teal Mask)

Bug/Fairy-type Cutiefly and its evolution, Ribombee, first appeared in Pokemon Sun/Moon. Its name is quite fitting for its appearance, as it's a tiny, bee-like Pokemon with huge eyes. Fortunately for trainers, Cutiefly is a common Pokemon near the starting area of Kitakami.

Cutieflys are yellow, but the Shiny Form is a pastel-pink. This normally wouldn't be an issue for a larger Pokemon, but Cutiefly is as small as a... well, fly. It's difficult to see, and it's one of those Pokemon that trainers are going to accidentally bump into while speeding around on Koraidon/Miraidon. The worst time of day to Shiny Hunt Cutiefly is during the evening (in-game), as the sunset makes it harder to differentiate the yellow Cutiefly from the pink one. Trainers will have better luck sending out a Pokemon with a Type Advantage to Auto-battle the hordes of Cutieflys. If it doesn't attack one, then the Cutiefly might be Shiny.

9 Poliwag & Poliwhirl

Where to Find: Mossfell Confluence (Teal Mask)

The Poliwag-line have been a part of the Pokemon world since Red/Blue, and they gained an additional evolution in Politoed with Pokemon Gold/Silver. While Poliwrath and Politoed have distinct Shiny Forms, Poliwag and Poliwhirl are not as lucky.

Shiny Poliwag and Shiny Poliwhirl are distinguished by their brighter blue bodies... and that's about it. Side-by-side, there's hardly any difference, and the only way to tell if trainers aren't actively looking for it is the sparkle animation at the start of battle. To make matters worse, Poliwag in particular likes to hang around Mossfell Confluence, where it will sometimes hang out in the shadows of the cliffside. This ends up muting its colors, making Shiny Poliwag look none too different from the original Poliwag. However, those that manage to catch Shiny Poliwag/Poliwhirl have a green Poliwrath or a blue/purple Politoed waiting as the third and final evolution.

8 Poltchageist & Sinistcha

Where to Find: Kitakami Hall (Teal Mask)

Like Toedscool and Toedscruel, Poltchageist and Sinistcha are not regional variants of Polteageist and Sinistea respectively. They're their own species and a curious case of reverse evolution. Instead of Sinistcha being the pre-evolved form to Poltchageist like Sinistea is to Polteageist, Poltchageist evolves into Sinistcha. In any case, both species are rather small, and it doesn't help that their Shiny Forms aren't that different either.

Poltchaigeist's chaire is normally black, but a Shiny Poltchaigeist's is a dark, forest green. Not only is this difficult to spot from far away, but it's a bit of a disappointment when one compares its Shiny Form to Polteageist. Sinistcha doesn't get a better Shiny Form either, as the rim of its cup is gold instead of dark brown, but the black of the cup is the same forest green as Shiny Poltchaigeist. Therefore, while easier to see than Poltchaigeist, it's still not one that's going to stick out unless players know where to look. It's possible that the gold on Sinistcha's "body" could be a reference to kintsugi, but that bit of trivia doesn't exactly make it easier to find either. Sinistcha does have the advantage of being an evolution, so it's likely trainers will need to catch a Shiny Poltchaiegeist instead of catching Shiny Sinistcha in the wild.

7 Chingling

Where to Find: Oni Mountain (Teal Mask)

Chingling is the pre-evolved form of Chimecho, a Psychic-type that debuted in the third generation. In fact, Chingling was created a generation later, and evolving it required raising its friendship level, then leveling it up at night. While Chimecho's Shiny Form is distinct, Chingling's is not.

A Shiny Chingling has a paler head/bell and scarlet rather than red threads. It may be easier to distinguish the Shiny Chingling when comparing it Chingling side-by-side with a regular one. Despite this, Chingling's Shiny Form is one that trainers might not pick up on.

6 White-Striped Basculin

Where to Find: Timeless Woods (Teal Mask)

This Basculin originated from the Hisui Region, and it's the only form of Basculin that's capable of evolving. Unlike its red and blue-striped counterparts, White-Striped Basculin is more of a pacifist and will swim away when detected. However, out of the three types of Basculin, it's worth catching.

While its evolution, Basculegion, has some major color differences from its original and Shiny Form, White-Striped Basculin continues the trend of somewhat disappointing Shiny Forms in the Basculin family. The only difference between a regular and White-Striped Basculin (and Basculin in general) is its brighter colors. This might pay off when Basculin evolves into Basculegion, as the male and female forms have different facial features and colors in both their normal and Shiny Forms, but Basculin's modest Shiny Coloring is an easy miss.

5 Plusle

Where to Find: Chargestone Cavern

Plusle and Minun were the Electric-type rodent Pokemon of Gen 3, much like Pichu to Gen 2 and Pachirisu to Gen 4, and so forth. Thanks to the Indigo Disk, both of these Pokemon can be caught in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet. Fortunately for Minun, its Shiny variant is quite distinct from its regular form. Plusle, on the other hand, is not as lucky.

The difference between Plusle and Shiny Plusle is the red coloring on its body is more saturated. While the difference is more obvious side-by-side, Plusle only spawns in the Chargestone Cavern of the Canyon Biome. Thanks to the giant hunks of blue crystals and weird lighting, this can interfere with the appearance of the Pokemon, making it harder to distinguish their regular forms from their Shiny forms. When you compare Shiny Plusle to Shiny Minun, it's somewhat disappointing how one has more of an obvious difference while the other is just a shade more intense.

4 Shieldon

Where to Find: Canyon Biome

Exclusive to Pokemon Violet, Shieldon is the "fossil Pokemon" from Sinnoh, exclusive to Pokemon Pearl/Shining Pearl/Shining Pearl. Rock/Steel-type Shieldon evolves into Bastiodon, and as most trainers could probably tell, its best strengths lie in its Defense and Special Defense with mediocre stats in just about everything else. Shieldon spawns only in one area of Terarium in the Canyon Biome, and if you have Pokemon Scarlet, you'll find Cranidos instead.

The difference between Shiny Shieldon and regular Shieldon is in its head-shield and a yellower body. The Shiny Shieldon's head is a deep, navy blue compared to the gray of a regular Shieldon. While it sticks out more than some other Shiny Pokemon, the difference may not be as obvious when you're Shiny Hunting for it at night or in the evening. When compared side-by-side, the difference is more obvious, but it may not be one you'll notice from a mile away.

3 Duraludon

Where to Find: Polar Biome

Duraldon is a Steel/Dragon-type that debuted in Pokemon Sword/Shield. This unique type combination makes it shrug off regular Dragon-type weaknesses such as Dragon, Ice, and Fairy-type. In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, Duraludon was given an evolution: Archaludon.

Unfortunately for Duraludon, its Shiny form isn't as obvious as its evolution. Shiny Duraludon has a bit of a green tint to its body instead of the metallic silver. The "beacon" on Duraludon's head is white instead of silver, and its eyes are orange instead of yellow. You'll also notice the "pads" of Duraludon's arms and torso are a lighter blue than regular Duraludon. It's not a bad difference when you really look at it, but when you're Shiny Hunting in an area that makes it hard to see, the difference won't be so obvious. Shiny Duraludon is a pain to Shiny Hunt if you're running the Sparkling Power during the evening or at night. Your best bet for Shiny Hunting this Steel/Dragon-type is to have your Pokemon auto-battle, as a Pokemon in auto-battle mode won't attack Shiny Pokemon.

2 Joltik

Where to Find: Chargestone Cavern (Indigo Disk)

Joltik is a cute little jumping spider-like Pokemon that first appeared in Gen 5. It hops around a good several feet in the air when moving, and it's also an incredibly small Pokemon. Just like in Pokemon Black/White, Joltik only spawns in caves, specifically Chargestone Cavern, which is basically the Terarium version of Unova's Chargestone Cave.

Shiny Joltik is greener than regular Joltik, and it has purple eyes instead of blue. What makes Shiny Hunting this little guy difficult is the lighting of Chargestone Cavern. Joltik tend to spawn in one particular area that just happens to be next to large chargestone crystals. The blue lighting bleaches the colors of nearby Pokemon, making it harder to differentiate between a regular and Shiny Joltik. You should send a Pokemon out to auto-battleek. If you're lucky, your Pokemon will stumble upon a Shiny Joltik, and from there, you can engage it in battle.

1 Minior

Where to Find: Chargestone Cavern (Indigo Disk), Polar Biome (Indigo Disk)

Minior is a very peculiar Pokemon that has two different forms: Meteor Form and Core Form. Miniors have a unique Ability called Shields Down, which transforms them from Meteor Form to Core Form when their HP reaches half or lower. In doing so, it trades its Defense and Special Defense for high Attack, Special Attack, and Speed. What makes Minior different from one another is its Core Form. Miniors come in seven different colors: Red Core, Orange Core, Yellow Core, Green Core, Blue Core, Inidigo Core, and Violet Core. The color of the core has no difference on Minior's typing or stats, but it's the only thing that separates it from regular Minior and Shiny Minior.

Before Shields Down kicks in, all Minior share the exact same appearance in their Meteor Form - that includes Shiny Minior. There's no way you'll be able to tell a regular Minior from Shiny Minior unless you battle it and it sparkles. When its shell breaks, Shiny Minior's core will be a much darker color than the regular Miniors. Unfortunately, the only way you're going to know if Minior is Shiny is if you have a Pokemon auto-battle, or you go up to every Minior and battle it. This can make Shiny Hunting Minior very tedious, and arguably marks it as most, difficult Shiny Pokemon to spot in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet.