Shiny Zacian distribution starts today, Shiny Zamazenta to follow

What you need to know

• Pokémon Sword and Shield are the first games in the eighth generation of mainline titles.
• The Pokémon Company is distributing shiny versions of the legendary dogs, Zacian and Zamazenta.
• Distribution for Zacian starts today, while Zamazenta gets distributed starting on November 12, 2021.

Some Pokémon fans really enjoy "shiny hunting", which is where they manipulate random number generators and play according to specific odds in order to obtain Pokémon with different color schemes. However, most legendaries in recent Pokémon games have been "shiny-locked" — this means that it is impossible to legitimately obtain a shiny version of them, as Game Freak specifically wrote the game's code to bring the shiny odds down to zero.

Fans of shiny Pokémon will be happy to hear that shiny versions of the legendary Pokémon duo that premiered in Pokémon Sword and Shield are being distributed in the United States via a serial code. To get your code, head to a participating GameStop near you, ask for a code, and later redeem it via the Mystery Gift menu in your copy of Pokémon Sword and Shield while connected to the internet. Shiny Zacian is being distributed starting today until November 11, while Shiny Zamazenta heads to GameStop starting on November 12 to November 26, 2021.

If you're unable to head to a GameStop before the distribution period ends, you can head to the GAME official website, owned by a chain of video game retail stores in the United Kingdom. Codes in the UK are distributed to your email address, with the caveat being that Zacian can only be redeemed in Pokémon Shield, and Zamazenta can only be redeemed in Pokémon Sword. Still, it grants players the opportunity to be involved in distributions without needing to head to a physical location. The GAME email codes head out on Mondays, and run until November 18, 2021.