How many Vivillon forms are in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Vivillon, the Scale Pokémon from the Kalos region, is one of several returning monsters that players can obtain in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. It made its debut in Pokémon X and Y, where it was the ace in the fight against the games’ first Gym Leader, Viola.

This Bug/Flying-type is also well-known for having more distinct forms than almost every other Pokémon in existence. Here’s a look at how many Vivillon forms players can currently obtain in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

How many Vivillon forms are in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Since its introduction in Generation 6, this butterfly Pokémon has had 20 distinct forms.

They are all characterized by the different color patterns on their wings. Two of these were exclusive to event distributions. The other 18 forms were all based on the geographic location that the player’s 3DS was set to when they encountered the Vivillon or one of its pre-evolutions, Scatterbug or Pewpa.

However, now that the Pokémon has made the transition to the Switch, the geographic location no longer matters. As of now, only one of the 20 Vivillon forms is available in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Trainers can only obtain the Fancy pattern for Vivillon in Paldea. Interestingly, this form was previously only available through an event distribution in 2014. As a result, these games will mark the first time trainers can catch a Fancy Vivillon in the wild.

Are more patterns coming in the future?

While most Vivillon forms are not available in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet at the moment, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will never make their way into the games. Twitter user Yoriden noted that The Pokémon Company could opt to add in more Vivillon forms through a crossover with Pokémon GO.

The 18 global patterns instead might be locked behind Pokemon GO mechanics. This wouldn't be too much of a surprise considering how they're handling Gimmighoul's Roaming Form.

Still a bummer if you were hoping for an easier means of collecting them.https://t.co/lkyK9ci5IN pic.twitter.com/UWzUu8o5cs

— Yoriden (@Yoriden150) November 7, 2022

Recent datamines have revealed that Vivillon is on its way to Pokémon GO and that its form will, once again, be based on location. According to these leaks, players will be able to obtain a Vivillon from a given region if they receive enough in-game postcards from that region.

The Pokémon Company has already confirmed that Pokémon GO is the only way to catch a Roaming Form Gimmighoul. As a result, it is possible that players could similarly get their hands on the different Vivillon forms in Scarlet and Violet exclusively by transferring them from Pokémon GO. Of course, Pokémon GO will not become compatible with Scarlet and Violet until 2023. For this reason, players will have to settle for a single Vivillon pattern in the meantime.