Much like Pokemon Sword & Shield before them, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet allow players to input their birthday so that they can celebrate with their Pokepals when the special day finally rolls around. However, it's entirely likely that some players will be wondering just what exactly these celebrations entail and whether or not there are any birthday gifts involved.
There have been plenty of games that reward players for playing on their birthday over the years, so it's not all that unreasonable for players to expect the same from Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. As a result, some may be thinking about putting in a fake birthday just to find out what happens, though, thankfully, there is another less permanent way to do so.
How to Set Your Birthday in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
To set their birthday in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, players will simply need to speak to the nurse at any Pokemon Center and select the "Can I register my birthday?" option. They'll then be asked to select the month and date of their birthday before confirming the details. Players should pay close attention before they do so, as after confirming the date of their birthday, they won't be able to change it later on.
What Happens if You Play Pokemon Scarlet & Violet on Your Birthday?
After the player has set their birthday, the Pokemon Center nurse will thank them and remind them to stop by on their special day. Doing so will result in some fireworks flashing across the screen and some cute little Pikachu and star shapes falling from the top of the screen before slowly fading away. After the nurse wishes players a wonderful year, the camera will pull out and the electronic displays above the counter will show a birthday cake as well as some balloons and a couple of Drifloon.
Sadly, players won't get any items for playing Pokemon Scarlet & Violet on their birthday, likely due to how easy it would be to abuse the mechanic by simply changing the internal clock on one's Switch. When all's said and done, the birthday celebrations in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are pretty similar to the ones in Pokemon Sword & Shield, so players shouldn't be in too much of a rush to see them. In fact, it's probably best to just set a birthday and then forget about it until the big day rolls around.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now for the Nintendo Switch.