How to Hatch Eggs in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Pokemon Breeding and Egg systems were first added in Generation II or Pokemon Gold and Silver, and players have enjoyed this side activity in order to fill up their party aside from just catching Pokemon in the wild. Of course, you can still make your furry friends produce Eggs in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, although there are a few changes compared to older entries. If you have questions, fret not; this Pokemon Scarlet and Violet guide will quickly get you up to speed on how to breed Pokemon and hatch their Eggs.

(Updated on August 22, 2024 – Updated links.)

How to Breed Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet replaced the previous games’ Day Care with Picnic. Throughout the game, you can automatically breed compatible Pokemon (the ones in the same Egg Group or a Ditto) after setting up a Picnic Table. Just wait for a while (usually it takes just a minute or two), and there’s a chance that an Egg or even several Eggs will appear when you interact with the Picnic Table’s Egg Basket.

You can also increase the production of eggs by giving your Pokemon sandwiches a high egg power effect. Look for Fillings and Condiments that raise Egg Power, such as:

How to Hatch Eggs in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Now that you’ve got yourselves some Eggs on your hands, how can you hatch them, you asked? Well, it’s pretty easy, and I’m sure casual Pokemon GO players also know this. All you need to do is put the Egg (or Eggs) into your party and then walk around all over Paldea. Of course, riding Koraidon or Miraidon also counts — but idling in one spot won’t since Egg hatching is counted through steps taken instead of a timer.

Keep in mind that you have to take at least one normal/non-Egg Pokemon in your party to be able to hatch Pokemon, and some species’ Eggs could hatch faster while others will take longer. Nevertheless, there is a way to speed up hatching Egg in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet through the use of Pokemon’s Abilities. These passive skills could give them special effects outside of battles. For Egg hatching, you would want to bring Pokemon that has Magma Armor, Flame Body, or Steam Engine Ability:

The Abilities don’t stack, though, having more than one Pokemon with them won’t decrease the steps you need to hatch Eggs. So the best way to do it is simply to bring only one Pokemon with Magma Armor/Flame Body/Steam Engine and fill the other five party slots with Eggs.

Now that you know how to breed Pokemon and hatch their Eggs, it’s time to learn about more advanced Pokemon breeding techniques, such as the Masuda Method for Shiny farming and transferring Egg Moves!