Pallet Town

Learn how to catch your first Pokemon in Pallet Town in Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee! We'll guide you through the catching mechanics and getting your starter.

Alright, welcome to the world of Pokémon! You're about to become a trainer, and it all starts right here in Pallet Town. The first thing you need to know is that catching Pokémon in Let's Go is a bit different from older games – it's more like Pokémon GO now. To get started, you'll want to select the “Get Ready” option. This basically tells the game you're all set to throw a Poké Ball.

Now, for the fun part: throwing! You can use your Joy-Con controller or Poké Ball Plus and just wave it like you're actually tossing a ball. Try throwing overhand or underhand; see what feels best for you. If you're playing in handheld mode, you can aim by moving your Switch around and then press the A button to throw.

To successfully catch a Pokémon, your Poké Ball needs to land inside the biggest circle around it. If you nail it, the Pokémon will go into the ball and start to wobble. It'll either stay put (you caught it!) or it might break free. Don't worry if it breaks out, though – you can always try again. Just go back to “Get Ready” and repeat the process. It takes practice, so don't get discouraged if you miss a few times!

There's a smaller circle that appears around the Pokémon, and if you can hit that one with your Poké Ball, your chances of catching it go way up. The smaller that circle is when you hit it, the better your odds. You'll see words like “Nice,” “Great,” or “Excellent” pop up on screen. “Nice” means you hit the second circle, but it was still pretty big. “Excellent” means you hit it when it was at its absolute smallest – nice job!

After you've caught your very first Pokémon, it'll make a run for it, and you and Professor Oak will end up at his lab. Head over to the middle Poké Ball – the one that's jumping around – to officially get your partner Pokémon. You can even give it a nickname right then and there!

Your rival will then pick the Pokémon that's the opposite of yours. So, if you chose Pikachu, they'll pick Eevee, and vice versa. As for that last Poké Ball? It's a bit of a mystery, but don't worry about it too much right now. The important thing is you've got your starter!

Once you're done at the lab, you're free to leave Pallet Town. Honestly, there isn't much else to do here anyway! As you head out, your mom will give you a Town Map. You can find it in your Bag by opening the main menu. To leave Pallet Town, just head north, back towards where you first met Professor Oak, and keep going straight north. Your grand adventure awaits!