Trading is at the heart of Pokémon of community experience, and this is once again true Pokémon Sword and Shield. Sword and Shield offers you two ways to trade Pokémon with your friends around the world.
How to trade Pokemon in Pokémon Sword and Shield
The first thing you need to do is unlock Comm Link. You have to play through the story and you will know that it has been unlocked when a blue Comm Links icon appears in the lower left corner of the screen. Press Y to open Comm Shortcuts menu to start trading Pokemon. You can do this both offline and online.
Link Trade will allow you to trade Pokemon with anyone in your Friends List or local area. If your friends aren't close to you, use the + button in the Trade menu to connect to the internet and trade with them that way.
Surprise Trade allows you to send a random Pokemon to someone and get a random Pokemon from them in exchange. Unfortunately, these are the only two trading methods in the game, as the GTS and other features from previous games in the series have moved on from these new titles.
Which method you choose to use is up to you, although we much prefer the idea of Link Trade. Remember, you'll have to trade with people to get version-exclusive Pokemon that only appear in either Sword or Shield.
