Weather is extremely important in the Pokémon series, and Sword and Shield are no different. The weather dictates what Pokemon will spawn in the region around you. If you are looking for a Pokemon that occurs during a thunderstorm and the weather is sunny, you will need to change the goal. Unless, of course, there is a way to change the weather.
How to change the weather in Pokemon Sword and Shield wild area
While the game itself doesn't allow you to change the weather, you can do so through Nintendo Switch's system clock. It won't have any negative effect on your Switch or your game, other than changing the weather. Remember to go back to the current time when you are done.
To change the time on your switch, follow the steps below:
- Access system settings
- Scroll down to the System tab
- Click on data and time
- Change your time zone
- Save the change
You should change the increments of about two hours, as this will put you into a new weather cycle. You don't even have to turn off the game to do this. Once you've changed the weather, try to catch the Pokémon you're looking for, then set it back to your time zone.
It's an easy way to spend less time waiting and moving around when trying to catch these rare ones. There is no guarantee that the next time zone will be the one that gives you the weather conditions you need. Also, be careful not to change it from day to night as it could negatively impact the spawning rate of the Pokémon you want.