Pokemon Sun & Moon Guide: Top tips & tricks to help you on your island challenge

Pokemon Sun & Moon are finally out in the wild and the world of Alola is at last at the fingertips of a whole slew of new Pokemon trainers.

But... as ever with Pokemon, there's hidden bits and pieces to its inner workings that really make Alola particularly interesting. There are new Pokemon to catch, some rarer than others. There's evolutionary stones to collect, move tutors, version exclusive Pokemon and more.

There's also, of course, three very different Starter Pokemon to choose from. That's never not a difficult, painful decision - matters are no different here.

We've put together a bunch of pages that form our Pokemon Sun & Moon Guide. Rather than a detailed step-by-step walkthrough that spoils every aspect of the game, we've instead built out a bunch of guide pages about specific topics.

Within these pages we dive deep on the aspects of Sun & Moon that we think are most likely to leave you scratching your head. We'll be adding more pages, and updating this central page, over time. If there's anything you want to see specifically, let us know!

Getting started in Pokemon Sun & Moon

Okay, so - you've got the download or the cart and you're ready to start playing. What should you know before you get started? There's a few early-game choices you should know about... so allow us to give you a hand.

Pokemon Sun & Moon Starters Guide: How to choose the best starter for you

A trainer's first Pokemon can determine which areas of the game they'll struggle with or breeze through, and ultimately what their end game roster looks like. Whether you’re pondering Litten, Rowlet, or Popplio, we’ve got you covered in this break down.

Pokemon Sun & Moon Guide: Everything you need to know about the Starter Pokemon evolutions

We already talked a little about which starter you might want to choose on another guide page - but do you want to go deeper? If so - here's what the starter trio will become after several hours' of gameplay. If you want to plan ahead... we've got you. If you've already picked, this will help you know what's coming.

Pokemon Sun & Moon Guide: Here are the version exclusive Pokemon for each game

Pokemon Sun & Moon continue the classic Pokemon tradition of having a few different species of Pokemon that are exclusive to each version of the game. What's exclusive where? Which version should you buy? We have you covered - have no fear.

Pokemon Sun & Moon Guide: How to get your limited early Munchlax and Z-Crystal to get Snorlax

So long as it's between November 18th and January 11th, all owners of Pokemon Sun & Moon can get themselves a special gift: a Munchlax Pokemon complete with its own special Z-Crystal, Snorlium Z. Here's how to get it.

Pokemon Sun & Moon Guide: how to transfer Pokemon to Sun & Moon

While, yes, it is a bit cheaty to transfer over mega-powerful Pokemon that'll smash everything in Sun & Moon to smithereens, some people just want to transfer over their favourite Pokemon that aren't available in Sun & Moon. We'd never begrudge you for wanting a Charizard.

Key Item & NPC Locations in Pokemon Sun & Moon

After playing Sun & Moon for a while and getting comfortable, you're going to be faced with some more hard decisions and questions. You might want to change how you move in battle, catch a Ditto in order to get to Pokemon breeding, or teach extra moves to your Pokemon.

Below you'll find our guide to all those things and more - items, NPCs and Pokemon you need to know about and use.

Pokemon Sun & Moon Guide: Where to find & catch Rockruff, Pichu, Mudbray, Ditto and other useful Pokemon

Pokemon Sun & Moon is jam-packed with some of the best Pokemon from previous Pokemon generations in its local Alola Pokedex - and on top of that greatest hits package there's a slew of all-new Pokemon to catch too. Here's how to catch some of our favourites new and old that we think should be a staple of any team.

Pokemon Sun & Moon Guide: Where to find the name rater, move tutors, battle style changer & other key NPCs

There's a few important functional NPCs in Sun & Moon including the name rater, several different move tutors, and one additional character who allows you to change your player character's 'style' in battles, determining what their animations look like when throwing Poke balls and the like. Here's how to find the lot.

Pokemon Sun & Moon Guide: Where to find evolution items like the fire stone, thunder stone, ice stone and others

One of the more common means of Pokemon evolution is by exposing them to or giving them a certain item. That item will, under certain circumstances, make that Pokemon evolve. All important is where to find those stones and items - plus what Pokemon they have an effect on. You can find all that here.

Pokemon Sun & Moon Guide: How to get a Lucky Egg to level up more quickly

The Lucky Egg is a fairly traditional Pokemon item, though it's one that hasn't been all that prominent in the games. It's a useful late-game tool, but you need to get your hands on one first - and it's not the easiest thing in the world to locate. So... here's how to get it.

Pokemon Sun & Moon Guide: How to obtain the fossil Pokemon Cranidos, Tirtouga, Archen and Shieldon

It's tradition to find a pair (or more) of fossils in a Pokemon game that you're tasked with bringing back to life. Pokemon Sun & Moon handle this mechanic a little differently to previous games, but it's still there. Here's how to get yourself some fossil Pokemon.