Pokemon Sword & Shield Bug Apparently Corrupts SD Cards

Pokemon Sword and Shield launched today on Nintendo Switch, and though most fans seem to be enjoying the title, a few have a real bone to pick with Nintendo and the game's developer, Game Freak. Why? Because it seems both Sword and Shield have erased some game saves and corrupted some SD cards.

According to a report from DualShockers, players from around the globe have been tweeting about a bug in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield that erases game saves. And it sounds like the bug is pretty unavoidable, as those who've encountered it say it presents itself while they're throwing a Pokeball in the game. The ability to throw a Pokeball is fairly important in any Pokemon title, as the ball helps you "catch 'em all." So to say this is a big problem; well, that's an understatement.

But it's not the only issue players are reportedly encountering. Some are blaming that same bug for corrupting their SD cards, which is monumentally worse in the grand scheme, as it not only wrecks game saves on the card, but also any software that's installed. Long story short: if the bug strikes, you can look forward to downloading all of your games again.

Fortunately, it appears that Polygon has at least determined the cause of the bug, which means you can potentially avoid running into it yourself. All you have to do, according to the website, is ensure your SD card isn't formatted using exFAT. If you're using FAT32, you should be able to restart your game after getting the bug without a problem. If you're using exFAT, however, the bug could corrupt your card. It might be worthwhile to format your card using FAT32, then reinstall all of your games before you start playing Pokemon Sword and Shield.

Nintendo has yet to address the matter, but as more players pick up Sword and Shield, we imagine more will experience this issue. We'll keep you up to speed should Nintendo issue a statement.