In Pokémon Sword and Shield, while almost every Pokémon in the game is capable of undergoing a process called Dynamax in certain battles, there are a few Pokémon that are capable of an even more dramatic form change—an extension of Dynamax, called Gigantamax.
In order for a Pokémon to be capable of Gigantamaxing, it needs to satisfy two conditions, in addition to being in a suitable place to Dynamax (such as a Stadium or a Max Raid Battle):
- The Pokémon must have the Gigantamax Factor (shown in its status screen; more on this in a bit)
- The Pokémon must have a Gigantamax form
Only certain species of Pokémon have a Gigantamax form. Just because a Pokémon has a Gigantamax form doesn’t mean it will be able to Gigantamax; it also needs to possess the Gigantamax Factor, which is a mark shown on the status screen and requires certain conditions to be met.
Gigantamax Factor
In order for a Pokémon to Gigantamax, it needs to have the Gigantamax Factor. But how do you get the Gigantamax Factor on a Pokémon?
The main way of getting Gigantamax-capable Pokémon is by fighting them in the Wild Area, Isle of Armor, or Crown Tundra in Max Raid Battles. If the Pokémon you fight in the Max Raid Battle is a Gigantamax Pokémon (which tend to be very rare, outside of special events that boost their appearance rate), then when you catch it, it will have the Gigantamax Factor and will be able to Gigantamax.
There are a few instances where you can receive a Pokémon with the Gigantamax Factor without having to battle for it. For instance, after beating the main story, you can return to Leon’s room and pick up a Charmander with the Gigantamax Factor. Despite Charmander having the Gigantamax Factor, neither it nor Charmeleon can actually Gigantamax—it must first evolve into Charizard, which is the only Pokémon in that evolution line that has a Gigantamax form.
The Gigantamax Factor cannot be bred or passed along to other Pokémon! In fact, prior to the release of the Isle of Armor DLC, there was no way for a Pokémon without the Gigantamax Factor to gain access to it, and if you haven’t purchased the Expansion Pass, then you’ll need to depend on catching Pokémon in Max Raid Battles to get Gigantamax-capable Pokémon.
However, during your adventure through the Isle of Armor, you’ll eventually unlock the ability to make Max Stew with Max Mushrooms that regrow around the area after awhile (usually a few fights in Max Raid Battles in the area). This can be fed to Pokémon that have a Gigantamax form to permanently give them the Gigantamax Factor, meaning you can breed something like a Hattena and give it the chance to become a Gigantamax Hatterene, or you can use it on your Galar Starter Pokémon’s final evolution, such as Cinderace, to get a Gigantamax version of it.
What Benefits Do Gigantamax Pokémon Get?
So here’s the thing about Gigantamax: it looks cool, but, barring one change that will be discussed momentarily (in addition to its cosmetic form), it is functionally the same as ordinary Dynamax! Gigantamax Pokémon don’t have any better stats, abilities, or other strength over Dynamax Pokémon. They just look cooler and have one special difference: G-Max Moves.
Gigantamax Pokémon still have Max Moves just as ordinary Dynamax Pokémon do, but damaging moves that match their primary type instead turn into unique G-Max Moves. These G-Max Moves are unique to each Gigantamax Pokémon and generally offer even stronger effects than the ordinary Max Moves do.
List of Gigantamax Pokémon and G-Max Moves
Here’s a list of all of the Pokémon that are capable of Gigantamaxing and which G-Max Moves they get while in that form, along with the type of move required.
(todo: add the table, not the DataTable style though)