Do I have to catch every Pokémon to complete the Pokédex, or does it count if I just see them?

Question

I have most of the Pokémon in the Scarlet/Violet Pokédex, but do I have to catch 'em all, or can I just see them?

Comments

What are you trying to do? Get the shiny charm? If so then you have to catch them. I'm pretty sure the only games you have to see them to get access to more stuff is D, BD, P, SP, and I think Platinum but I'm not completely sure about that one.

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Yeah, Shiny Charm.

Answer 1

A "complete" Pokedex is one that has captured every Pokemon, excluding mythicals. This is how the player obtains reward items like the completion diploma and the Shiny Charm. There are two notable exceptions:

1. In Sinnoh, the player must see every non-mythical Pokemon in the regional Pokedex to gain access to the postgame battle facilities.
2. In Black 2 and White 2, the Nature Preserve may be accessed once every non-mythical in the regional Pokedex has been seen.

To the best of my knowledge, every Pokedex reward in Scarlet and Violet comes from capturing Pokemon.