First: The Main Differences Between Sun and Moon
Pokemon Sun and Moon is here! If you haven’t picked up your copy yet, you might be wondering which version is better. That’s obviously a subjective question, but we’ll do our best to make an argument for both and then give you a verdict. First though, what are the main differences between Sun and Moon?
Like most other Pokemon games, the differences between the two versions are subtle. It’s mostly just version exclusives which we will dig into heavily in a bit. This time around though, there are a couple of smaller aesthetic differences worth mentioning.
First, there are time of day differences. Moon is set 12-hours forward from your current time, while Sun uses your exact system time. Meaning if you’re playing during the day, you’ll experience a lot more of Moon “at night” in-game.
In addition, there are differences in the Totem Pokemon you have to face at the end of each island trial. Island trials have replaced gyms, and to complete the trial you have to face a beefed up version of a Pokemon. So for example, on Melemele Island the Totem Pokemon is Gumshoos, while in Moon it’s an Alolan Raticate.
Ultimately, both of these differences are extremely minor and in the long term probably won’t matter to you very much, so we’re not going to spend any more time on it.
The more important differences are the version specific Pokemon available in each game. Below is the full list via our guide of the version differences. On the next page we will break down each version specific Pokemon and their strengths and weaknesses, and deliver a verdict.
Sun Exclusive Pokemon
- Lycanroc (Midday Form)
- Tortunator
- Alolan Vulpix & Ninetails
- Passimian
- Solgaleo
- UB-02 Expansion
Moon Exclusive Pokemon
- Lycanroc (Midnight Form)
- Drampa
- Alolan Sandshrew & Sandslash
- Oranguru
- Lunala
- UB-02 Beauty
