Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's biggest bug isn't what you think

techradar.com:

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is no stranger to bugs and glitches. However, the latest issue uncovered by players runs deeper than the occasional texture pop. 

Fans of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's competitive multiplayer have uncovered an alarming fault in the game's PvP Battle Stadium. In short, it looks like every single PvP battle in the stadium uses the same RNG (random number generator) seed when generating randomized outcomes in battle. 

In practical terms, this means players can learn the order of what attacks will hit and miss, and coordinate their moves accordingly. Given the RNG component of Pokémon battles, this is a serious issue for competitive players. For instance: moves with an accuracy of 90% or less seem guaranteed to miss the first time they're used (via Reddit(opens in new tab)), and so players are learning to avoid them, hoping their opponent uses them first. Players on Twitter also reported similar problems. 

This bug goes beyond the more aesthetic and technical issues in Scarlet and Violet and directly affects the systems at the heart of the Pokémon experience.

Uh oh.Pokémon Scarlet/Violet Battle Stadium currently is using the same RNG seed for every battle.This allows us to choose moves to ensure that OHKO moves such as Sheer Cold always hit! pic.twitter.com/lSlBJr1AF6November 27, 2022

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's Nintendo Switch release is riddled with performance issues and bugs, with texture pop in and characters interrupting cutscenes as two of the most noticeable issues. However, this particular problem eclipses choppy animations and framerate issues. This RNG error afflicts the very heart of Pokémon: the battle system. 

Like any of the best RPGs out there, Pokémon lives and dies on its combat