Pokemon Sun & Moon Guide: QR codes to scan for every Pokemon in Alola

Fairly early on in Pokemon Sun & Moon you'll unlock a new feature on your bottom screen - your Pokedex gains a QR Scanner!

This new menu option blurs the line between the world of Alola and the real world since it allows you to boot up the external cameras of your Nintendo 3DS and scan in QR codes. Each QR code you scan directly correlates to a Pokemon in-game, and each code you scan fills in part of the entry about that Pokemon in your Pokedex.

This is useful for a couple of reasons, but primarily because once a Pokemon is scanned into your Pokedex in this way the game will then tell you exactly where to catch one. If you're not quite sure where to find Pichu or Rockruff, for instance, you can scan their QR code in and see their locations projected directly onto the map - handy! Here we explain how the island scanner works - and below you'll also find QR codes for every Pokemon in Alola.

Pokemon Sun & Moon QR Codes: Using the QR Scanner to spawn rare non-Alola Pokemon

On top of that useful way of catching Pokemon that are native to Alola, the QR Scanner provides trainers with the rare opportunity to catch Pokemon that can't be found natively in Alola. This doesn't just go for basic Pokemon, but even things like starters. Want a Torchic? A Charmander? A Totodile? This is how you can get one legally right now.

Every ten QR codes you scan you'll be able to run what's called an 'Island Scan'. This scans the island you're currently on for a rare non-Alola Pokemon and in real terms forces one to spawn in an area of that island. It'll tell you where to head.

Go there, get into encounters, and eventually your new rare buddy will appear. Be careful not to knock out this Pokemon, as it'll only spawn once, and thanks to a limit on the number of QR codes you can scan in real terms you can only perform one of these scans and catch one of these Pokemon each day. 

Choose your island of choice to scan wisely - the Pokemon that spawns will be level-appropriate (so if you're searching for previous-generation starters Melemele Island is the place to be, for instance) and you want to make sure you have the skills and strong or weak enough Pokemon to soften them up for catching. Basically: Be careful how you use those precious scans!

Pokemon Sun & Moon: A QR Code for every Pokemon in Alola, including Shiny Pokemon

So, now you've learned all about how the island scanner Below you'll find QR codes for the regular and shiny variants of every Pokemon in the Alola Pokedex. Scan 'em wisely!