Game Freak isn’t known for bringing every mechanic from previous Pokémon games into new titles, but the developers have gotten pretty good at putting a spin on that older content to keep things fresh. This seems to be the case with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet since elements of Pokémon Camp and Pokémon-Amie have been combined into a new “Picnic” mode.
Setting up a picnic in SV’s overworld will work almost exactly like setting up a Pokémon Camp in Sword and Shield—though it looks a lot more seamless—giving you a place to rest and spend some time with your Pokémon team. It might completely change how breeding works as a mechanic, too.
You can set up a picnic anywhere in the Paldea region, with some obvious exceptions. This will give you the ability to send out all of your Pokémon and interact with them in various ways. And if you are playing with friends using multiplayer features, they can join in on the fun with their teams, too.
Replacing curry from the Galar games, while using the picnic feature, players can make sandwiches in a physics-based mini-game using items they have found during their travels. Depending on the sandwich you make, your team will heal and receive bonuses that can range from increasing the likelihood of capturing or encountering a specific type for a set period of time.
You can also customize your picnic table with different accessories and clean your Pokémon to help restore HP and boost friendship.
It was only briefly mentioned in the trailer, but a secondary picnic basket on the ground next to the picnic table on a pillow seems to appear occasionally with a Pokémon Egg inside that players can take. No additional information about how breeding will work in SV was shared, but it looks like picnics will replace the need for Day Care—with other changes to the mechanic likely to also be included.
