So you have a Pokémon you caught years ago in an old game and you want to bring it into your newer game. Or maybe you want to move your whole collection into one place so you don't lose anything. That's exactly what Pokémon HOME is for.

But honestly, Pokémon HOME can feel confusing at first. Which games can transfer where? Do you need to pay? What happens to moves and forms? This guide explains everything simply.

What Is Pokémon HOME?

Pokémon HOME is a cloud storage app made by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Think of it like a big box in the cloud where you can store up to 6,000 Pokémon. It works on Nintendo Switch and on your phone (iOS and Android).

The main purpose is to let you move Pokémon between different games. Since every new game doesn't automatically connect to old ones, HOME acts as the middle man.

Free vs Premium — What's the Difference?

Pokémon HOME has a free version and a paid version called Premium Plan.

Free Plan:

• Store up to 30 Pokémon in HOME
• Trade with other players (basic trades)
• Move Pokémon from Sword/Shield, Scarlet/Violet, and Legends: Arceus into HOME

Premium Plan:

• Store up to 6,000 Pokémon
• Access the full National Pokédex tracker
• Use GTS (Global Trade System) to trade with anyone worldwide
• Transfer from Pokémon Bank
• Judge feature to see IVs

If you're serious about collecting and transferring, Premium is worth it. It costs around $16 per year which is pretty cheap for what you get.

Which Games Connect to Pokémon HOME?

This is the most important thing to understand. Not every game connects to HOME the same way.

Games that work WITH Pokémon HOME (you can move Pokémon in and out):

• Pokémon Sword and Shield
• Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
• Pokémon Legends: Arceus
• Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Games that only send TO HOME (one way transfer — no going back):

• Pokémon GO
• Pokémon Bank (which connects older games)

How to Transfer from Pokémon Sword and Shield

This is the easiest transfer in the whole system.

1. Open Pokémon HOME on your Switch
2. Select Pokémon Sword or Shield
3. Your boxes will appear on the left side, HOME boxes on the right
4. Drag and drop the Pokémon you want to move
5. Save and done

You can move Pokémon back and forth between HOME and Sword/Shield as many times as you want. Super simple.

One thing to note: If a Pokémon has a move that doesn't exist in Sword/Shield, it will lose that move when you bring it into the game.

How to Transfer from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Same process as Sword and Shield.

1. Open HOME on Switch
2. Select Scarlet or Violet
3. Move Pokémon between your game boxes and HOME boxes
4. Save

But here's the catch — not every Pokémon can go into Scarlet and Violet. Only Pokémon that are in the Paldea Pokédex or the DLC Pokédex can be transferred in. If the Pokémon isn't available in Scarlet/Violet at all, you can store it in HOME but you can't put it in the game.

How to Transfer from Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Pokémon Legends: Arceus works a little differently. You can send Pokémon FROM Legends: Arceus TO HOME. But you cannot send them back into Legends: Arceus from HOME.

Also, some Pokémon in Legends: Arceus have special moves that don't exist in other games. When you transfer these Pokémon to HOME, they keep their stats and nature but those exclusive moves get replaced.

Steps:

1. In Legends: Arceus, go to the main menu
2. Select "Move to Pokémon HOME"
3. Choose which Pokémon to send
4. Open HOME on your phone or Switch to receive them

How to Transfer from Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

Same deal — you can transfer in and out of BDSP freely as long as the Pokémon is in the Sinnoh Pokédex or has been made available in the game.

1. Open HOME on Switch
2. Connect to BDSP
3. Move Pokémon between boxes

BDSP has a pretty large Pokédex so most Pokémon you want to bring in will be fine.

How to Transfer from Pokémon GO

This one is exciting for GO players. You can send Pokémon from Pokémon GO into HOME. But it only goes one way — you cannot send Pokémon from HOME back into GO.

How to do it:

1. Open Pokémon GO on your phone
2. Go to Settings
3. Tap "Pokémon HOME"
4. Link your Nintendo Account
5. Select Pokémon to transfer (you get a certain number of free transfers per week)
6. Open HOME to receive them

Important: Once a Pokémon leaves GO and goes to HOME, it is gone from GO forever. Make sure you actually want to move it before you do.

Also — when a Pokémon comes from GO into HOME, it gets a special GO mark on it so everyone knows where it came from. Kind of cool actually.

How to Transfer from Old Games Using Pokémon Bank

This is how you get Pokémon from older games like X and Y, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire, Sun and Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and even older Gen 1 through Gen 5 games.

Step 1 — Get the Pokémon into Pokémon Bank Pokémon Bank is an older 3DS app. It connects to the 3DS games and lets you store Pokémon. If you have any 3DS Pokémon games, you can put your Pokémon in Bank first.

For Gen 1 and Gen 2 games (Virtual Console on 3DS), you use Poké Transporter to move Pokémon from Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal into Bank.

For Gen 5 games (Black, White, Black 2, White 2), you use Poké Transporter to move Pokémon into Bank.

Step 2 — Move from Bank to HOME Once your Pokémon are in Bank, open HOME on your phone or Switch and use the "Move from Pokémon Bank" option. This transfers everything from Bank into HOME.

Important: This is a one-way transfer. Once Pokémon leave Bank and go to HOME, they cannot go back to Bank. And you need a Premium HOME plan to do this.

Also important: Nintendo ended Pokémon Bank's free service. Make sure your Bank subscription is still active before doing this.

What Happens to Pokémon When You Transfer Them?

A few things can change when Pokémon move between games:

Moves — If a Pokémon knows a move that doesn't exist in the game you're sending it to, that move gets deleted. The Pokémon keeps its other moves.

Forms — Some regional forms can't be transferred into games where that form doesn't exist. For example, an Alolan form Pokémon might revert or be blocked depending on the game.

Items — Pokémon cannot hold items when being transferred through HOME. Remove any held items before transferring.

Marks and Ribbons — These stay with the Pokémon no matter what game it goes to. A Pokémon with a rare ribbon keeps it forever.

The HOME Pokédex and Why It's Useful

When you deposit Pokémon into HOME, your HOME Pokédex gets updated. This is a National Pokédex that tracks every single Pokémon you've ever deposited — even if you later moved them to a game.

This is great for collectors. You can see exactly which Pokémon you're missing, check their forms, and see your completion percentage.

With Premium you also get the Judge feature which shows you the IVs (individual values) of your Pokémon — very useful for competitive players.

Tips for Using Pokémon HOME

Organize your boxes. HOME gives you 200 boxes with 30 slots each. Label them properly — by game, by type, by competitive use, whatever works for you. It saves a lot of time later.

Don't transfer Pokémon you might regret losing. Especially from GO and old games — some transfers are permanent. Think before you send.

Check compatibility before transferring. Before moving a Pokémon into a specific game, check if that Pokémon is actually available in that game's Pokédex. If it's not, you can store it in HOME but you can't use it.

Back up your save data. Use Nintendo Switch Online's save data backup for your Switch games. If something goes wrong, you want to be able to restore your game data.

Do Bank transfers before you forget. Pokémon Bank runs on 3DS which Nintendo has been slowly phasing out. If you have old Pokémon on 3DS games, transfer them to HOME sooner rather than later before something changes.

Quick Transfer Guide

Final Thoughts

Pokémon HOME is honestly really useful once you understand how it works. It took me a while to figure out all the rules too. The biggest things to remember are — some transfers are permanent, not every Pokémon works in every game, and if you have old 3DS games with rare Pokémon, get them into HOME before it's too late.

Take care of your collection. Some of those Pokémon you caught years ago are irreplaceable.

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