Pokémon HOME is a free app for Nintendo Switch and mobile that stores your Pokémon and moves them between games. This guide covers which games connect to HOME and in which direction, how to link a game on Switch, how to bring Pokémon over from Pokémon GO and Pokémon Bank, what the Premium Plan adds and what it costs. The date that matters most: Pokémon Bank shuts down on 25 February 2027, and after that you can no longer move anything out of it. Everything below is current as of 20 October 2026.
What Pokémon HOME is
HOME comes as a Nintendo Switch version and a mobile version for iOS and Android. Sign in to both with the same Nintendo Account and you see the same Pokémon in each. The app is for storing Pokémon, moving them between compatible games and trading.
The Basic tier is free, and the Switch version costs 0 € on Nintendo eShop. The two versions do different jobs, though: you link Switch games through the Switch version, while Mystery Gifts and rewards are claimed only in the mobile app. Mobile HOME needs iOS 16 or later, or Android 9.0 or later (64-bit). You can pick the app language independently of your phone settings.
Basic vs Premium: differences and price
| Feature | Basic (free) | Premium Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Pokémon storage | 30 | 9,000 |
| Wonder Box | 3 | 10 |
| GTS | 1 | 3 |
| Room Trade | join | join and host |
| Judge | no | yes |
| Medals | 30 | 1,000 |
| Moving from Pokémon Bank | no | yes |
The 9,000 limit applies from version 4.1.0 (October 2026). Before that, Premium held 6,000. The price did not change with the bigger box.
According to the official site home.pokemon.com (German version, 20 October 2026), the Premium Plan costs 2.99 € for one month, 4.99 € for three months and 15.99 € for twelve months. The publisher notes that prices are subject to change.
Which games connect to HOME, and in which direction
You can only send a Pokémon to a game it appears in. Some transfers are also one-way only, so check this before you confirm anything.
| Game or service | Direction | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Pokémon Champions | visit from HOME and back | Pokémon obtained in Champions cannot go to HOME |
| Pokémon Legends: Z-A | Z-A to HOME, selected Pokémon from older games to Z-A | one-way: nothing goes from Z-A to older games, and a Pokémon sent to Z-A never returns to older games |
| Scarlet / Violet, Legends: Arceus, Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl, Sword / Shield | to and from HOME | only Pokémon that appear in that game |
| Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! | both ways | once a Pokémon leaves for another game, it cannot return to Let’s Go |
| FireRed / LeafGreen (Switch) | FRLG to HOME only | one-way since 7 October 2026, nothing goes back or from other games into FRLG |
| Pokémon Bank | Bank to HOME only | requires Premium, no way back, ends 25 February 2027 |
| Pokémon GO | GO to HOME | no Premium needed |
HOME tells you where a specific Pokémon can go. On mobile, open the Pokémon’s details and check Games it can travel to; greyed-out games are unavailable. On Switch, choose Check Summary > + > Connected Games.
How to link HOME with a Switch game
- Open HOME on Switch and select Pokémon.
- Choose the game and the user you play with.
- Move Pokémon between the game’s boxes and your HOME boxes.
- Press + and save.
Sword / Shield, Let’s Go, Scarlet / Violet and Legends: Z-A connect only through the Switch version of HOME. You do not need Nintendo Switch Online, just a Nintendo Account (plus a Nintendo Network ID for Bank, also free). Since version 3.0.0 you can choose moves the Pokémon learned earlier when sending it to Sword / Shield, BDSP, Arceus, Scarlet / Violet or Z-A.
Your first transfer from Z-A to HOME earns alpha Chikorita, alpha Tepig and alpha Totodile as a Mystery Gift in mobile HOME, as long as both versions use the same Nintendo Account. Prices for Z-A and its DLC are in our Legends: Z-A price guide.
FireRed and LeafGreen: a one-way street
FireRed and LeafGreen for Switch have connected to HOME since 7 October 2026 (HOME 4.1.0). You can send Pokémon from them to HOME, but never back, and nothing from other games can go into FRLG. Completing the FRLG Pokédex earns you Celebi in mobile HOME. You do not have to transfer anything for it: FRLG Pokédex entries register in HOME once linked, and you can fill gaps through GTS. Pokémon from FRLG can also visit Champions. The update itself is covered in our news on FRLG in HOME.
From Pokémon GO to HOME
Moving Pokémon from GO does not require Premium, but you have to finish the mobile HOME tutorial first. Since HOME 4.1.0 you can also move Pokémon caught in a Safari Ball; they arrive in a Strange Ball. How Community Days and other GO events work is explained in our GO events guide.
From Pokémon Bank to HOME: deadline 25 February 2027
Pokémon Bank shuts down on Thursday 25 February 2027 at 19:00 PST. After that, Bank to HOME transfers stop working. Moving requires Premium, and nothing can go back into Bank.
There are two ways to move:
- Without a 3DS: all Pokémon in Bank move at once, provided the Nintendo Network ID used for Bank is linked to the Nintendo Account in HOME.
- With a 3DS: select boxes in Bank, display the Moving Key in HOME and enter it in Bank within 3 minutes. The key never contains the letters O, I or Z.
If old Pokémon are still sitting in Bank, do not leave it to the last week. One month of Premium for 2.99 € is enough for the move.
What happens when Premium runs out
If you have more than 30 Pokémon in HOME when Premium ends, the Basic Box keeps the 30 most recently stored or traded. The rest stay in HOME “for a certain period”, but you cannot see or select them until you renew Premium. Decide which 30 you want at hand before the subscription ends.
Pokédex rewards and Mystery Gifts
Mystery Gifts are claimed only in mobile HOME. Completing Pokédexes earns these Pokémon:
- shiny Meloetta for Paldea, Kitakami and Blueberry (Scarlet / Violet and DLC),
- shiny Enamorus for Hisui (Legends: Arceus),
- shiny Manaphy for Sinnoh (Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl),
- shiny Keldeo for Galar and DLC (Sword / Shield),
- shiny Meltan for Kanto (Let’s Go),
- Celebi for the FireRed / LeafGreen Pokédex.
HOME on Switch 2 and in Pokémon Champions
HOME works on Switch 2. When upgrading from the original Switch, move your data with Nintendo’s system transfer and Premium carries over with the user. To link Scarlet / Violet, the save data must be on the same console as HOME. The full process is in our system transfer guide.
You can send selected Pokémon to Pokémon Champions as visitors, and they can return to HOME. The Pokémon has to be available in Champions. Training from Champions does not carry over to HOME, but it stays for the next visit of the same Pokémon (changing its form erases it). As part of a promotion, Chesnaught, Delphox, Greninja and Eternal Flower Floette from Z-A earn you Chesnaughtite, Delphoxite, Greninjite and Floettite in Champions.
Join our Discord to find trading partners or get help with a transfer: GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
Yes, the Basic tier is free and stores 30 Pokémon. According to the official site, the Premium Plan costs 2.99 € a month, 4.99 € for three months or 15.99 € a year (20 October 2026).
On Thursday 25 February 2027 at 19:00 PST. After that you can no longer move Pokémon from Bank to HOME. The move requires Premium.
No. Z-A sends to HOME, but not on to older games. A Pokémon you send from an older game to Z-A cannot go back to older games either.
No. A Nintendo Account is enough, plus a Nintendo Network ID for Pokémon Bank. Both are free.
Information verified on 20 October 2026. More guides are in our Pokémon guides section, the latest updates in our Pokémon news.