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Pokemon Home is right around the corner, and it's going to let you add Pokemon to the world of Pokemon Sword and Shield. The cloud service app lets you manage your Pokemon across multiple games to add to your Pokemon Sword and Shield Pokedex. Available as a limited free service as well as Premium paid service, you'll also be able to trade with other players across the world using the app, and it will also be compatible with Pokemon Bank and Poke Transporter.
With the recent release of Pokemon Sword and Shield, many have already jumped into the latest Pokemon adventure. The Galar region is filled to the brim with new gen 8 Pokemon to add to your collection. Essentially it seems Pokemon Home is an evolution of the storage system Pokemon Bank that lets you store Pokemon from the 3DS to mobile for Pokemon Go. Ahead of any more news about the new app, here's everything we know so far about Pokemon Home, including its release date, where it can be downloaded, what games are compatible, and more as information is revealed.
How it'll work
Pokemon Home can be connected to other games, where trainers will be able to deposit or retrieve Pokemon that be obtained in those games. Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon: Let's Go Eevee, Pokemon: Let's go Pikachu can link the Nintendo Switch version of home. Once a Pokemon from Pokemon: Let's Go Eevee or Pikachu is moved into Pokemon Sword and Shield, it can't be returned to the original game.
If you have a premium subscription to Pokemon Home (paid), you'll also be able to move Pokemon from 3DS Pokemon games using Pokemon Bank. Again, it's important to note that once you move a Pokemon from Bank to Home, it can't be returned to Bank.
After the launch of Pokemon Home, Pokemon Bank and Poke Transporter will be available for free for a one-month period. During that month, you'll be able to move Pokemon over to Home using Bank and Poke Transporter from various Pokemon games.
On mobile, there are four ways to trade Pokemon using the app. By placing Pokemon in a feature known as the "Wonder Box," you'll be able to trade with people around the world. Using a Global Trade System, you can also specify which Pokemon you want to trade and which you want to receive from other trainers.
The app also includes a feature known as Room Trade included in Premium (paid) version of the cloud service that lets you create a room and trade Pokemon among other people who can join. Each room can hold up to 20 people.
You can also send Pokemon to other trainers you become friends with in Pokemon Home using Friend Trade.
When it's coming out
We finally have a slightly more concrete Pokemon Home release date, and it's arriving sometime in February 2020. Previously, all we knew was that it would arrive in "early 2020". At least know we know the wait won't be too long.
Where you can download it
Pokemon Home will be available to download from the the Nintendo eShop on the Switch, and on the Android and iOS stores.
How much it'll cost
We now know Pokemon Home will be available both for free and as a premium paid for subscription service, and the The Pokemon Company and Nintendo have released details surrounding pricing on both iOS and Android and Nintendo Switch. The prices vary slightly between to the two platforms.
It's worth noting that if you get it for free, you'll only be able to transfer up to 30 Pokemon, while the Premium plan will let you transfer up to 6,000, and will also add certain features you can't for free.
Below you can see the pricing for both platforms:
| Subscription length | Price UK (including tax) | Price US (including tax) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month (30 days) | £2.69 | $2.99 |
| 3 months (90 days) | £4.49 | $4.99 |
| 12 months (365 days) | £14.39 | $15.99 |
| Subscription length | Price UK (including tax) | Price US (including tax) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month (30 days) | £2.99 | approx. $3.99 |
| 3 months (90 days) | £4.99 | approx. $6.99 |
| 12 months (365 days) | £15.99 | approx. $19.99 |
What games it's compatible with
Pokemon Home will be compatible with Pokemon Let's Go: Pikachu, Pokemon Let's Go: Eevee, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon Go, and every game compatible with Pokemon Bank. Those games include - takes breath - Pokemon Black and White, Pokemon Black and White versions 2, Pokemon Red and Blue, Pokemon Yellow and Gold, Pokemon Silver and Crystal, Pokemon X and Y, Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, Pokemon Omega Ruby, Pokemon Sun and Moon, and Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.
Just remember, Pokemon Sword and Shield are the only games that Pokemon Home will be able to transfer Pokemon into, and you'll only be able to transfer Pokemon into Sword and Shield that are already a part of Sword and Shield's Pokedex.
