Everything You Need To Know About Pokemon HOME

Pokemon HOME has officially launched which means you can finally transfer your Pokemon between games and Pokemon Bank, access the Global Trading System (GTS), earn rewards, bring some old favorites into Sword and Shield, and much more. Here’s everything you need to know about how to use Pokemon HOME.

What is Pokemon Home?

The Pokemon HOME app is a cloud-based Pokemon storage service. You can link the same Nintendo account to both the Nintendo Switch version and the mobile version of Pokemon Home and access the same Pokemon Boxes on both versions. Once a Pokemon is in Pokemon HOME, it should be able to be transferrable to Pokemon Sword and Shield as long as it belongs to the Pokemon Sword and Shield Pokedex or is a Transferable Pokemon. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=pokemon-home-price-and-features&captions=true"]

How to Get Pokemon HOME

To enjoy all the features Pokemon HOME has to offer you’ll need to download the app for both the Nintendo Switch and iOS or Android.

• Pokemon HOME iOS App Store
• Pokemon HOME Google Play
• For the Switch version just head to the eShop while connected to the internet.
• You do not need Nintendo Switch Online to connect to Pokemon Home.

Pokemon HOME is free to download and can be linked via your Nintendo account, which will allow them to work together seamlessly. It’s recommended you connect Pokemon HOME to your Nintendo Account on mobile before connecting it via the Nintendo Switch. Both apps have different features and you’ll need both to get the most out of Pokemon HOME. We’ll start with what you can do on the Switch version of Pokemon HOME.

Pokemon HOME Price - How Much Does Pokemon HOME Premium Cost?

Pokemon HOME is free to download and use, however, some features are locked behind the Pokemon HOME Premium subscription, and other features are expanded. Look for blue boxes in this article for details on Premium perks. There are three levels of Pokemon HOME Premium:

• $2.99 for 30 days
• $4.99 for 90 days
• $15.99 for 365 days

Pokemon HOME Features on the Nintendo Switch

The following activities are exclusive to the Nintendo Switch version of Pokemon HOME.

Transfer Pokemon

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/13/how-to-transfer-pokemon-from-bank-to-pokemon-home"] Transferring Pokemon from Bank, Let’s Go, and Sword and Shield to HOME is only possible on the Nintendo Switch app. Transferring from Let’s Go and Sword and Shield into HOME is pretty straight forward. Just select “Pokemon” then select the game you’d like to connect to. There are three different selection tools when moving Pokemon. The Green tool lets you move multiple at a time; the Blue tool lets you swap places between two Pokemon; and the red tool lets you move one Pokemon at a time. Transferring Pokemon from Bank into HOME is a bit more complicated and requires a paid Premium Plan. Check out our How to Transfer Pokemon from BANK to Home video (above) for detailed steps, or read the in-depth How to Transfer Pokemon to Pokemon Home page. There are dozens of Pokemon unable to be caught in Pokemon Sword and Shield you can now transfer over this way. See the complete list of transferable Pokemon.

Accomplish Research Tasks

While on the National Pokedex screen press R to toggle over and view Research Tasks. Completing these is a cool way to keep track of your Dex progress, but you don’t get anything for it other than a checkmark and a sense of accomplishment.

Exchange Pokemon HOME Points for Battle Points

Select the Points icon and then select the game you want to send your Battle Points to. You can use these at the BP shop at the Battle Tower or Hammerlocke to buy rare and valuable items. You can even use them to get Nature changing mints. You need 30 Pokemon HOME Points to get 1 Battle Point. Points can be earned by transferring Pokemon into HOME and leaving them there, but we’re unsure of the exact math that determines how many points you’ll get for what at this moment. Also, heads up, we got 3,000 points for transferring our first Pokemon into HOME from Bank. See How to Earn Pokemon HOME Points and the Battle Tower page for more information on Battle Points and items.

Pokemon HOME Features on Mobile and the Nintendo Switch

You can do the following activities with both the Mobile and Switch versions of Pokemon HOME.

View the National Dex

Select Pokedex and you can view all the Pokemon you have or select them via region. From there, you can search and filter your results. Note you can only see the Pokemon you have actually imported into Pokemon HOME, not the Pokemon within your saved data. Once you select a specific Pokemon you can see all the games it appears in and its dex entry for each game. If you have that Pokemon in a different language you can view that from here too. You can even check out your shiny directly from this screen as long as you’ve registered it in HOME. This in-depth Dex can also be viewed on the Mobile App.

Check Records

From the main menu, select Notebook to check your records. History breaks down everything you’ve done in Pokemon HOME, while Records gives you a running total of your stats: This info can also be viewed on Mobile.

Pokemon HOME Features on the Mobile Version

The following activities are exclusive to the mobile version of Pokemon HOME.

Take On Challenges

To view your challenges, select Room tab and then Challenges. These tasks are broken down into 3 categories: Trade, Pokemon, and Other. Most of the current ones available involve depositing Pokemon that meet certain qualifiers, such as 15 Pokemon that are in Great Balls, into HOME. Other challenges are as simple as checking the News 30 times. Completing these challenges gives you stickers that you can use to customize your profile. To customize it, just click on Your Room and then your name. This brings you to a screen where you can view your Records and check out your Notebook (just like on the Switch app) and also edit your name. By clicking on the binder, you’ll be able to place stickers, decorations, and change the wallpaper however you like.

Add Friends

From the Your Room Tab select Friends. Here you can find your sharable friend code or a QR code so others can add you and you can add friends by entering their code or scanning their unique QR code. They’ll need to accept your friend request and, once they do, they’ll appear on your friends list.

Trade, Wonder Box, and the Global Trading System

Select the trade tab to access Wonder Box, the Global Trading System, Room Trade, and Friend Trade.

• Wonder Box (Mass Surprise Trade):Wonder Box lets you Wonder Trade / Surprise Trade. Put a Pokemon into the box and wait and see what comes back. Only put in Pokemon you don't mind giving up forever, you won't have the option to get them back after they're sent off for the random Wonder Trade. You’ll need to go back in and manually open up each Poke Ball for the trade to be completed.

• Global Trading System (GTS): With the GTS, you’ll be able to deposit which Pokemon you want to trade and list which Pokemon you want to receive (even getting into specific details). Over time, you’ll get matched with someone looking for the same trade. For example, you could choose to trade your Shiny Wooloo in exchange for a Shiny Ditto, and the trade will only go through when that criterion is met. An exclamation mark will you let you know a trade is ready to complete.