So there’s a wonderful app on the Nintendo Switch that will let you move Pokémon between save games on various titles. The app also added compatibility with Pokémon Go recently as well. You can use the box system for both the free and paid versions to store extra monsters from a version, and even move them between games. It’s a direct replacement for the Pokémon Bank from a while back.
So let’s talk a bit about how this works. You normally have a few boxes to use for free, and can’t store anymore beyond the first six boxes. If you upgrade to the paid version, you get dozens of boxes that you can store monsters. If you let your subscription expire though, the Pokémon you have in other boxes beyond the basic six will be inaccessible. You can also move them from older games to newer stuff, like Pokémon GO, the Let’s Go! games, as well as Pokémon Sword and Shield. However, only Pokémon Sword and Shield is a two-way street; any Pokémon sent from those other games won’t be able to send them back.
When you want to transfer Pokémon from Home, you’re going to have to go through some very specific steps. To get started, you fist obviously need to have the app installed on your Switch, as well as the game you wish to transfer to. In this case, we will be moving monsters from Pokémon Home to Pokémon Sword and Shield.
How to Transfer Pokémon from Home to Sword and Shield
Open up HOME and press the “Pokémon” button and you will log into your account. Once you’re logged in, you’re good to get started.
Once the screen opens up, various games will be shown on the menu. You can select the version of the game you want to connect the app to. In this case, select Pokémon Sword and Shield and then confirm the selection to link the two.
The Pokémon currently in your game are in boxes marked “Box,” on the right-hand side of the screen. The left-hand side will be the roster you have stored in your HOME boxes, and will be marked “HOME.”
Use L and R to move between boxes in each window. The highlight panel will denote which set of storage boxes you are currently changing between.
You can use ZL and ZR to swap selection modes while in this view. The Blue selection is a one-to-one swap mode. The Red selection can allow you to move one monster from one empty slot to another. The Green selection is a box select that can be used to move multiple from one box to another. You can also put the cursor over the name of the box and press A to change its name.
Any Pokémon you’ve caught in Sword and Shield can be stored within any box, you can also move them between boxes in the game’s save file. You will notice that Eggs and some monsters have a red circle symbol, they cannot be moved if they have this symbol as they are locked to that game. This will apply to certain unique Pokémon most often.
Once you’ve made your changes, make sure to press the + button and select “Save changes and exit.” HOME will save your changes in both the game save file and your cloud storage. Let it save and then close out the app.
