What you need to know
- Pokémon HOME just launched on February 11, 2020.
- You can transport Pokémon to this service from a range of past Pokémon games.
- Users can also trade with other Pokémon HOME users.
- There is a basic free service as well as a premium service with far more features.
- Normally, only premium members will be able to access the 3DS era Pokémon Bank.
- To celebrate the launch, all users can access Pokémon Bank for the first month.
Pokémon HOME quietly launched last night without any fanfare. It's a Pokémon storage and trading service that allows players to transport their Pokémon from past and current games into an online storage space. Players can also use the service to find other players around the world and trade Pokémon with them. This service has two versions: a mobile version and a Nintendo Switch version, which work together by linking to your Nintendo Account. That way, people can move Pokémon from Nintendo Switch games like Sword and Shield as well as Pokémon Go.
Players don't have to pay for the service as there is a free version with limited features. However, the premium version gives players additional perks including allowing them to access Pokémon Bank, the Pokémon storage service from the 3DS era as well as the Poké Transporter, which is a companion software that works with Pokémon Bank to transfer Pokémon from even older games like Black and White.
This in turn allows players to pull Pokémon in from a larger number of Pokémon games. However, for a very limited time, free users will also be able to trade their Pokémon from Pokémon Bank into Pokémon HOME.
The mobile version of Pokémon HOME explains that all players can move Pokémon from Pokémon Bank and the Poké Transporter for a month starting today, February 12, 2020. It isn't entirely clear when this free period will end, but we'd guess it will last for at least 30 days, considering that that's how long the shortest subscription plan is.
At any rate, if you've got Pokémon stored in Pokémon Bank you're going to want to hurry and port them over to Pokémon HOME before this free period ends. That way you can start trading with other players and keep all of Game Freak's monsters in one place.
Money for video games
Give a Nintendo gift card to a friend or have one on hand for yourself so you can always have money to purchase video games from the Nintendo eShop.
