Trading with friends, strangers, or even yourself using another copy of the game is extremely easy in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but there are some aspects that players might not understand right out of the gate.
This includes what other games are compatible with the new Sinnoh remakes since there are currently two other Pokémon titles on the Nintendo Switch and another coming out in less than three months. And while we don’t have confirmation on how trading between games will work with Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Sword and Shield are another matter entirely.
Even though BDSP and SwSh are all playable on Switch and have Pokémon, items, and other features that are included in all four titles, there’s no way to directly trade Pokémon or items between games. This also extends to online battling and other multiplayer actions, which are all limited to within their own versions.
This means you won’t be able to link up with friends or other players from Sword or Shield using a copy of Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl to trade or battle.
This doesn’t come as a surprise considering Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Eevee! have similar restrictions despite also being on the Switch, though transfers are possible through Pokémon HOME.
These trading limitations likely have to do with BDSP having a limited Pokédex, featuring just the first 493 Pokémon that were available at the time of Diamond and Pearl’s launch in 2006—similar to Let’s Go only having the original 151 plus a few extras.
And until HOME support for BDSP launches at some point in 2022, there’s currently no way to even transfer compatible Pokémon over from one game to the other using the storage service.
