Pokémon Home is now available on Nintendo Switch and mobile

Pokémon Home is available now in all regions along with the Pokémon Bank update that allows the older software to connect with Home, so get ready to bring all of your Pokémon from previous generations. 

The rollout will be slow as Game Freak and Nintendo ensure servers can withstand the immense traffic that is about to hit them, but that probably has a negative effect on your early transfer. 

Players can download the Home app from the Switch eShop right now and begin the process of transferring Pokémon from older games into Pokémon Sword and Shield, as long as they are registered within the Galar Pokédex. This opens the door for new movesets, abilities, and much more for the existing 400 Pokémon available in the game, and that number will only grow as the Expansion Pass brings back more Pokémon. 

You are currently able to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon Bank and Pokémon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! with built-in features like the National Pokédex automatically open for use once your Pokémon are registered. After your first transfer from Bank you will get 3,000 Home points, which can be used in exchange for items in Sword and Shield and a complimentary Pikachu. 

When you first log in on the mobile app you will be asked to pick between a Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. Whichever one you pick will be added to your Home storage immediately and you can then transfer the one you picked into Sword and Shield. 

The app allows players to do a lot, but a new feature that we didn’t know about prior to release is the ability to mass release Pokémon in groups, which makes it very easy to clear box space after you get done Shiny hunting a 1,000 encounter Pokémon. More features like this are likely included within the app, but this is the only one we didn’t know about before launch. 

This also opens the door for players to add 35 new Pokémon to Sword and Shield, as the Legendary and Mythical Pokémon that were hidden within the game’s code are all now available to be transferred over. This also includes Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and the generation seven starters. 

Here are the features that can be accessed on the different versions of the app so you can use it to its full potential. But be prepared for some connection errors and server time outs because it is launch day.

What this means is that some features are going to be unavailable for a while until the servers are capable of backing up those features, which could be a while considering the number of players who were waiting for the transfer window.

Have fun interacting with Grand Oak and seeing some of your old Pokémon for the first time in a while.