Pokémon players mourn for collection that can’t make transition to Scarlet and Violet

The much-anticipated Pokémon HOME May 30 update was long overdue, but many Scarlet and Violet players are still saddened by the long list of Pokémon which cannot be transferred over for one reason or another.

Earlier this week, Pokémon HOME was officially updated to be compatible with the Gen IX titles, meaning fans were finally able to transfer over their beloved Pokémon from other games such as Pokémon GO and Legends: Arceus.

For the most part, this was great news. However, only certain Pokémon species were permitted to enter the Paldea region. For example, Charmander can be transferred to Scarlet and Violet, but Bulbasaur and Squirtle cannot.

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Naturally, some fans were disappointed their favorite Pokémon didn’t make the cut, as seen in a June 1 Reddit thread.

The post’s author started the discussion with their beloved Absol “from 2D times.” As you might’ve guessed, Absol was not among the lucky Pokémon to be allowed access to Scarlet and Violet. Still, the player remained optimistic and comforted fellow fans in a similar situation. “We may not have our partners with us, but surely we will find a way to create new experiences for ourselves and our Pokémon!”

Building upon this, players mentioned other tragic reasons for the inability to reunite with their Pokémon. Whether someone’s cousin accidentally deleted their save file or a mischievous foster dog chewed up their game card, many fans experienced firsthand how it feels like to lose special event Pokémon or ones they spent hours training—especially when they know they’ll never get those ‘mons back.

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The recent closure of the Nintendo 3DS eShop has also made the transferring process a bit trickier since Pokémon HOME’s predecessor, Pokémon Bank, is now only accessible to players who had it downloaded prior to the closure. Anyone who didn’t have Pokémon Bank downloaded on their 3DS won’t be able to transfer Pokémon from those older games to Pokémon HOME or any of the Switch games.

There are a lot of different reasons why we’ve been forced to leave some of our beloved Pokémon behind in the past. It can be sad to play Scarlet and Violet without your favorites from generations ago, but as a wise Absol fan once said, we can still create new experiences with the Pokémon we do have now.