More information on the upcoming Pokémon HOME service has been revealed today, including a more solid look at what sorts of features the service will have, along with its two-tiered membership system — a free plan and a paid Premium Plan.
It will be available for Android, iOS, and the Nintendo Switch in February 2020 (no specific release date given), although there will be features that are exclusive to the mobile versions and other features exclusive to the Switch version, although they will link up to the same Nintendo account and don’t require separate Premium Plan purchases for each platform.
Below is a look at some of the features that will be included in Pokémon HOME, along with how it will work.
Connectivity with Pokémon Games
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield can link to the Nintendo Switch version of Pokémon HOME. Once the games are linked, users can deposit or retrieve Pokémon that can be obtained using those games.
Pokémon Press Release
Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! can link to the Nintendo Switch version of Pokémon HOME. Users can move Pokémon back and forth between Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! or into Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. Once a Pokémon from Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! is moved to Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield, it cannot be returned to its original game.
If a user is enrolled in a Premium Plan (paid), they will be able to move Pokémon from Nintendo 3DS Pokémon titles to Pokémon HOME using Pokémon Bank. Once a Pokémon from Pokémon Bank is moved into Pokémon HOME, it cannot be moved back to Pokémon Bank.
To celebrate the release of Pokémon HOME, Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter will be available at no cost for a one-month period after Pokémon HOME is released. Trainers will be able to bring over Pokémon from various Pokémon series games using Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter. Once they have their Pokémon in Pokémon Bank, Trainers will then be able to move the Pokémon to Pokémon HOME.
So, as the press release outlines, Pokémon HOME will be compatible with Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu & Eevee and Pokémon Sword & Shield, although once compatible Pokémon from Let’s Go are transferred to Sword & Shield, they can’t be transferred back to Let’s Go. Additionally, not every Pokémon in Let’s Go will be available to transfer to Sword & Shield.
You’ll need the paid Premium Plan, in addition to a Pokémon Bank subscription, in order to transfer Pokémon from the Nintendo 3DS games stored on Pokémon Bank. At least they are offering one month of free Pokémon Bank service after HOME is released, but you’ll still need to pay for the HOME Premium Plan to transfer older Pokémon. It’s also a one-way transfer, so Pokémon cannot be transferred back to Pokémon Bank or the 3DS generation of games.
Connectivity with Pokémon GO is planned for later on in Pokémon HOME, but will not be available at launch, and it is unclear how it will connect to the main series Pokémon games such as Sword & Shield.
Trading Pokémon
There are four ways to trade Pokémon using Pokémon HOME on a mobile device. This makes it possible to trade Pokémon anywhere and anytime.
Pokémon Press Release
• Pokémon placed in the Wonder Box can be traded with people around the world. Pokémon placed in the Wonder Box will be traded even when Pokémon HOME is not being used.
• With the Global Trade System (GTS), fans can specify which Pokémon they want to trade and which Pokémon they want to receive. They will then be matched with a Trainer if both meet each other’s criteria.
• Room Trade lets Trainers create a room and trade Pokémon among the people who join. Each room can hold up to 20 people. Trading in rooms has no cost, but users will only be able to create rooms when enrolled in a Premium Plan (paid).
• Friend Trade allows Trainers to trade their Pokémon with nearby users who they have become friends with in Pokémon HOME. Trainers can add friends using the Add Friend feature in Pokémon HOME.
Exclusive to the mobile version, you’ll be able to arrange trades using any of the Pokémon stored in your HOME boxes, even when you’re not using HOME. The GTS makes a return and is available both for free and Premium users, although Premium users can put up to 3 Pokémon in the GTS at once while free users can only put 1 Pokémon up at a time.
The Wonder Box functionality also sounds like it could be rather fun, where you can place up to 10 (Premium; 3 for free users) Pokémon in the Wonder Box and it will gradually trade them over time, even while you’re not using the app, similar to how Surprise Trades work inside of Sword & Shield.
There’s also Room Trades and Friend Trades for additional trading options, as mentioned above.
More Features
• Pokémon will be registered to the National Pokédex when users deposit them in the Boxes in Pokémon HOME. If users deposit a Pokémon that can Mega Evolve or Gigantamax, then these forms will also be registered.
Pokémon Press Release
• In the National Pokédex, Trainers will be able to see Pokédex entries from various games in one place. With the mobile device version of Pokémon HOME, users will also be able to search by Pokémon’s Abilities or moves.
• Trainers can receive Mystery Gifts in the mobile device version of Pokémon HOME. With this feature, they can receive Mystery Gifts for Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield as well as gifts specifically for Pokémon HOME. Pokémon received in Pokémon HOME can be directly deposited in a Box in Pokémon HOME. Trainers can also receive some gifts, such as items for Pokémon, by receiving a code for a Mystery Gift in Pokémon HOME and then using that code in Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield.
• If a Trainer has enrolled in a Premium Plan, they will have access to the Judge function, which allows them to check how strong their Pokémon are.
• In the Yours Room tab, Trainers will be able to see all sorts of information about events or the games they’ve connected to Pokémon HOME. They’ll also be able to edit their profile using stickers. They can obtain stickers in Pokémon HOME when they meet certain conditions or perform certain tasks known as Challenges.
• In the mobile device version of Pokémon HOME, users can check out how Ranked Battles and various Online Competitions in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are going, as well as the rankings of the Pokémon being used in them. By going to Battle Data, they’ll be able to see the battle records of each Trainer as well as information about what moves are popular among the Pokémon in the competitions.
• In Pokémon HOME for mobile devices, Trainers will be able to receive news about Pokémon being distributed as gifts and information about Online Competitions for Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield.
Pokémon HOME Points are points that accumulate in Pokémon HOME as Trainers deposit more Pokémon. When using the Nintendo Switch version of Pokémon HOME, Trainers will be able to exchange their Pokémon HOME Points for BP (Battle Points) to be used in core Pokémon series games.
As you can see, there are a lot of miscellaneous features, some that are helpful for competitive Pokémon battlers, some helpful for Pokémon breeders, and some for collectors as well.
Premium Plan
The Premium Plan service will cost $2.99 (US) for 1 month (30 days) of service, $4.99 (US) for 3 months (90 days) of service, or $15.99 (US) for 1 year (365 days) of service.
The “Basic” plan is free and very limited, but at least gives you access to some basic functionality of the service. You can find more of the differences down below.
- You need the Premium Plan in order to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon Bank (3DS).
- Only 30 Pokémon can be stored in the Pokémon HOME boxes on the Basic Plan, but up to 6,000 can be stored on the Premium Plan, which is double that of Pokémon Bank.
- Only 3 Pokémon can be put into the Wonder Box on the Basic Plan, but 10 Pokémon can be placed there on the Premium Plan.
- Only 1 Pokémon can be put onto the GTS on the Basic Plan while up to 3 Pokémon can be put there on the Premium Plan.
- You can only join Room Trades on the Basic Plan, but you can also host them with the Premium Plan.
- The Judge function, which allows you to easily see your Pokémon’s IVs, is only available on the Premium Plan.