Here's everything you need to know about Pokemon Home: Premium Plan, Pokemon GO support, trading, National Pokedex, and more
Pokemon GO support still in development
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have now revealed fresh info on their cloud service app, Pokemon Home. "Designed as a place where all Pokemon can gather", it allows you to manage your Pokemon collection and continue your adventures across multiple games. It's set to launch next month, and it'll be available for iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch.
By linking your Nintendo Account to the Switch and mobile versions, you'll be able to access the same Boxes across platforms. The Switch version can connect to Sword, Shield, and both Let's Go games. Both the Switch and mobile versions are compatible with the Nintendo 3DS Pokemon Bank. Support for Pokemon GO is currently in development.
As expected, you'll have the option to use the app for free or pay for a monthly subscription to access certain expanded features. Basic Plan players cannot move Pokemon from the Bank, and they can only deposit a maximum of 30 Pokemon. For comparison, Premium Plan players can deposit up to 6,000 Pokemon.
Premium Plan for Nintendo Switch- 1 month (30 days): £2.69
- 3 months (90 days): £4.49
- 12 months (365 days): £14.39
- 1 month (30 days): £2.99
- 3 months (90 days): £4.99
- 12 months (365 days): £15.99
- Placing Pokemon in the Wonder Box allows you to trade them with players from around the world. Even when you're not playing Home, your Pokemon in the Wonder Box will still be traded.
- The Global Trade System (GTS for short) lets you specify exactly which Pokemon you want to trade and what you'd like to receive for it. You'll then be matched with another player if you both meet each other's selected criteria.
- The Room Trade feature allows you to create a room in which to trade Pokemon with other players. Rooms can hold up to a maximum of 20 trainers. Trading in rooms is of course free, but you'll only be able to create a room if you're enrolled in the Premium Plan.
- Friend Trade lets you trade your Pokemon with other nearby trainers who you're friends with in Home. You'll obviously first need to add them as a friend using the 'Add Friend' feature.
To celebrate the release of Pokemon Home, the Pokemon Bank and Poke Transporter will be free for one month after launch. Also, be aware that 3DS Pokemon cannot be returned to the Pokemon Bank once moved into Pokemon Home.
Pokemon can be registered to the National Pokedex as soon as you deposit them in Pokemon Home's Boxes. If you deposit Mega Evolve or Gigantamax versions, they'll also be registered separately. In the National Pokedex, you'll be able to see Pokedex entries from across the various games in one handy place. The mobile versions of Home let you search by abilities or moves, which is neat.
Mobile version users will be able to receive Mystery Gifts for Sword and Shield on top of gifts given specifically for Home. Pokemon received in Home can then be deposited directly into a Box. By receiving a code for a Mystery gift in Home and then using that code in Sword or Shield, you'll earn yourself some neat items.
If you're happy to pay for the Premium Plan, you'll have access to the 'Judge' function. This lets you check how strong your Pokemon are. In the app's 'Your Room' section, you'll be able to see all types of helpful info for events on the games you're currently connected to. You can also give your profile some personality by decorating it with neat stickers obtained by completing certain challenges, or by meeting specific in-game conditions.
The mobile version of Home will let you check in on how Ranked Battles and Online Competitions in Sword and Shield are going. You'll also be able to see the ranking of the Pokemon currently battling in them. By going to the 'Battle Data' tab, you can see the battle records of each individual trainer as well as info about what moves are proving most popular in competitions. Mobile users will also be notified about which Pokemon are being sent out as gifts.
Pokemon Home Points can be accumulated in-game by depositing Pokemon over time. On the Switch version, you can exchange your Pokemon Home Points for Battle Points, which can then be used in the core series titles.
Hopefully that gives you a better idea of what Pokemon Home is all about. Look for it on iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch next month. More info can be found over on Pokemon Home's official site.
