With Pokémon Champions now live, and Pokémon Legends Z-A finally compatible with Pokémon Home, there has never been a better time to get moving your Pokémon ready for battle. But, with so many Pokémon games and the added complexity of the Pokémon Home service, it's not entirely straightforward. So, here is a quick guide covering how to move Pokémon into Pokémon Home and then into Pokémon Champions.
How To Use Pokémon Home
If you are picking up Pokémon Champions for the very first time and want to move a Pokémon over from a different game, you will find that you need an additional service to make this happen. Pokémon Home is an interim app that allows you to host Pokémon from a multitude of different Pokémon games and send them back to compatible titles.
You can download Pokémon Home for either Switch or for mobile devices, but you will need the Switch version to transfer Pokémon from any of the Switch titles into Pokémon Champions.
The Switch games compatible with Pokémon Home are:
- Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee
- Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu
- Pokémon Sword
- Pokémon Shield
- Pokémon Brilliant Diamond
- Pokémon Shining Pearl
- Pokémon Legends Arceus
- Pokémon Scarlet
- Pokémon Violet
- Pokémon Legends Z-A
How to transfer a Pokémon from Home to Champions
To transfer any Pokémon from a Nintendo Switch Pokémon game into Pokémon Champions, you first need to send them to Pokémon Home.
First, ensure the Pokémon you want to transfer is in a box, and not your party, as you cannot move Pokémon in your party via Home. Then, save and exit any Pokémon game you are playing.
Next, open the Pokémon Home app on Nintendo Switch. As long as you have an account and are online, upon opening the title, you should be presented with a loading screen telling you that you are logging into Pokémon Home.
Upon seeing the main screen, press the Pokémon button on the top right. The next screen shows you all of the compatible Pokémon games you own and can connect to. Click on the title you want to migrate a Pokémon from, such as Pokémon Violet. Text saying “Do you want to connect to this game?” will appear, so press Yes to proceed.
Finally, you will be presented with a view of two sets of boxes, with Pokémon Home on the left, and your selected Pokémon game on the right. Find the Pokémon you want to move, press A to select them, and then press Move to confirm. Move the cursor to place the Pokémon in your selected Home box, and then press A to place them.
When you are done moving Pokémon, press the + button to save and exit this screen. When the pop-up appears, press Save and Exit.
Next, from the main screen, find the Pokémon Champions button on the bottom right corner, and select it. Pokemon Home will ask if you want to link with a specific account, and so long as you are presented with the correct one, click Yes to proceed.
On the next screen, you are presented with your Pokémon Home boxes, with any Pokémon not compatible with Pokémon Champions clearly labelled with a red circle with a line through it. Find a Pokémon that is compatible, and press A to select it. You can select multiple Pokémon at once, and when you have clicked on all of the Pokémon you would like to send to Pokémon Home, click Y.
The next screen will say, “Do you want to send the Pokémon you’ve selected to Pokémon Champions?” So, click Yes to proceed.
Next, open Pokémon Champions. From the main menu, click on the ‘Recruit’ icon. Then, click on ‘Collect from Pokémon Home.’ You will be presented with the Pokémon you just selected in Pokémon Home, and then must click “Collect from Pokémon Home’ to complete the move. The game will finally give you some information about your Pokémon’s stats changing when they move into Champions, but you can now head back into the main Pokémon Champions menu, click on Box, and find your deposited Pokémon.
Be mindful, many moves are not compatible with Pokémon Champions, and it costs VP (one of Pokémon Champions' in-game currencies) to change moves. So, it is advised to check whether the moves they have are compatible, and change them beforehand so you don't have to spend more inside Champions.
How to get the Mystery Gift Alpha Starters in Pokémon Home
To celebrate the launch of Pokémon Champions, the Pokémon Company unveiled a new celebration, offering players a Mystery Gift containing Alpha versions of Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile.
To get these Mystery Gift starters, follow these instructions:
You have to own a copy of Pokémon Legends Z-A, and have a Pokémon you are willing to send to Pokémon Home
On the Nintendo Switch, open Pokémon Home, and transfer any Pokémon from Pokémon Legends Z-A to Pokémon Home. Then, save and exit the app.
Open the mobile version of Pokémon Home, and press the three horizontal lines at the bottom of the screen to open the menu, then find the Mystery Gift tab
In the Mystery Gift menu, press Gift Box to reveal all of your valid Mystery Gifts.
If you have done the previous steps correctly, you will find the three Alpha starters, and you must click on each individually and click ‘Claim’ to accept them.
Finally, once claimed, the three Alpha Starters will appear in your Pokémon Home boxes.
Is Pokémon Home Free?
Yes, Pokémon Home is free to download and use. However, there is also a Premium Version that greatly expands the service. If you download the free version of Pokémon Home, the title gives you space for 30 Pokémon, which you can send from other games, and transfer to Pokémon titles such as Pokémon Champions.
With the Premium Version of Pokémon Home, you can store up to 6000 Pokémon (yes, 6000), and can access other features such as the ability to judge Pokémon, and transfer Pokémon from the Nintendo 3DS titles via Pokémon Bank.
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