Pokémon Bank will end service on February 26, 2027, at 03:00 UTC. Until that time, Pokémon from compatible older games can still reach Pokémon HOME through Bank, provided the necessary applications and intermediate transfer steps are available. Moving Pokémon from Bank into HOME requires a paid HOME Premium Plan and cannot be reversed.
The closure will not erase Pokémon already in HOME or disable direct transfers from modern games. The issue is the bridge to older titles: once Bank goes offline, Pokémon that depend exclusively on it will have no officially announced route into HOME. This guide reflects information available as of October 23, 2026.
When does Pokémon Bank close, and what time is that in Brazil?
The joint notice from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company schedules the shutdown for February 26, 2027, at noon Japan Standard Time (JST). This is the same instant described internationally as 03:00 UTC and by North American support as 7:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST) on February 25. In Brasília time (UTC-3), the deadline is midnight at the start of February 26. Players in Brazil should therefore complete transfers on February 25, before midnight, rather than attempting them during the final minutes.
Bank became free to use in March 2023, but distribution of Bank and Poké Transporter through the Nintendo 3DS eShop ended. Free Bank access does not waive the HOME Premium subscription needed for the final transfer.
Which Pokémon and older games can still reach HOME?
There is no simple universal list of species that will automatically be banned in 2027. What matters is which game holds a particular Pokémon, whether the specimen can follow the official chain into Bank, and whether it meets the transfer rules. HOME can store a Pokémon after receiving it even when not every Nintendo Switch game accepts its species, form, or history.
| Pokémon origin | Official route into HOME | Key requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal on 3DS Virtual Console | Poké Transporter → Pokémon Bank → Pokémon HOME | Requires the Virtual Console editions and an already obtained Poké Transporter; original Game Boy cartridges cannot connect directly. |
| Original Game Boy Advance Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, and LeafGreen | Pal Park in a Generation IV game → Poké Transfer in a Generation V game → Poké Transporter → Bank → HOME | Requires compatible intermediate games and hardware. Do not confuse these with the newer Switch editions. |
| Nintendo DS Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver | Poké Transfer into Black/White/Black 2/White 2 → Poké Transporter → Bank → HOME | A move into Generation V is necessary; Bank cannot read these titles directly. |
| Nintendo DS Black, White, Black 2, and White 2 | Poké Transporter → Bank → HOME | Poké Transporter must already be available and functioning on the 3DS. |
| Nintendo 3DS X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire | Pokémon Bank → Pokémon HOME | Bank accepts eligible Pokémon directly from these four games. |
| Nintendo 3DS Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon | Pokémon Bank → Pokémon HOME | Bank accepts eligible Pokémon directly from these four games. |
| Compatible Switch games and Pokémon GO; FireRed and LeafGreen for Switch | Their own Pokémon HOME connections, without Bank | Subject to game-specific compatibility; the Switch FireRed/LeafGreen connection went live in October 2026. |
The table maps a specimen’s route, not an unconditional guarantee for every Pokémon. The official Bank website says, for example, that held items do not travel with Pokémon and that Pokémon created by unauthorized methods may be rejected. To check which modern games can receive a Pokémon already in HOME, open its summary in the console version of HOME and view the compatible-games list.
How to move Pokémon from Pokémon Bank to Pokémon HOME
If your Pokémon are still in an older game, first complete the relevant steps in the table until they are deposited in Bank Boxes. Then follow the official procedure below. You can also start the transfer from the smartphone version of HOME; exact menu labels depend on your app language.
- Make sure Pokémon Bank is already installed on your Nintendo 3DS and updated to version 1.5 or later. For Generation V Nintendo DS games and Virtual Console titles, check that Poké Transporter is also available; it is not needed for X/Y or the native 3DS titles from Generations VI and VII.
- Open Bank, arrange eligible Pokémon in its Boxes, and complete any outstanding earlier-generation transfers. Check your selections because Pokémon cannot return from HOME to Bank.
- Sign in to Pokémon HOME with your Nintendo Account on Nintendo Switch or a smartphone, and activate the Premium Plan. Nintendo Switch Online is not required for the Bank-to-HOME transfer.
- In HOME, select the Bank transfer function and request a Moving Key, the temporary transfer code.
- On the 3DS, select the move-to-Pokémon-HOME option in Bank, choose the Boxes you want to transfer, and enter the Moving Key. It expires after three minutes; if it expires, request a new key and repeat the procedure.
- Wait for the move to finish, open your HOME Boxes, and check the Pokémon received before considering the transfer complete.
Since the 4.1.0 update released in October 2026, HOME Premium can hold up to 9,000 Pokémon, compared with 30 on the free plan. The higher capacity does not change the essential rule: direct transfers from Bank to HOME require Premium. Do not confuse this with the former Bank subscription, which stopped being charged in 2023.
What if you no longer have the app or your Nintendo 3DS?
If you never downloaded Pokémon Bank before the 3DS eShop closed, there is no official new download available. The same applies to Poké Transporter. Merely owning a Black, White, or Virtual Console game does not overcome a missing Transporter; likewise, Bank alone cannot directly extract Pokémon from those games.
There is one important exception for players who no longer have access to their 3DS but already deposited Pokémon in Bank’s online Boxes. HOME offers an official “No Nintendo 3DS” option. If the Nintendo Network ID used for Bank is linked to the Nintendo Account used for HOME, you can request that all Pokémon already stored in Bank be moved without using the handheld. This option cannot retrieve Pokémon from a cartridge or save file that never reached Bank.
If you still have your 3DS and Bank but no longer have Poké Transporter, you can still work with Pokémon already held in Bank and games that connect directly to it, provided those connections work. Before attempting the no-3DS option, verify your account linking and sign-in details with Nintendo Support. The official instructions do not provide a way to install the apps anew from the eShop after their distribution ended.
Which transfers are irreversible, and what will keep working?
Bank-to-HOME transfers are one-way. After a transfer, the Pokémon cannot return to Bank or to Nintendo 3DS games. Poké Transporter likewise cannot return Pokémon to their games of origin. Some earlier cross-generation moves were already permanent before reaching Bank.
Pokémon already stored in HOME do not depend on Bank remaining online. Pokémon GO and compatible Switch games continue to use their own HOME connection rules. For example, FireRed Version and LeafGreen Version for Nintendo Switch gained direct HOME compatibility on October 7, 2026. Once a Pokémon leaves these games for HOME, however, it cannot return to FireRed/LeafGreen, and Pokémon from other games cannot be sent into them.
Do not mistake HOME storage for permission to send any Pokémon into any game. Each title accepts a specific set of species and forms, which you can check in HOME. Nor has there been an announcement that Bank’s closure will delete Pokémon already stored in HOME. What ends is the Bank transfer route and the Nintendo 3DS storage service.
Checklist before the shutdown
- Find Pokémon still held in Virtual Console, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS saves and identify the correct route for each.
- Verify that Bank and, where needed, Poké Transporter are installed; check app versions, connectivity, and accounts.
- Finish Pal Park or Poké Transfer steps before using Transporter if your collection comes from Generations III or IV.
- Secure HOME Premium access, check the number of Pokémon you need to receive, and complete the move before 03:00 UTC on February 26, 2027.
- Verify the destination Boxes and treat every Pokémon already moved to HOME as permanently transferred.
Sources and references
- Nintendo and The Pokémon Company: Japanese end-of-service notice
- Nintendo Brazil: Pokémon Bank end of service
- Nintendo in Spanish: end-of-service notice
- Nintendo: games compatible with Bank and Poké Transporter
- Pokémon HOME: official Bank transfer instructions
- Nintendo Brazil: how to transfer Pokémon to HOME
- Official Pokémon Bank site: storage and migration rules
- Pokémon HOME: features, compatibility and plans
- Nintendo: October 2026 Pokémon HOME update
- Pokémon.com Brazil: Switch FireRed and LeafGreen in HOME
- Nintendo Brazil: link a Nintendo Network ID to a Nintendo Account
- Smogon, technical cross-generation transfer guide
