Pokémon Bank, the 3DS app used to store Pokémon and move them between games, is being shut down. GameSpot, citing Serebii, reports that the closure has been penciled in for February 27, 2027, which would effectively end the 3DS era of the series' transfer chain.
The writing had been on the wall for some time. The 3DS eShop closed in March 2023, after which the app could no longer be downloaded, and Nintendo had already launched a replacement for Switch, iOS and Android a few years earlier in the form of Pokémon Home.
What the shutdown closes off
Pokémon Bank's remaining value was as a bridge. Using a separate app, players could bring Pokémon out of older DS games onto a 3DS, then move them from Bank into Switch titles. GameSpot notes that this made it the quickest route to completing a National Pokédex in recent games, with Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire especially useful because of how readily Legendary-class Pokémon can be encountered in their endgame.
Once the service closes, Pokémon left behind stay where they are. That covers DS titles such as Pokémon Black and White and later 3DS games including Pokémon X and Y and Pokémon Sun and Moon, whose creatures will remain locked to their cartridges.
Pokémon Home is not a free replacement
Pokémon Bank is free to use. Pokémon Home is not: a monthly or annual subscription is required to house a full collection, and a subscription is also needed to link to Pokémon Bank in the first place. The free tier holds 30 Pokémon, which GameSpot points out is far short of what a long-running collection needs — the series has passed 1,000 Pokémon, with more arriving alongside Pokémon Winds and Waves next year.
Players can keep Pokémon in boxes inside the Switch games, but moving them a few at a time into Pokémon Home and then onward is a slow process. The Switch versions of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are due to gain Pokémon Home support in October 2026, at $20 each, and Pokémon taken out of them cannot be deposited back.
