Free Guide to Linking Pokémon GO and Pokémon HOME

Understanding Pokémon HOME and Why You Might Link Your Pokémon GO Account

Pokémon HOME is a cloud-based storage system created by The Pokémon Company that acts as a vault for your Pokémon across different games. Think of it like a central hub where your creatures can live, rather than being stuck in just one game. When you link Pokémon GO to Pokémon HOME, you create a bridge between these two separate apps, allowing certain Pokémon to move from one to the other.

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Pokémon GO, launched in 2016, focuses on real-world exploration and catching creatures in your neighborhood. Pokémon HOME, by contrast, is designed more as a long-term storage and organization system. The two games serve different purposes. Pokémon GO players who have caught hundreds of creatures often run into storage limits in the mobile app. Once your Pokémon GO storage fills up, you cannot catch new Pokémon until you make room. This is where the connection to Pokémon HOME becomes practically useful.

The linking process itself is straightforward and involves connecting both apps through your Nintendo Account. This is a one-time setup that takes just a few minutes. Once linked, you can move Pokémon from Pokémon GO into Pokémon HOME, freeing up space in your mobile app without permanently losing your creatures. The Pokémon moved to HOME remain in your permanent collection and can theoretically be accessed from there long-term.

One important note: not all Pokémon can transfer. As of 2024, The Pokémon Company has stated that only specific creatures are available for transfer from GO to HOME. The company has been gradual about expanding which Pokémon are transferable, slowly opening up different species in waves. This means your favorite legendary might not be moveable yet, or it might become moveable later after an update.

Takeaway: Linking Pokémon GO and Pokémon HOME gives you a solution to storage problems in your mobile game while maintaining a collection of creatures you've caught. It's useful primarily if you're an active catcher who fills up your GO storage regularly.

Setting Up the Basic Requirements Before Linking

Before you can connect these two apps, you need to meet a few foundational requirements. First, you need a Nintendo Account. This is Nintendo's universal login system that works across their various games and services. If you've ever played Pokémon Sword, Shield, Legends Arceus, or used the Nintendo eShop on a Switch console, you likely already have one. If not, you can make a Nintendo Account for free on Nintendo's website using an email address and a username you choose.

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Second, you need to own Pokémon HOME. While the app itself is free to get, there's an important distinction. Pokémon HOME has two different service tiers: a free version with limited features and a premium subscription called Pokémon HOME Premium. The free version lets you store up to 30 Pokémon at once. The premium version, which costs roughly $2.99 per month or $15.99 per year, lets you store up to 6,000 Pokémon. For casual players moving a few creatures here and there, the free tier might work. For regular Pokémon GO players, the premium subscription becomes necessary pretty quickly since 30 spots fill up fast.

Third, you need an active copy of Pokémon GO installed on your phone with an account you've set up. Your Pokémon GO account can be linked through several methods: a Google account, a Facebook account, a Pokémon Trainer Club account, or an Apple ID. Whichever method you originally used to create your Pokémon GO account is what you'll use to sign in during the linking process.

Fourth, make sure you're running relatively current versions of both apps. While you don't need the absolute latest version, very outdated versions of either app may cause problems during the linking process. Check your device's app store to see if updates are waiting for either Pokémon GO or Pokémon HOME.

Finally, you'll want a stable internet connection—both Wi-Fi and mobile data work fine. The transfer process sends information to The Pokémon Company's servers, so a weak or interrupted connection could cause the transfer to fail mid-process.

Takeaway: Get a Nintendo Account ready, decide whether you need the premium Pokémon HOME subscription based on how many creatures you plan to store, and make sure both apps are installed and updated on your phone.

Step-by-Step Process for Linking Your Accounts

The actual linking process happens in Pokémon GO, not in Pokémon HOME. Open Pokémon GO and tap the Poké Ball icon at the bottom of the screen to open the main menu. From there, look for the Settings option (usually a gear icon in the top right of the menu). Once in Settings, scroll down and look for an option labeled something like "Pokémon HOME" or "Connect to Pokémon HOME." The exact wording has changed slightly between app updates, but it should be clearly labeled as a connection option.

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Tap the Pokémon HOME connection option. The app will ask you to sign in with your Nintendo Account. This is where you use the email and password you created or already have for your Nintendo Account. Pokémon GO will open a browser window showing Nintendo's sign-in page. Enter your credentials and complete any security verification Nintendo requires (this might be a two-step verification if you have that set up on your Nintendo Account).

After you sign in successfully, Nintendo will ask you to grant Pokémon GO permission to connect to your Pokémon HOME account. This is a standard permission screen that shows what data Pokémon GO can access. Review the permissions listed and select "Authorize" or the equivalent button to confirm the connection. You'll then be returned to Pokémon GO, and the linking should be complete.

At this point, you should see confirmation in Pokémon GO's Settings that your account is connected to Pokémon HOME. Some players report seeing a "Connected" status or a similar indicator. If you see an error message instead, common issues include using the wrong Nintendo Account password, having an outdated version of one of the apps, or a temporary server issue on Nintendo's end. Trying again in a few minutes usually resolves these temporary problems.

Once linked, the connection remains active between your two accounts. You don't need to re-authenticate every time you transfer a Pokémon. The link stays in place unless you manually disconnect it through Settings in either app.

Takeaway: The linking process takes place in Pokémon GO's Settings menu and requires signing in with your Nintendo Account. Once authorized, the connection stays active and ready for transfers.

How to Actually Transfer Pokémon from GO to Pokémon HOME

After your accounts are linked, you're ready to move Pokémon. The transfer interface in Pokémon GO is straightforward. From the main menu (the Poké Ball screen), look for a "Pokémon" option. This opens your full collection of caught creatures. At the top or bottom of this list, you should see an option labeled something like "Pokémon HOME" or "Send to Pokémon HOME." Tap this option.

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The app will show you a list of your Pokémon that are eligible for transfer to HOME. As mentioned earlier, not every Pokémon you've caught may appear on this list. If a creature doesn't appear, it means The Pokémon Company hasn't opened transfers for that species yet. This list changes periodically as the company expands which Pokémon can be transferred, so creatures that can't transfer today might become transferable in future updates.

Select the specific Pokémon you want to move. You can choose just one or multiple creatures at once. The app will ask you to confirm your selection. Be aware that once you confirm the transfer, that Pokémon leaves your Pokémon GO storage and appears in your Pokémon HOME account instead. The transfer is permanent from the GO side—the creature no longer exists in your Pokémon GO collection once it reaches HOME. This is different from some games where you keep a copy; here it's a true move, not a copy.

The transfer takes just a moment or two to process. You'll see a confirmation message saying the transfer