Pokemon Bank

Learn how to use Pokémon Bank and Poke Transporter in Pokémon Sun and Moon to store and transfer up to 3,000 Pokémon, plus import from older games.

Alright, let's talk about Pokémon Bank! Think of it as your super-secure online vault for all your Pokémon buddies. It works with both Pokémon Sun and Moon, and also connects to your older 6th generation games (X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire). This app lets you store a whopping 3,000 Pokémon online, which is awesome for keeping your collection organized or moving Pokémon between different games.

You can download Pokémon Bank for free from the Nintendo 3DS eShop. However, to actually use its services, there's a small yearly fee of $4.99 USD. Don't worry if you decide not to renew after a year; you can still take out all your Pokémon, but you won't be able to add any more to the bank.

There's also a cool companion app called Poke Transporter. This little helper lets you bring Pokémon over from your 5th generation games (Black, White, Black 2, White 2) or even the Virtual Console versions of Red, Blue, and Yellow. Once they're in Pokémon Bank, you can then transfer them to your Sun and Moon games.

Heads up! The compatibility for Sun and Moon, as well as the Virtual Console games, required a free update that went live in January 2017. Just remember, any Pokémon you send to Sun and Moon, or import from the Virtual Console, can *only* go to Sun and Moon. They won't transfer back to any 6th generation games.

Quick Tip: While Pokémon Bank is amazing for storage and transfers, keep in mind that your Pokémon won't keep their held items when you move them. So, you'll need to re-collect your items in your new game. It's a small price to pay for such a handy service!