Nintendo has announced that Pokémon Bank is shutting down on the Nintendo 3DS in 2027. As a result, players will be permanently locked out from transferring Pokémon from many classic games to Pokémon HOME. Here is when Pokémon Bank officially goes offline and which titles will be affected.
When Is Pokémon Bank Shutting Down?
Nintendo has just announced that the Pokémon Bank app will shut down on February 27, 2027. This is a pretty big deal, as it’s currently the only official way to transfer Pokémon from 3DS-era titles such as X and Y or Sun and Moon into Pokémon HOME. However, many classic Pokémon games are also only available on the Nintendo 3DS, locking them out as well.
For example, Pokémon Red and Blue or Gold and Silver were only officially available on modern hardware through the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console. Although the Gen 1 and Gen 2 Virtual Console games required the Poké Transporter app, they still needed Pokémon Bank to be saved to Home.
Pokémon from Gen 3 and Gen 4 can also be transferred forward through a much longer process before eventually reaching Poké Transporter and Pokémon Bank. Essentially, the vast majority of classic Pokémon games will soon have no official way to transfer their Pokémon to modern hardware.
Pokémon Games That Need Pokémon Bank to Transfer to HOME
Here are the games that ultimately require Pokémon Bank to transfer Pokémon over to HOME:
- Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow (Virtual Console)
- Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal (Virtual Console)
- Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald
- Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
- Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
- Pokémon Black and White
- Pokémon Black 2 and White 2
- Pokémon X and Y
- Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
- Pokémon Sun and Moon
- Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
Can You Use Pokémon Bank After It Shuts Down?
No, Pokémon Bank will reportedly no longer work after February 27, 2027. Even if you have it installed, you will not be able to transfer Pokémon over to Pokémon HOME. That means the only way to access your older Pokémon after the shutdown may be through unofficial homebrew tools or PC emulator programs that can move save files over.
Interestingly, this also comes on the heels of a leak claiming that a Pokémon Emerald Switch 2 port is releasing in September 2026. With Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen also released recently, perhaps Game Freak will be adding more classic Pokémon games to Switch 2?
At the very least, shutting down Pokémon Bank will essentially cut off over 70% of the series from modern transfers. Players will no doubt be wondering whether Nintendo and The Pokémon Company will announce a solution to this problem. Regardless, if you have classic Pokémon games, make sure to mark February 27, 2027, on your calendar.
The post Pokémon Bank Shutdown Date Confirmed – Classic Pokémon Transfers Are Ending appeared first on VICE.
