The Pokémon Company announced this Thursday (13) that it will discontinue the Pokémon Bank service, the Nintendo 3DS Pokémon storage app. The deactivation will take place on February 25, 2027, and players who have creatures stored in the app need to transfer them to Pokémon Home before that date, otherwise they may be lost.
Pokémon Bank was originally launched in 2013, still for the Nintendo 3DS, and served as a hub for trainers to move their Pokémon between the games Black & White, Black & White 2, X & Y, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, and Sun & Moon. The software was widely used by competitive players and shiny Pokémon hunters.
Transfer deadline
In an official statement, The Pokémon Company said the service will be discontinued on February 25, 2027, at 19h (Pacific Time). "It will also no longer be possible to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon Bank to Pokémon Home," the company warned. "If you have Pokémon stored in Pokémon Bank that you want to take with you, move them to Pokémon HOME before the end of the service."
Nintendo had removed Pokémon Bank from the 3DS online store in 2023, when the console's eShop was shut down. However, software support remained active until now. The current alternative is Pokémon Home, launched in 2020, which allows storage and transfer of creatures to Switch games.
FireRed and LeafGreen compatibility
In addition, The Pokémon Company confirmed that the FireRed and LeafGreen ports, released in 2026, will receive Pokémon Home compatibility starting in October 2026. The news sparked speculation about possible ports of Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald for the Switch, but nothing has been officially announced.
