Pokémon Bank Update Coming In 2017 With New National Dex And Red, Blue And Yellow Compatibility

  • 3DS
  • RPG
2016-11-18
Title screen for Pokemon Bank
Title screen for Pokemon Bank Nintendo

The Pokémon Bank app on your Nintendo 3DS will function with the upcoming Pokémon Sun and Moon...just not until January 2017.

The official Pokémon website confirms this information but also confirms the Pokémon Bank will come with plenty of updates to get trainers ready to transfer Pokémon from X and Y, and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire to their new Sun and Moon games.

Some interesting notes about the upcoming Pokémon Bank update states that once a Pokémon is transferred to Sun and Moon you cannot transfer it back to your X and Y or ORAS game. So choose wisely, which Pokémon you want transferred to Sun and Moon.

Of course, items cannot be transferred via Pokémon Bank. If the Pokémon you store is holding an item, the item will return to the original game it came from.

A chart showing how Pokemon are transferred using Pokemon Bank and Poke Tranporter
A chart showing how Pokemon are transferred using Pokemon Bank and Poke Tranporter Pokemon Company

The Poke Transporter app will also be updated at the same in January. This app will allow trainers to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon Black and White , and Black 2 and White 2 to Sun and Moon but will also become function with the Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow virtual games.

Pokémon sent from Red, Blue and Yellow can only be sent to Sun and Moon and cannot be transferred back. And as usual, items cannot be transferred using the Poke Transporter.

What transferring Pokemon from Red, Blue or Yellow looks like.
What transferring Pokemon from Red, Blue or Yellow looks like. Pokemon Company

Along with the update, a new National Dex will be implemented in Pokémon Bank. The application will read your saved data from the games you connect with it (X and Y, ORAS, Sun and Moon ), collecting information about Pokémon you’ve caught.

The Pokémon Bank update will release in January 2017. An annual pass to use Pokémon Bank costs $4.99.

So what do you think of the upcoming Pokémon Bank update? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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