Pokémon HOME GTS: How Trading Works
Pokémon HOME GTS lets you deposit a Pokémon, specify what you want in return and wait for HOME to match the request with another Trainer.
The useful way to think about Pokémon HOME GTS is to separate storage, game transfers and mobile-only features. HOME shares one collection across linked devices, but the Switch app, mobile app and connected Pokémon games each handle different parts of the process.
Pokémon HOME GTS: what you need to know
Pokémon HOME GTS Image The Pokémon Company International.
GTS is a mobile HOME trading feature.
HOME lets you request a Pokémon even if that species has not yet been registered in your HOME National Pokédex.
Basic users can place 1 Pokémon in GTS at once, while Premium users can place 3.
How to do it
- Open Trade in the mobile version of HOME and choose GTS.
- Deposit the Pokémon you are offering and set the requested species and available conditions.
- Leave the listing active while HOME searches for a matching Trainer.
- Return to GTS to receive the traded Pokémon after a match completes.
With Pokémon HOME GTS, confirm the Nintendo Account and target game or service before the final step. HOME is designed to make a large collection easier to manage, but several transfer paths are intentionally one way.
Important restrictions
Be realistic with requested conditions. A technically valid listing can sit forever if the requested Pokémon is much rarer or more valuable than the offer.
Another important point with Pokémon HOME GTS is that a Pokémon being stored in HOME does not guarantee that it can enter every supported game. HOME checks destination compatibility at species level and can also apply game-specific rules to moves, forms and other displayed information.
Switch and mobile differences
For Pokémon HOME GTS, use the Nintendo Switch version when the task involves opening supported Switch game save data. Use the mobile version when the task involves HOME trading, Friends, Mystery Gifts or mobile collection tools. Both versions should be linked to the same Nintendo Account if you want them to show the same HOME Boxes.
GTS is particularly useful for Pokédex completion because it lets you target a missing species instead of relying on a random result. For rare shinies or sentimental Pokémon, direct Friend Trade is usually a more controlled choice.
Useful tips before you confirm
Before using Pokémon HOME GTS with a rare, shiny, marked or sentimental Pokémon, read every confirmation screen and check the destination twice. One-way transfers are not bugs, and HOME cannot undo a transfer simply because you change your mind afterward.
If something about Pokémon HOME GTS looks wrong, check HOME’s compatibility display and official support information before trying repeated transfers. A greyed-out destination, an unreceived GO transfer or a game-specific restriction often has a clear explanation in HOME itself.
For large collections, Box organisation is worth doing before a transfer rather than afterward. Keeping game origins, living Pokédex entries, trade stock and valuable collection pieces in predictable HOME Boxes makes mistakes far less likely.
HOME also records National Pokédex and supported game-specific Pokédex progress. That can make a transfer useful for collection goals even when the Pokémon is not being moved onward into another game immediately.
If a Pokémon’s visible moves or status look different after changing the connected title, remember that HOME can present information according to the destination game’s rules. Pokémon Support notes that the displayed information can change without HOME overwriting the underlying Pokémon data.
For anything difficult to replace, take a moment to check the Pokémon’s origin, form, marks and destination compatibility before saving changes. A few seconds of checking is much easier than rebuilding a collection mistake later.
For large collections, Box organisation is worth doing before a transfer rather than afterward. Keeping game origins, living Pokédex entries, trade stock and valuable collection pieces in predictable HOME Boxes makes mistakes far less likely.
HOME also records National Pokédex and supported game-specific Pokédex progress. That can make a transfer useful for collection goals even when the Pokémon is not being moved onward into another game immediately.
If a Pokémon’s visible moves or status look different after changing the connected title, remember that HOME can present information according to the destination game’s rules. Pokémon Support notes that the displayed information can change without HOME overwriting the underlying Pokémon data.
For Pokémon HOME GTS, checking the exact source and destination before saving is the safest way to avoid an irreversible transfer mistake.
For the current first-party rules covering Pokémon HOME GTS, see the official Pokémon HOME information.
