Pokémon Bank Shutting Down Leaves Fans in Mourning

If you moved Pokémon into Pokémon Bank years ago to store them for a rainy day, now is the time to retrieve them. The Pokémon Company has announced that it will be ending the service on Nintendo 3DS in 2027, over a decade after it first launched.

The Pokémon Company announced the closure of the Bank service on Thursday in a new blog post about the Pokémon Home service, Bank’s successor. Support for Pokémon Bank will officially end on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2027 at 7 p.m. PST.

Launched in Japan in 2013 and globally in 2014, Pokémon Bank is a 3DS app that serves as a storage and transfer hub players can use with any Pokémon game on the handheld. While the service initially required a subscription, it has been free to use for those who had already downloaded it by the time Nintendo shut down the 3DS eShop in 2023.

The Pokémon Company advises those who still have Pokémon stored in Bank to transfer them to the modern Home service as soon as possible. Once you transfer Pokémon from Bank to Home, the Pokémon cannot be moved back to Bank. Transferring Pokémon between Bank and Home can be a long, complicated process, so check out our detailed guide for help. To make the move easier, an October update to Home will increase the number of Pokémon that Premium Plan subscribers can deposit to 9,000.

Unfortunately, the process can require multiple systems, games, and apps that are no longer available in some cases. Still, if you have everything you need, now is the time to save your beloved pocket monsters. If normal channels don’t work, dedicated fans have alternative solutions available if you know where to look.

Fan sentiment around the announcement has been fairly somber. While many understand this was a long time coming, it doesn’t lessen the frustration of yet another service for preserving digital memories being shuttered. Pokémon ignited many gamers’ love for the medium, and the attachment they form to beloved creatures is something that should be easier to preserve.