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The Pokémon Company outlined how Pokémon Home will work in a news post published today, and revealed that it will integrate the Global Trade Station into Pokémon Sword & Shield (via Nintendo Life).
As a cloud-based service that gathers Pokémon from different games all in one place, Pokémon Home will use the player’s Nintendo Account across its Switch and mobile versions. Therefore, Pokémon will be transferred back and forth between compatible Pokémon games, and players will be able to trade Pokémon on the go. The Switch version of Pokémon Home works with Pokémon Sword & Shield, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu. Once a Pokémon is taken from the Let’s Go games to the Home service, it cannot be returned there. This isn’t the case for Pokémon Sword & Shield, as the critters may cross over from Home to Galar at their heart’s content.
The mobile version of Pokémon Home has four features: Wonder Box, the Global Trade Station, Room Trade, and Friend Trade. Wonder Trade will let players exchange ‘mons without needing to be on the app. The Global Trade Station specifies which Pokémon the player would like to trade with you, and users will be able to ask for Pokémon that haven’t been logged in their National Pokédex. Room Trade hosts a… room for a maximum of 20 players to join and trade Pokémon between themselves. The result of the trade will be a surprise until after the room has closed. And, Friend Trade does what it says on the tin. Players who have added each other as friends in Pokémon Home are able to trade with each other, though this is only for users over the age of 16.
Finally, there is a free plan and a premium, paid plan for Pokémon Home. The premium plan is priced at $2.99 for a 30-day subscription, $4.99 for a 90-day subscription, or $15.99 for an annual subscription. Those on the premium membership will be able to host Rooms, throw three Pokémon instead of one Pokémon into the Global Trade Station, keep 6,000 instead of 1,000 Pokémon in Home, and drop 10 instead of 3 Pokémon into the Wonder Box.
Pokémon Home is coming to Switch and mobile devices in February 2020.
