Pokémon Champions can be played completely free on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Android and iOS, and players who want to enter with a ready-made roster can build one by moving Pokémon through Pokémon HOME. The new competitive title is being framed as a place where teams are prepared before entering the game, and that makes transfer setup part of the launch-day story.
Players on Nintendo Switch or Switch 2 open Pokémon HOME and see the save files for games where they have caught Pokémon, including Pokémon Scarlet, Violet, Arceus and Z-A. From there, they can select each save file and choose the Pokémon they want to send to one of the boxes in Pokémon HOME. Pokémon caught in Pokémon GO can also be moved over, but they have to be sent directly from Pokémon GO rather than from the console app.
The process in Pokémon GO is buried a little deeper. Players go to Settings, then Connected Devices and Services, then Pokémon HOME, and then Send Pokémon. After that transfer goes through, a notification appears in the Pokémon HOME mobile app so the player can receive the Pokémon. That mobile step matters because Pokémon cannot be traded from Pokémon HOME on Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2.
Trading is handled only in the Pokémon HOME mobile app through the Trades tab, and the free plan limits users to 10 trades per day. That makes the app less of a spare side tool than the main place where any last-minute team swaps will actually happen, especially for players trying to assemble a lineup before Pokémon Champions goes live.
The practical picture is simple: if a player wants to use Pokémon from Scarlet, Violet, Arceus, Z-A or GO in Pokémon Champions, Pokémon HOME is the bridge, and the mobile app is where the final trade work gets done. Before the game’s arrival, a guide had already laid out the transfer steps, but the key point for launch is unchanged — the roster has to be organized in HOME first if players want it ready on day one.
For players asking about the Pokémon Champions release time, the more immediate issue is not just when the game opens, but whether their teams are already waiting inside Pokémon HOME. The answer is yes: transfer them first, use the mobile app for trades, and keep the 10-trade daily limit in mind.
