Pokémon Champions launched globally on April 8, 2026, and one of its biggest draws is the ability to pull Pokémon from your existing collection across multiple generations of games. The catch: the connection between Pokémon Champions and Pokémon Home does not work the way most players expect. You cannot set it up from inside Champions itself, which causes a lot of confusion right at the start.
Here is everything you need to know to get your accounts linked and your Pokémon moving.
Why can't you connect from inside Pokémon Champions?
When you try to transfer a Pokémon from within Pokémon Champions without having linked your Pokémon Home account first, the game throws up a pop-up telling you that a Pokémon Home account needs to be connected. What it does not tell you clearly is that the connection has to be made from inside Pokémon Home on your Nintendo Switch, not from Champions. According to the source documentation from Insider Gaming, this is a hard requirement with no workaround.
The process is not complicated once you know where to go, but skipping this step means you will hit a wall every time you try to access your stored Pokémon.
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Attempting to initiate the transfer from inside Pokémon Champions will not work. You must open Pokémon Home on your Nintendo Switch first and complete the connection there before Champions will recognize your account.
Connect accounts via Pokémon HOME
How to connect Pokémon Home to Pokémon Champions
Follow these steps on your Nintendo Switch to link the two accounts:
- Close Pokémon Champions completely on your Nintendo Switch.
- Open Pokémon Home and sign in to your account.
- Once you are logged in, select the Pokémon Champions icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
- Confirm that the Pokémon Champions account displayed is the correct one.
- Your accounts are now connected.
That is the connection step done. Your Pokémon Home and Pokémon Champions accounts are now linked, but you still cannot use your Pokémon in Champions yet. There is a second step: selecting which Pokémon actually move over.
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The Pokémon Champions icon appears in the bottom-right corner of the Pokémon Home main screen on Nintendo Switch. If you do not see it, make sure both apps are fully updated.
How to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon Home to Pokémon Champions
Transferring Pokémon is a two-part process split across both apps. You select which Pokémon to send from within Pokémon Home, then confirm them from within Pokémon Champions. Based on the steps documented by Insider Gaming, here is the full sequence:
In Pokémon Home:
- Open Pokémon Home and sign in.
- Select the Pokémon Champions icon in the bottom-right corner.
- Choose the Pokémon you want to make available in Champions.
- Confirm your selections.
- Exit Pokémon Home.
In Pokémon Champions:
- Sign in to Pokémon Champions.
- Select the Recruit option from the main menu.
- Choose the option for transferring Pokémon from Pokémon Home.
- Select the specific Pokémon you want to bring into the game. The game refers to this as having them "visit."
- Confirm your selection.
The language the game uses here is worth noting. Pokémon do not permanently move from Home to Champions in the traditional sense. The game frames it as the Pokémon "visiting" Champions, which suggests the process is reversible and your Home collection is not permanently altered. You can check the official Pokémon Champions site for any updates on how this system evolves.
What Pokémon can you transfer?
The sources available at launch do not specify a complete list of compatible Pokémon or any hard restrictions on which generations or species are eligible. Based on available information, Pokémon Champions connects to Pokémon Home, which itself aggregates Pokémon from a wide range of past titles.
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If you previously connected Pokémon GO to Pokémon Home, those Pokémon should be accessible through the same Home account. Go to the Settings menu in Pokémon GO, select Connected Devices and Services, and navigate to the Pokémon HOME option to confirm the link is active.
For more Pokémon Champions guides and the latest gaming coverage, browse more guides on GAMES.GG to stay up to date as the game continues to expand.