After months of waiting, the much-anticipated update to Pokémon Home adding support for the most recent Pokémon games is finally nearly here. Announced to be arriving in “the coming weeks”, version 2.0.0 of Pokémon Home adds two-directional support for both Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl and Pokémon Legends Arceus.

Due to the considerably different – and fewer – types of PokéBalls available in Pokémon Legends Arceus, a brand new type of PokéBall, called a Strange Ball, will replace PokéBalls that do not exist in their respective game for Pokémon transferred to them. For example, as Dusk Balls do not exist in Pokémon Legends Arceus, any Pokémon caught with one will appear within a Strange Ball instead when transferred to the game. Meanwhile, Pokémon caught in, for example, a Feather Ball will change to a Strange Ball within Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.

Pokémon Sword & Shield will show these Pokémon within normal PokéBalls, however – suggesting that no significant update is on the way for the 2019 games to go with this Home update.

While Pokémon Legends Arceus and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl can easily swap most of the Pokémon caught in these games between each other – as they both feature the entire original Sinnoh PokéDex – restrictions will still apply on Pokémon that can be transferred into any of the three main series titles. It is not currently expected, for example, that Hisuian evolutions or Hisuian form Pokémon can be transferred into Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, or Sword & Shield. Nor that any Pokémon not featured in the Sinnoh Pokédex can be transferred into either of the two new games.

However, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet are confirmed to support at least some Hisuian Pokémon being transferred into it once it too supports Pokémon Home.

Pokémon Legends Arceus specific details such as whether a Pokémon has mastered a move, as well as its Effort Values will also be shown in Pokémon Home. They will also show as not having any Ability, though one will be assigned to them from their normal Abilities if they are transferred to another game.

There are also some other details and caveats to be aware of regarding transfers between the new games and Pokémon Home.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

• Special Pokémon that can only be caught once during regular gameplay (such as the Legendary Pokémon) can only be deposited once per save data to Pokémon Home.
• If a Pokémon is detected as being caught via an exploit or hacking, it cannot be sent to Pokémon Home.

Pokémon Legends Arceus

• The National Pokédex in Pokémon Home will only register Pokémon from the Legends Arceus save data where their Pokédex entry is ‘complete’ (has a filled in Red PokéBall icon).

All games

• When a Pokémon is transferred to another game for the first time, the moves it knows will be determined by its current level – ignoring its original moveset entirely.
• When that Pokémon is returned to its original game, it will revert to its original moveset, regardless of any new moves it might have learned in the other game.

Pokédexes

Previously, Pokémon Home featured a collective National Pokédex that was updated from your connected games’ save data. This will expand in version 2.0.0 to also include each game’s regional Pokédex, with entries in these Pokédexes being determined by the Pokémon currently in your boxes when the update is installed. Any Pokémon previously registered but traded away will not be added to the new Regional Pokédexes.

Bonus Pokémon Gifts

Special Pokémon Gifts based on each game’s starter Pokémon will also be available in Pokémon Home after linking to the new games for the first time.

Game	Pokémon	Notes
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl		Will have their Hidden Abilities (Shell Armor, Iron Fist & Defiant)
Legends Arceus		Will have maximum Effort Levels

Finally, additional achievements and stickers for Legends Arceus and Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl within the mobile version of Pokémon Home will also be added when the new version is available.

The exact release date of the Version 2.0.0 update isn’t yet known, but it should be available within the next couple of months at least.