Pokémon Fan Loses 20-Year Progress in Switch Transfer

Nintendo Switch 2 owners reporting lost Pokémon save files urgently advise fellow trainers to utilize Pokémon Home before transferring data to their new consoles.

A Reddit thread details one player's heartbreaking experience: after transferring data from their original Switch to the Switch 2, their Pokémon Scarlet save file vanished. Numerous users confirmed similar issues, including an IGN staff member who encountered identical problems.

The original poster, ThatOtaku26, revealed their lost save contained 1,000+ gameplay hours and Pokémon collected over twenty years - including transfers from classic titles like Pokémon Leaf Green (GBA) and Pokémon Diamond (Nintendo DS).

These saves hold immense sentimental value as they often contain Pokémon carried forward through multiple generations. Compounding the issue, Switch Pokémon games uniquely lack cloud save support via Nintendo Switch Online - affecting titles like Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Sword/Shield, and Scarlet/Violet.

Pokémon Home emerges as the critical solution - the franchise's dedicated cloud service requiring a subscription for storing over 30 creatures. Players now universally recommend transferring Pokémon to Home before any Switch 2 migration.

"Everything transferred perfectly... except Scarlet," ThatOtaku26 explained. "Twenty years' worth of Pokémon gone instantly. The character creation screen greeted me instead. My entire collection from GBA to current gen - vanished without warning."

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The community responded with shared horror stories. "Identical thing happened switching to OLED - I cried," admitted Grouchy-Cress-215. Another player lost ALL saves, including Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart.

While statistically rare, these incidents convinced most commenters that Pokémon Home backups are essential. "All my Pokémon go in Home FIRST," stressed Mexican_Chef4307. TheJannikku echoed: "I'll never risk transferring without Home again."

Some responses lacked sympathy: "Not using Home is irresponsible," argued IAmTheWire. "We've known for years this is the only guaranteed preservation method."

The Switch 2 launched this month with record-breaking sales - moving 3.5 million units in four days, doubling the original Switch's launch figures despite its predecessor's hardware shortages.