If you haven’t heard yet, the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShop are now closed for good as of March 27, 2023. This means you will no longer be able to make new purchases or download software you did not already own before the servers close. As a result, some users might have forever lost the ability to transfer Pokémon from previous generations over to new games using Pokémon Bank and its Poké Transporter.
Pokémon Bank was initially released for the 3DS in Dec. 2013 and acted as a link between Nintendo DS and 3DS games, essentially giving players the ability to access Pokémon from any game since Ruby and Sapphire.
This would later go on to include functionality to connect Pokémon Bank and Pokémon HOME, further extending that generational link to the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices.
Despite this, and the connected functionality Pokémon Bank shares with the 3DS Virtual Console versions of the original Gen I and II Pokémon games, it was not spared from this eShop closure. So if you want to ensure you have full functionality for Pokémon Bank beyond the 3DS marketplace’s demise, here is how you can lock in the Poké Transporter and keep transferring your Pokémon for years to come.
Related: Nintendo 3DS, Wii U eShops officially dead but some hope remains
How to download the Poké Transporter for Pokémon Bank on Nintendo 3DS
The Poké Transporter acts as the core way for players to transfer Pokémon from any Gen V game or the Virtual Console releases of Gen I and II into Pokémon Bank. This will then allow you to transfer them into compatible titles or send them on to Pokémon HOME.
Essentially, if you have a copy of Black, White, Black 2, or White 2 this is the only way to bring Pokémon from those games or that you have brought over from previous generations using in-game transfer features onto the 3DS and beyond. That also holds true for the 3DS VC versions of Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal—as those titles have unique functionality to allow for transfers to Bank.
If you want to use these transfer features, now that the 3DS eShop is closed, you will first need to download Pokémon Bank to your system.
Once you have the main software installed, open it up. If you have any compatible Pokémon game on your 3DS system or inserted as a cartridge, you will have the ability to download the Poké Transporter at no additional cost.
If you did this, you will have permanent access to the Poké Transporter and all of Pokémon Bank’s core features as long as the services remain active. And if you are worried about the service being discontinued with the eShop’s closure, there is some good news.
Can I still use Pokémon Bank and the Poké Transporter on Nintendo 3DS?
Thankfully, even with the 3DS eShop gone for good, Pokémon Bank and all of its features will remain active for anyone who has downloaded the necessary apps.
The Pokémon Company has specifically stated Pokémon Bank and the Poké Transporter will remain active post-eShop closure. However, you must have downloaded both or have had them downloaded at some point in the past, before March 27. Now that the eShop is dead you can only download software on the 3DS that you already own.
TPC did ditch the subscription fee to use Bank when the eShop closed too—though this has led to its own issues.
Related: Pokémon Bank’s Poké Transporter broken after 3DS eShop closure
This means you can use all of the app’s services for free up until it is discontinued, which the company is still “undecided” on at this point.
