Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen finally made the jump to Nintendo Switch earlier this year, but unfortunately for those of you out there who like to dabble in other games in the series, one important piece of the puzzle has been missing.
What we’re talking about here is Pokemon HOME integration, but that all changes soon enough.
FireRed and LeafGreen Pokemon can finally leave Kanto
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen will officially gain Pokemon HOME connectivity on October 7, 2026, allowing the Pokemon caught during your latest trip through Kanto to make the jump into the wider modern Pokemon ecosystem.
Once the 4.1.0 update goes live, Pokemon caught in the Switch versions of FireRed and LeafGreen can be moved into Pokemon HOME and, from there, transferred into other compatible Pokemon games.
The catch, however, is that transfers are sadly a one-way street. Pokemon moved from FireRed or LeafGreen into another Pokemon title won’t be able to return to the GBA classics, while Pokemon originating from other games cannot be transferred into FireRed or LeafGreen at all.
So, even though the integration is a great thing, there are limitations. Maybe think twice before shipping that top-tier Charizard you’ve been raising off to another Generation.
Get a free Celebi for using Pokemon HOME
Another big win if you’re a Kanto lover is that if you finish the Pokedex in either FireRed or LeafGreen, you can receive a special Celebi through the mobile version of Pokemon HOME.
If you’re like me, who was subject to moving Pokemon between cartridges using a Link Cable for years, Pokemon HOME is a huge quality-of-life upgrade, and one you should definitely take advantage of, especially if you’re netting that cool Celebi in the process.
On a side note, something interesting about the timing of this update is that there has been a bunch of recent speculation surrounding Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire potentially heading to Switch next.
Whether the glorious Hoenn is actually around the corner remains to be seen, but FireRed and LeafGreen getting proper HOME support now gets the Spidey senses tingling.
