Don't Lose Your Pokémon When Transferring Saves to the Switch 2

Pokémon trainers, take heed: You need to be careful when transferring your save data from the Switch 1 to the Switch 2. While it's a pretty simple process, some Pokémon fans are reporting losing their saves after making the switch, including pocket monsters they've had since the days of the Game Boy Advance. In a now-deleted Reddit post (as reported by Lifehacker sister publication IGN), one user said they'd lost over 1,000 hours of gameplay and two decades worth of Pokémon when moving their Pokémon Scarlet save file to the new system. Judging by a few other posts, it wasn't an isolated incident.

While this definitely sounds like a bug, it's a bad one. Not only is it easy to form an emotional attachment to your little digital friends, but Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are two of a small handful of Switch titles that will delete save data from your original console while moving to the new one. So while you might be able to find your Super Mario Odyssey data on your original Switch if it gets lost or corrupted during a transfer, that's not an option here.

How to protect your Pokémon before you move to the Switch 2

I've reached out to Nintendo for comment and will update this post with an official solution if I hear back. In the meantime, before transferring your save to a new console, there is one precaution you can take to make sure you don't lose your monsters. Unfortunately, it might cost you: You can back up your Pokémon using Pokémon Home, Nintendo's successor to the once-paid Pokémon Bank service for 3DS. Pokémon Home can store up to 30 of your 'mons for free, and up to 6,000 if you pay. It's not ideal, no—in addition to the price tag for larger backups, you'll still lose access to any progress or items tied to your lost save. But at least keep your digital buddies will be safe.

If you've already lost your save, though, that suggestion is just a "shoulda, coulda, woulda." I get it—all serious gamers have been there at some point. Unfortunately, Pokémon games aren't compatible with Nintendo Switch Online's cloud save feature, so no amount of going through your backups will help you here.

Maybe Nintendo can help?

However, you might not be totally screwed: A few Reddit users are reporting that reaching out to Nintendo support has helped them reclaim their lost saves, even if an official statement on the situation is still forthcoming.

Regardless, that there's so much stress attached to moving your saves to Nintendo's new console is a major bummer, especially because Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are two of a small selection of titles that have received free (and sorely needed) performance upgrades on the Switch 2. Here's hoping Nintendo has an answer for distraught trainers soon.