Get Your Pokemon Games Working
Nintendo killed the 3DS servers but we're not giving up that easily. Here's how to get online again plus the best Pokemon tools that still work.
Nintendo Killed the Servers
Nintendo shut down 3DS and Wii U online on April 8, 2024. RIP to:
- • Wonder Trade and GTS
- • Pokemon Bank
- • Festival Plaza
- • Online battles and trading
- • BUT we have workarounds below 👇
Pretendo Network - The Hero We Need
What's Pretendo?
Some absolute legends are rebuilding Nintendo's online services from scratch. It's free, open source, and actually works.
- ✓Completely free (no subscriptions)
- ✓Made by the community for the community
- ⚠Still being built (not everything works yet)
- ℹYou need homebrew on your 3DS
What Pokemon Games Work?
Working Right Now
- • Pokemon X/Y (mostly)
- • Pokemon ORAS (mostly)
- • Some Sun/Moon features
Being Worked On
- • Pokemon Ultra Sun/Moon
- • Pokemon Bank replacement
- • Festival Plaza stuff
Check their website for the latest updates. This stuff changes pretty often.
Homebrew Your Consoles
3DS Homebrew
Hack your 3DS to use Pretendo and other cool homebrew apps. Works on basically every 3DS ever made.
3DS Hacks GuideSwitch Homebrew
Hack your Switch for save editing, mods, and other useful stuff. Only works on older Switches though.
Switch GuideEmulation
Play Pokemon games on PC with better graphics and trading support. Citra is dead but forks still work.
Citra ForkDon't Brick Your Stuff
Homebrew voids warranties and can break your console if you mess up. Always backup your saves and NAND before doing anything.
Essential Pokemon Tools
PKHeX
The best Pokemon save editor. Edit your Pokemon, items, and save files. Works with basically every Pokemon game.
Get PKHeXPokemon Showdown
Online battle simulator. Practice competitive battles and test teams without grinding for hours.
Battle NowUniversal Randomizer
Randomize Pokemon games to make them actually challenging again. Because Nuzlockes aren't hard enough.
Get RandomizerPokeMMO
Pokemon MMO with multiple regions and actual multiplayer. It's surprisingly good and has a decent community.
Join PokeMMOCheckpoint
3DS save manager. Backup and restore your Pokemon saves. Essential if you're using homebrew.
Get CheckpointPKSM
Pokemon save manager for 3DS with editing and Bank-like features. Better than Pokemon Bank ever was.
Get PKSMPokemon Info Sites
Need Help?
Ask the Community
Got questions about any of this stuff? Ask in our chat. Someone's probably figured it out already.
Remember: Most of this stuff exists because people refuse to let Pokemon die when Nintendo gives up. Support the developers who make this possible.