Can Pokemon be transferred from Pokemon Home to Pokemon GO? (January 2023)

Pokemon GO's titular Pocket Monsters are undoubtedly helpful in the mobile title, but they can also be quite useful outside of it. Using Pokemon Home, trainers can transfer their hard-earned creatures to other franchise titles for battling, trading, and adventuring.

Pokemon Home's utility with multiple franchise titles is expanding, and the application will soon add compatibility for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Trainers will then be able to transfer their hard-earned critters from Pokemon GO to the Paldea region of Scarlet and Violet.

However, is it possible to transfer Pocket Monsters from the main series titles back into the mobile space? Sadly, the answer is no at the moment, and there are a few reasons why this is the case.

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Reasonings to why Pokemon can't be transferred from Home to Pokemon GO

Multiple reasons exist why Pokemon Home creatures can't be sent to Pokemon GO (Image via The Pokemon Company)

When it comes to transferring critters from Pokemon Home to Pokemon GO, there are many barriers at play. This is likely part of the reason why Niantic and The Pokemon Company don't allow these reverse transfers to happen.

Most of them pertain to the unique way that the mobile title operates, compared to other entries. Further, there are also game balance and compatibility issues to consider. While transfers may be possible in the future, there is no indication Niantic is ready to make the move at the moment.

In Pokemon GO, Pocket Monsters' stats are measured by IVs alone and the game does so by a different metric compared to how the values are accounted for in the main series. GO measures all critters' IVs by their attack, defense, and stamina. Meanwhile, mainline titles measure stats via attack, special attack, defense, special defense, HP, and speed.

EV training is not present in GO either. Niantic would likely have to determine a way to classify each creature arriving from Pokemon Home by formulating its existing stats into the attack/defense/stamina format present in the mobile title. Combat Power would also be difficult to measure between the games.

While there are plenty of Pocket Monsters available in the main series that are also present in Pokemon GO, Niantic makes a substantial amount of revenue by selectively choosing featured creatures for events.

If trainers could easily transfer Pokemon featured in Spotlight Hours, Raid events, or Special Research Stories, many would have no reason to participate on these special occasions.

This would be counterproductive to how Niantic organizes its event calendar. Furthermore, Legendary and Mythical Pokemon being made so easily accessible (if their transfers were to be permitted) would heavily reduce incentives for trainers to pursue them in Pokemon GO. This would harm Niantic's bottom line with regards to Raid Passes and Research Tickets.

Even if a creature is transferred to GO, it may possess moves that aren't featured within the mobile title. Since mainline Pokemon games provide Pocket Monsters with four different moves, this would heavily cut down on the creatures that would possess the necessary moveset to transition into GO effectively.

Measures would need to be in place to accept Pokemon with compatible moves, while disallowing those who don't have them. This would help avoid the introduction of a flood of new moves into the mobile title.

Though the factors above likely play a part in why trainers shouldn't expect their Pokemon from Home to appear in GO anytime soon, there's still plenty of time to change this.

Niantic and The Pokemon Company may still work out a solution that allows transfers from the console games to Pokemon GO, but it doesn't appear that this feature is in the works or will be anytime soon. Still, there are plenty of possibilities on the table for the foreseeable future if Niantic is willing to take the step.