Ethan Crossfield 
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen players will soon be able to move their captures into Pokemon Home and use them in other compatible games. The long-awaited connection is scheduled for October 6, although the transfer is one-way and the service will be unavailable during the update.
What changes on October 6
The Pokemon Company has confirmed that Pokemon Home will receive its FireRed and LeafGreen compatibility update on October 6. Maintenance is scheduled to begin at 5:00 pm PT and end at 11:00 pm PT, leaving Pokemon Home inaccessible for the duration. Players who want to use the service with another Pokemon title should plan around that downtime.
After the servers return, users will need to update the Pokemon Home app before transferring creatures from the Switch versions of FireRed and LeafGreen. The feature gives players a way to move their catches beyond the games, addressing a major limitation that has remained since the titles arrived on Nintendo Switch in February.
Who should use the new transfer feature
The update is especially useful for players who built collections in FireRed and LeafGreen but have been unable to send them to newer games. The Switch releases reportedly sold more than four million copies, so the change affects a substantial audience of returning fans and newcomers alike.
There is an important restriction: a Pokemon transferred from FireRed or LeafGreen into Pokemon Home cannot be sent back to the game it came from. Players should therefore check their party, boxes, and long-term plans before confirming a move. Anyone who wants to preserve a Pokemon inside FireRed or LeafGreen should leave it there.
Players with a completed FireRed and LeafGreen Pokedex also receive an additional reward. Once their game is connected to Pokemon Home, the completed Pokedex unlocks a level 50 Celebi in the mobile version of the service. No Pokemon deposit is required to claim it, and Celebi can subsequently be transferred to another compatible game.
What players should watch next
The compatibility announcement has already shifted attention toward Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. Leaks have pointed to those Game Boy Advance entries coming to Switch in October, but no official announcement has confirmed their release or Pokemon Home support. Players should treat that information as unverified until The Pokemon Company provides further details.
For now, FireRed and LeafGreen owners have a clear action plan: finish any in-game organization before maintenance, update Pokemon Home after the service returns, and treat every transfer as permanent for the source game. The update arrives after months of waiting, so the practical benefit is straightforward even if the one-way rule limits how freely players can experiment.
What players should know
- Pokemon Home maintenance runs from 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm PT on October 6.
- The Pokemon Home app must be updated after maintenance before transfers can begin.
- Pokemon moved out of FireRed or LeafGreen cannot return to the game they came from.
- A completed Pokedex grants a level 50 Celebi in the mobile Pokemon Home app.
- The Celebi reward does not require depositing a Pokemon first.
Expert View
This is a meaningful quality-of-life update for FireRed and LeafGreen players, particularly those who have kept valuable catches stranded in the Switch releases. The delayed rollout is understandable frustration after the games’ February launch, but the permanent one-way transfer rule makes preparation essential. Players should welcome the new access while treating each move as an irreversible decision.
