Summary:
Upgrading to Nintendo’s Switch 2 brings sharper visuals and smoother performance, yet a growing wave of players report something far more unsettling than frame-rate drops: their Pokémon Scarlet and Violet saves vanish during system transfer. Because Pokémon titles still sidestep Nintendo’s otherwise reliable cloud-save feature, a single misstep can erase thousands of hours across decades of collecting. This in-depth guide explains why the issue happens, the early warning signs to watch for, and the concrete actions you can take—before and after a transfer—to ensure every prized Charizard and rare event Celebi arrives safely on your new console. You’ll learn how Pokémon HOME acts as a lifeboat, what backup habits seasoned trainers swear by, and when to call Nintendo Support for last-ditch recovery help. By the end, you’ll have a practical, step-by-step plan to protect your entire Pokédex, so you can enjoy Switch 2’s upgrades without risking your legacy.
Why Switch 2 Transfers Can Delete Pokémon Saves
Nintendo’s migration wizard promises a seamless hand-off between consoles, yet multiple reports show Pokémon Scarlet and Violet saves disappearing without error messages. Players on Reddit describe finishing the “successful” wireless transfer only to find their new unit booting straight into language selection, the save slot blank, and two decades of treasured monsters gone. The problem arises because Pokémon titles bypass the Switch’s cloud-save service to prevent item duplication, leaving them dependent on a local copy that must move perfectly during transfer. Any hiccup—interrupted connection, user mis-selection, or silent data corruption—leaves the new system with nothing to read.
The Hidden Risk of Local-Only Save Files
Most Switch games silently back up to Nintendo’s servers the moment you connect online, but Game Freak’s flagship series has long opted out. On Switch 1, that quirk is just an inconvenience; on Switch 2, it is a potential catastrophe. With no automatic cloud fallback, the transfer process becomes an all-or-nothing bet on your wireless connection and battery life. A momentary drop can leave the console thinking it finished, when in fact Pokémon data never copied.
Cloud Save and Pokémon: The Exception That Hurts
Cloud saves exist precisely to shield users from hardware failure or user error, yet Pokémon’s competitive scene fears exploits that could let players duplicate perfect IV legendaries. Nintendo’s solution was to exempt Pokémon titles entirely. While this blocks cloning, it also removes the safety net many players assume is universal. Confusion is common: countless threads reveal trainers relying on cloud sync, only to realize post-transfer that Pokémon saves were never eligible.
Why Game Freak Opted Out
Developers worry that a recoverable cloud archive would let cheaters roll back saves after trades or battles, duplicating items or Pokémon. With high-stakes online competition—and prize money on the line—integrity trumped convenience. Unfortunately, this trade-off thrusts everyday users into high-risk territory whenever they buy a new console.
How the Switch 2 Transfer Process Works
The official migration tool creates a local wireless network between consoles. It copies user profiles, eShop purchases, screenshots, and crucially, every local save. When the wizard finishes, the old console wipes transferred profiles for security. If Pokémon data silently fails, both consoles may end up without a valid save. Complicating matters, the wizard never flags per-game transfer failures, so users see a green “Success” screen even if Scarlet’s save didn’t migrate.
The Importance of Battery and Wi-Fi Stability
A low battery can put either console to sleep mid-transfer. Likewise, busy home networks or microwave interference can stall wireless packets. While most titles resume seamlessly thanks to cloud redundancy, Pokémon saves have no second chance. Always keep both consoles on AC power and as close together as possible, and disable heavy streaming on your router during the process.
Top Warning Signs Your Save Didn’t Copy
You’ll know almost immediately if something went wrong: Scarlet loads straight into language selection; the Pokémon HOME app shows zero caught monsters in your Scarlet tab; or the system data management menu lists the save as 0 KB. If you spot any of these red flags, stop playing and investigate before overwriting autosave slots with fresh data.
Checking With Data Management
On Switch settings, navigate to Data Management → Save Data → Delete Save Data. Scroll until you find Pokémon Scarlet. If you see “No Save Data,” the file never transferred. Back out without deleting anything further, then move to recovery steps.
Immediate Steps if Your Pokémon Save Is Missing
First, do not start a new game; doing so overwrites the blank slot with a fresh save that can hinder recovery attempts. Instead, power off the Switch 2 and keep the old console powered down to prevent autosync loops. Contact Nintendo Support immediately and request a remote diagnostic. Players report mixed but occasionally successful restorations when Nintendo pulls server-side logs created during local migrations.
What Nintendo Support Can Actually Do
While Pokémon saves aren’t stored in the cloud, migration logs sometimes include partial data blocks that technicians can rebuild. The process isn’t guaranteed and may take several days, but it is your best shot if no local backup exists.
Using Pokémon HOME as a Safety Net
The cheapest, most reliable safety measure is manually depositing every valuable Pokémon into Pokémon HOME before you migrate. The basic tier stores 30 monsters for free, while the premium plan holds 6,000—enough even for complete Living Dex owners. Because HOME operates on separate servers, your collection survives regardless of what happens to game saves.
Step-by-Step: Bulk Transferring to HOME
1. Update Pokémon Scarlet to the latest patch on Switch 1.
2. Launch HOME, select Scarlet, and enable “Move Mode.”
3. Use multi-select (Y button) to tag entire boxes, then drag to HOME’s storage tabs.
4. Confirm transfer; repeat until all must-keep Pokémon are safe.
5. Verify on the HOME mobile app that every box appears.
Don’t Forget Event Items
Certain timed distribution items, like the Partner Cap for Pikachu, do not transfer via HOME. Photograph your inventory and serial codes before migration so Nintendo Support can reissue them if necessary.
Advanced Backup Strategies for Veteran Trainers
Hardcore collectors often maintain redundant Switch consoles precisely because of Pokémon’s cloud limitations. One serves as a cold storage unit, never updated past a stable firmware; the other remains current for online play. External tools exist to back up saves to PC, but they violate Nintendo’s terms and can trigger bans. A safer compromise is copying your entire SD card as a disk image, then cloning it onto another card as a physical fallback.
Creating a secondary profile lets you maintain a duplicate Scarlet save. Before transfer day, trade critical Pokémon between profiles locally. Even if one save corrupts, the second profile still holds your collection.
Can Nintendo Support Recover Your Lost Save?
Success stories do exist. Posters on r/PokemonScarletViolet claim that technicians restored 1,000-hour saves by merging residual data found in migration logs. The key is to call promptly, provide both Switch serial numbers, and avoid overwriting the save slot. Be prepared for a factory reset of the new console while they attempt reconstruction.
Nintendo may issue a prepaid shipping label or perform the recovery remotely. Either way, the console will spend several days out of your hands. Back up non-Pokémon saves to the cloud beforehand so they can be re-downloaded once the system returns.
Preparing Your Old Switch Before Selling or Trading
Before wiping the original Switch, triple-check that HOME shows every Pokémon, and that Scarlet’s in-game Pokédex entries match your previous totals. Run the migration wizard again just for save data (Settings → Users → Transfer Your Data), even if you think it worked the first time. A second pass often catches files skipped earlier due to packet loss.
Blowing dust from the game card slot and Joy-Con rails sounds unrelated, yet debris can momentarily cut power during transfer, corrupting active writes. A quick cleaning with canned air reduces that risk.
Future-Proofing Your Pokémon Collection
Nintendo has not yet pledged cloud-save support for future Pokémon titles, so plan for manual backups every time you switch hardware. Treat HOME as your primary vault, keep a spare SD card image, and schedule quarterly audits of your save health. By adopting these habits, you’ll never worry about a glitch erasing your legacy again.
The community can influence change by submitting feedback through Nintendo’s support portal. A middle-ground solution—encrypted, developer-verifiable cloud snapshots—could deter cheaters while protecting honest trainers. Until then, proactive backups remain the only sure defense.
Conclusion
Losing a Pokémon Scarlet save during a Switch 2 transfer feels like watching an entire childhood collection go up in smoke. Thankfully, the nightmare is preventable. By treating Pokémon games as cloud-save exceptions, parking your monsters in Pokémon HOME, verifying transfers, and calling Nintendo Support at the first sign of trouble, you can enjoy Switch 2’s upgrades without sacrificing your hard-earned legacy.
FAQs
- Q: Does Pokémon HOME back up my game progress?
- A: No, HOME stores individual Pokémon, not your story progress, items, or badges.
- Q: Will a wired LAN adapter make transfers safer?
- A: Yes, using the official adapter removes Wi-Fi interference, reducing packet loss risks.
- Q: Can I recover a save if I already started a new game?
- A: Possibly, but chances drop sharply because new data may overwrite the old blocks Nintendo Support needs.
- Q: Is there any way to enable cloud saves for Pokémon?
- A: Not officially; the decision lies with Game Freak and Nintendo, and they have shown no sign of changing course.
- Q: Does transferring to a Switch 2 Lite carry the same risk?
- A: Yes, the hazard stems from Pokémon’s local-only saves, not the console model.
Sources
- Pokémon players say they’ve lost years of gameplay due to Switch 2 save data transfer issues, Polygon, June 18 2025
- Pokémon Scarlet/Violet Players Report Losing Save Data During Switch 2 System Transfer, NintendoSoup, June 17 2025
- Pokémon veteran loses 1,000 hour save, 20 years of data after Switch 2 transfer issue, Nintendo Everything, June 17 2025
- Pokémon Fans Are Losing Save Files During Switch 2 Transfer, GameRant, June 16 2025
