Pokémon Bank Service Will Be Free After 3DS eShop Shutdown

Don’t run to the bank just yet. The Pokémon Bank application will survive the end of the Nintendo 3DS eShop. An announcement from The Pokémon Company’s official Twitter account and website confirmed that users will have Pokémon Bank access for free of charge when the 3DS eShop is shuttered in March 2023.

【重要なお知らせ】
ニンテンドー3DSシリーズの「ニンテンドーeショップ」サービス終了に伴う、『ポケモンバンク』サービス無償化のお知らせを公開いたしました。
2023年3月下旬より、一定期間のサービス無償化を予定しております。
くわしくはこちらをご覧ください。https://t.co/Jdc5tN7Mzc pic.twitter.com/2Rc1DSSmPJ

— ポケモン公式 (@Pokemon_cojp) February 16, 2022

Pokémon Bank is a downloadable 3DS application that allows players to store their collected Pokémon from multiple games online, rather than the local storage of their 3DS unit. Players can store up to 3,000 Pokémon online, on top of whatever storage space is available in the game itself. The app requires a subscription fee of $4.99 per year, and a 30-day free trial. Pokémon Bank also comes with Poké Transporter, a separate app that allows the transfer of Pokémon from Pokémon Black and White.

According to The Pokémon Company, the Pokémon Bank application and service will work normally until the 3DS eShop shuts down in March 2023. After that, the service will become free to use for anyone that already downloaded the app. The free period will last for an unspecified “limited” time.

The Pokémon Company didn’t confirm if the Pokémon Bank  service itself will receive maintenance indefinitely after the 3DS eShop closure. But, for now, Pokémon X & Y players can continue to avail of those functions for at least another year or so, should they decide to start soon.

Pokémon Bank is still available on the Nintendo 3DS. The 3DS and Wii U eShops are scheduled to close in March of 2023.