Pokémon UNITE service ends on Tuesday, March 23, 2027, at 00:00 UTC on Nintendo Switch and mobile. Before that moment, do three separate jobs: complete the Library’s first data download on the device you intend to keep, copy screenshots and videos into storage you control, and spend any Aeos Gems you still want to use. The Library preserves selected licenses, cosmetics, achievements, tournament records and viewing tools; it is not a backup of every Switch Album file or phone recording. After shutdown, you will not be able to log in or battle, and Pokémon says its video-and-image guidelines will no longer be maintained or supported.
When is Pokémon UNITE shutting down?
The Pokémon Company’s end-of-service notice sets the global cutoff at March 23, 2027, 00:00 UTC. The deadline applies to both the Nintendo Switch version and the iOS and Android versions. At that instant, login and battles end. The Library can still open afterward only on a device where its required first download was completed before the cutoff.
| Date and time (UTC) | What happens |
|---|---|
| October 27, 2026, 05:00 | Aeos Gem sales stop; new UNITE Club memberships and automatic renewals stop. Existing memberships continue through their current paid period. |
| November 12, 2026, 04:00 | An update adds the special event, Unite Coin Exchange and missions, a login bonus, and the Library feature. |
| December 5, 2026 | Aeos Crown 2027 Tokyo qualifier tournaments are scheduled to begin. |
| March 23, 2027, 00:00 | Service ends on Switch and mobile. No login or battles; Library use continues only where the first download finished in time. |
The cutoff is stated in UTC, so convert it for your own location rather than relying on a local-calendar date. Pokémon Support can be contacted about problems before the cutoff; support for the Library will not be available after service ends.
What should I preserve before the shutdown?
Use three different archives because each protects something different.
| Archive | What it stores | Where it remains after March 23, 2027 | Can you move it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Library | Eligible licenses, Holowear, Trainer fashion, backgrounds, emblems, held and battle items for viewing, achievements, tournament participation, Unite Snapshot tools and selected in-game content. | Local game and Library data on the device whose first download completed. | Generally not transferable when changing devices. |
| Your media folder | Switch Album screenshots, captured videos, phone screenshots, screen recordings and exported photos. | Your microSD card, computer, phone storage or cloud folder. | Yes, using ordinary file-copy methods. |
| Live account identity | The online save used while service is running through a Nintendo Account, Pokémon Trainer Central account, or supported mobile sign-in. | No live UNITE access after shutdown. | Live save linking works while servers remain available, but it does not override the Library’s device warning. |
There is no published UNITE-specific ZIP download or bulk privacy-export procedure in the closure materials. The documented official record archive is the Library, while personal image and video files must be copied separately.
How do I download my Pokémon UNITE Library data?
Complete the first Library data download, rather than merely opening a download prompt, before the shutdown clock reaches zero. Do it on the Switch or phone you plan to retain as your keepsake device.
- Install the update scheduled for November 12, 2026, at 04:00 UTC, and launch UNITE while service is still live.
- Play normally after the feature is available or open the Library for the first time. Asset data begins downloading through either route.
- Keep the game open and connected until the first download finishes. Reaching March 23 before completion means the Library cannot be used, even if the process had started.
- Return to the Library and verify that its sections load on that device. Items and records obtained after the first download are added automatically while the game remains online.
- Do not factory-reset, uninstall, or delete the game or its Library data after shutdown. Pokémon warns that lost data may not be recoverable, and no post-shutdown Library support will be provided.
What the Library lets you view
- Main menu: select owned Trainer fashion, Pokémon, Holowear and backgrounds; hide certain interface elements for commemorative Trainer-and-Pokémon photos.
- Unite licenses and Holowear: view owned licenses, change license art and Holowear, and show a favorite Pokémon on the main menu in selected Holowear.
- Practice Area: view Pokémon moves and Holowear effects after service ends. This is a viewer, not a promise of ranked play, online matches or CPU battles.
- Closet: switch owned Trainer fashion, with the selection reflected on the main menu.
- Unite Snapshot: compose a keepsake image with owned frames, stickers, fashion items, backgrounds, expressions and poses.
- Battle items, held items and boost emblems: view them, but finish emblem merges and held-item upgrades before shutdown because these become view-only.
- Achievements: Trainer achievements, Pokémon achievements and tournament-participation records through the shutdown timestamp.
Pokémon has also said it is working on a way to look back at special memories created with your Pokémon, but no mechanic, date or export format has been published. Treat that as an additional future feature, not as a replacement for your own files.
Can I move my Pokémon UNITE Library to a new phone or Switch?
Usually, no. Pokémon states that Library data generally cannot be transferred when changing devices. A Nintendo Account or Pokémon Trainer Central account can still provide live cross-device save access before closure, but that account link does not migrate the locally stored Library archive.
For the remaining live service, Nintendo Switch and mobile players can link the same UNITE save through a Nintendo Account or Pokémon Trainer Central account. Mobile-to-mobile setup can also use Google or Apple when the new device is another iOS device, as documented by Pokémon Support. Once a Nintendo Account or Pokémon Trainer Central account is linked in the documented Switch/mobile flow, it cannot be unlinked. Starting mobile setup without selecting the already-linked account can prevent synchronization and may require deleting and reinstalling the app to try again.
If you use two devices, finish the Library’s first download on the hardware you will keep. Continue using account linking only for live play and event access before March 23; it is not a post-shutdown recovery plan.
How do I copy Switch screenshots and videos to a phone or PC?
Copy the files out of the console’s Album now. Nintendo warns that deleted screenshots and videos cannot be recovered.
Original Nintendo Switch: microSD and USB
- Open HOME Menu → System Settings → Data Management → Manage Screenshots and Videos.
- Insert a compatible microSD card and choose Save Destination. Set new captures to system memory or the microSD card according to where you want them stored.
- Use the same screen to copy every capture still in system memory to the microSD card. You can also copy files back the other way or delete individual items, but deletion is permanent.
- For a computer archive, choose Nintendo’s Copy to PC via USB Connection path and copy the saved screenshots and videos directly to folders you control.
Original Nintendo Switch: wireless phone transfer
- Open Album, choose Posting and Editing → Send to Smart Device, and follow the QR-code connection instructions.
- Select up to 10 screenshots and one video capture at a time. Captures may be stored in system memory or on the microSD card.
- Save the received files into a named phone album or cloud folder. Do not leave them only in a temporary transfer screen.
Nintendo Switch App and Switch 2 considerations
Nintendo’s Switch App transfer instructions describe uploads from a Nintendo Switch 2 console. Those uploads stay on Nintendo’s server for 30 days and are then deleted automatically; the limit is 100 files per Nintendo Account. In the app’s selection flow, save files to the phone rather than treating the server view as an archive. Nintendo Switch Online is not required for that documented transfer, and users under 13 cannot share through the app to social networks.
For software played on Switch 2, Nintendo says captures can be saved or copied only to a microSD Express card, not another microSD type. An original-Switch microSD card can be imported into Switch 2 system memory. The UNITE closure notice names Nintendo Switch and mobile; it does not announce a separate UNITE Switch 2 edition.
How do I save Pokémon UNITE screenshots and clips on a phone?
On iOS and Android, battle footage and operating-system screenshots live in the phone’s Photos or Files apps. The official UNITE pages do not describe a UNITE-branded clip exporter.
- Use the phone’s built-in screenshot and screen-recording controls while the game is still online.
- Move the resulting files into a dedicated camera-roll album, computer folder or cloud location that you control.
- Use the Library’s Unite Snapshot for additional commemorative compositions made from owned frames, stickers, fashion, backgrounds, expressions and poses.
- Keep the UNITE installation and its Library data on the same phone if that phone is your archive device. Do not assume a later reinstall will reconstruct the local Library.
The Library’s Snapshot and hide-interface photo tools create new keepsakes; they do not export every existing battle clip or every screenshot already in your phone’s camera roll.
Will I still be able to use Pokémon UNITE video and images after the game closes?
Pokémon’s current Game Content Guidelines for Online Platforms, last updated August 19, 2021, say the company will not object to individual use of UNITE videos and images, subject to the guidelines. They cover non-commercial personal websites and social media and official monetization methods on video platforms such as YouTube, Niconico, Twitch and Twitter.
- Do not post illegally or inappropriately, or use posts solely to dump Pokémon art or music.
- Keep the content focused on UNITE; other Pokémon services are outside that document.
- Third-party intellectual-property clearance remains the poster’s responsibility.
- If another player’s personal information appears, obtain that player’s authorization.
- Do not imply official affiliation or sponsorship by Pokémon, Nintendo or Tencent/TiMi Studios.
- Do not violate the Terms of Use or Code of Conduct, and avoid edits that misrepresent gameplay, graphics, inventory, statistics or other players.
After service ends, Pokémon says those guidelines will no longer be published or maintained and that it will no longer provide support regarding use of UNITE video and images. Save personal copies while the live game and current guidance are available; do not treat continued public posting as a guaranteed permission after March 23.
What happens to my Aeos Gems and UNITE Club membership?
Aeos Gem sales stopped on October 27, 2026, at 05:00 UTC. Gems already on an account remain usable in-game until service ends, so spend them before March 23 if you want their value in UNITE. The published notices do not state a refund, cash-out option or transfer into another Pokémon game.
New UNITE Club memberships and automatic renewals also stopped at that time. Existing members retain benefits only through the end of their current paid period. The November 12 event adds special Unite Coins from login bonuses and missions, including wins in ranked and other battle modes; the Unite Coin Exchange offers licenses, Holowear, Trainer fashion, Snapshot items and more.
Use the remaining live period to merge boost emblems and upgrade held items. The post-shutdown Library can show those categories, but it will not provide the live upgrade or merge systems.
Why is Pokémon UNITE closing?
The Pokémon Company has published the shutdown date and operating schedule but has not published an official reason, player-count figure or revenue statistic in the end-of-service materials. Reports about the game’s tournament presence, other live-service closures or earlier regional availability changes are commentary and should not be presented as the company’s stated cause.
What should I check on the final day?
- Confirm the Library’s first data download completed on the device you will keep.
- Open the Library once more and verify that owned cosmetics, records and Snapshot tools load.
- Copy Switch Album files to a microSD card, computer or phone; copy phone recordings to a folder or cloud location you control.
- Finish held-item upgrades and boost-emblem merges.
- Spend remaining Aeos Gems before 00:00 UTC if desired.
- Keep the archive device intact after shutdown; do not uninstall or factory-reset it.
- Retain personal media separately from the Library so a local Library problem cannot erase your clips.
The durable plan is therefore two local archives: the completed Library on one retained device and ordinary image/video files in storage you control. Account linking can help until the servers close, but it cannot turn a live online save into a transferable post-shutdown Library.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still make a Unite Snapshot after the servers shut down?
The planned Library includes a Unite Snapshot editor using owned frames, stickers, fashion, backgrounds, expressions and poses. It should be available on a device with a completed first Library download, but Pokémon has not published a separate file-export workflow for the resulting images.
What if my Library download says it started but never finished?
Starting is not enough: the first data download must complete before March 23, 2027, at 00:00 UTC. Keep the device connected and the game open, then verify that the Library sections load before the cutoff; after service ends, support for an incomplete archive is unavailable.
Do I need Nintendo Switch Online to move captures through the Switch App?
Nintendo’s documented Switch App transfer does not require Nintendo Switch Online. It is still only a temporary server cache: uploaded files are automatically deleted after 30 days, so save them to your phone or another permanent location.
Can I recover Library data if I delete the game after closure?
Pokémon warns that deleted or otherwise lost game or Library data may not be recoverable. Because the Library is generally tied to the device where its first download completed, preserve that installation instead of relying on a later reinstall.
Are the Tokyo finals date and closure reason confirmed?
The official notice confirms the Aeos Crown 2027 Tokyo qualifiers scheduled to start December 5, 2026, but it does not publish a finals calendar. It also gives no official reason for closure, player count or revenue figure.