Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Every trade is free, every bot is free, every channel is free. We don't sell Pokémon and don't gate features behind donations. Optional Ko-fi tips help with hosting but never unlock anything.

Yes. Every Pokémon delivered passes PKHeX legality validation as well as Pokémon HOME's stricter encounter rules. We use authentic event files for shiny mythicals (Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Diancie, Volcanion, Meltan, Melmetal) so they keep the proper origin metadata.

Trade bots have been a stable part of the Pokémon community since at least Sword/Shield. We've operated without an in-game ban incident across all 13 of our bots, but Nintendo's anti-cheat systems are opaque — we offer no warranty against ToS violations. Use at your own discretion.

Each Switch Pokémon game uses a different save format and trade protocol. A bot for Sword/Shield can't talk to a Scarlet/Violet save, and vice versa. The split is forced by Nintendo, not us.

No. The bots receive your throwaway Pokémon, deliver the new one, and the trade ends. There's no clone exploit — what you trade in, the bot keeps. Pick something you don't mind losing.

Average wait per bot is 1–4 minutes during peak hours, often instant during off-peak. The actual on-Switch trade takes about 30 seconds once you're connected.

A standard text format used everywhere in the competitive Pokémon community to describe a Pokémon's species, ability, item, EVs, IVs, nature, and moves. Example: Salamence @ Life Orb / Ability: Intimidate / EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP / Adamant Nature / - Dragon Claw / - Earthquake / - Fire Fang / - Dragon Dance. If you're not familiar, just ask in Discord — we'll help you write one.

Yes. Add Shiny: Yes to any Showdown set. Some legendary Pokémon are shiny-locked in their origin game; the bot will tell you if your request is impossible.

Not yet. Pokémon HOME has no public API and we won't risk anyone's HOME account by reverse-engineering it. We do guarantee every Pokémon we deliver is HOME-compatible — you just upload it from the source game manually.

Tell your friends. Trade in our community. Optionally tip via Ko-fi. We're not looking for paid help — the bots are open source under the SysBot.NET branch and the community keeps itself running.

PKM Universe is a fan project. We're not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Nintendo, Game Freak, or The Pokémon Company. We respect Nintendo's IP and trademarks; the trade-bot software does not modify saves or break any in-game protections beyond standard Link Trade behavior.