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Revision as of 05:52, 22 February 2026 by Hyatt (talk | contribs) (Created page with "{{Infobox Switch Homebrews |title=pkHouse - Local PokeBank |image=pkHouseLocalPokeBankSwitch.png |description=Nintendo Switch homebrew for local bank system for Pokemon Games. |author=Insektaure |lastupdated=2026/02/20 |type=Other Apps |version=1.4.0 |license=GPL-2.0 |download=https://dlhb.gamebrew.org/switchhomebrews/pkHouseLocalPokeBankSwitch.7z |website=https://gbatemp.net/threads/pkhouse-local-bank-system-for-pokemon-switch-games.679665/ |source=https://github.com/In...")
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pkHouse - Local PokeBank
General
AuthorInsektaure
TypeOther Apps
Version1.4.0
LicenseGPL-2.0
Last Updated2026/02/20
Links
Download
Website
Source

pkHouse is a Nintendo Switch homebrew application that provides a local bank system for Pokemon games. It allows moving Pokemon between save files and local bank storage directly on the console, similar to Pokemon HOME but as a free offline solution.

The application supports multiple Pokemon games across different save formats, with automatic save backup, multi-select capabilities, and multiple color themes.

Note: Moving Pokemon between different games is not supported. Banks are separated by game family because transferred Pokemon would lack the HOME Tracker ID required for cross-game compatibility.

Supported games

Game Tested Version Save Format Boxes Slots/Box
Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu 1.0.2 BEEF blocks (savedata.bin) 40 25
Pokemon Let's Go Eevee 1.0.2 BEEF blocks (savedata.bin) 40 25
Pokemon Sword 1.3.2 SCBlock (main) 32 30
Pokemon Shield 1.3.2 SCBlock (main) 32 30
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond 1.3.0 Flat binary (SaveData.bin) 40 30
Pokemon Shining Pearl 1.3.0 Flat binary (SaveData.bin) 40 30
Pokemon Legends: Arceus 1.1.1 SCBlock (main) 32 30
Pokemon Scarlet 4.0.0 SCBlock (main) 32 30
Pokemon Violet 4.0.0 SCBlock (main) 32 30
Pokemon Legends: Z-A 2.0.1 SCBlock (main) 32 30

Features

  • Profile selection - Loads all user profiles from the system; detects which games have save data for the selected profile
  • Two-panel box viewer - Game save on the left, bank on the right (in title override mode); bank-to-bank in applet mode
  • Pick & place - Pick up a Pokemon with A, place in any slot; placing on an occupied slot swaps the two Pokemon
  • Multi-select - Tap Y to toggle individual selection, hold Y + D-Pad for rectangular selection, double-tap Y to select all Pokemon in the current box
  • Box view - Press ZL/ZR to open an overview of all save/bank boxes with sprite preview
  • Pokemon details - View species, level, gender, National Dex number, OT, Trainer ID, nature, ability, moves, IVs and EVs; shiny Pokemon names shown in gold, Alpha Pokemon display a dedicated icon
  • Bank system - Local .bin files stored per game family; paired games share the same bank folder (e.g. Sword and Shield); create, rename, and delete banks
  • Automatic backup - Full copy of the save directory created before any modifications; SD card space is checked before backup
  • 7 color themes - Default, HOME, HOME - Violet, HOME - Blue, HOME - Green, HOME - Red, Pikachu
  • Save integrity - SCBlock saves are decrypted, modified, and re-encrypted with round-trip verification; BDSP saves use MD5 checksum; LGPE saves use CRC16 checksums

Bank folders

Paired games share the same bank folder:

Game Family Bank Folder
Let's Go Pikachu / Eevee banks/LetsGo/
Sword / Shield banks/SwordShield/
Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl banks/BDSP/
Legends: Arceus banks/LegendsArceus/
Scarlet / Violet banks/ScarletViolet/
Legends: Z-A banks/LegendsZA/

User guide

Installation

Download pkHouse.nro from the Releases page and place it on the SD card at sdmc:/switch/pkHouse/.

Launch modes

  • Title override mode (recommended): Full access — game save on the left, bank on the right. Launch through a game title by holding R.
  • Applet mode (album/homebrew menu): Bank-only access — two banks side by side for bank-to-bank transfers. Save data is not accessible in this mode.

Controls - Main view

Button Action
D-Pad Move cursor
L / R Switch box
ZL / ZR Box view (save / bank)
A Pick up / Place Pokemon
B Cancel / Return held Pokemon
Y Toggle multi-select
X View Pokemon details
+ Open menu
- About

Controls - Profile selector

Button Action
D-Pad Left/Right Navigate profiles
A Select profile
Y Theme selector
- About
+ Quit

Controls - Game selector

Button Action
D-Pad Navigate game grid
A Select game
B Back to profile selector
Y Theme selector
- About
+ Quit

Controls - Bank selector

Button Action
D-Pad Up/Down Navigate bank list
A Open bank
Y Create new bank
X Rename bank
+ Delete bank
B Back
- About

Backup and restore

When loading a game save, an automatic backup is created at backups/<profile>/<game>/<profile>_YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS/.

If a backup needs to be restored, use a save manager such as Checkpoint Switch or JKSV Switxh to import the backup files back onto the Switch.

Screenshots

pkHouseLocalPokeBankSwitch-01.png pkHouseLocalPokeBankSwitch-02.png pkHouseLocalPokeBankSwitch-03.png pkHouseLocalPokeBankSwitch-04.png pkHouseLocalPokeBankSwitch-05.png pkHouseLocalPokeBankSwitch-06.png pkHouseLocalPokeBankSwitch-07.png pkHouseLocalPokeBankSwitch-08.png

Changelog

v1.4.0

  • 7 color themes (Default, HOME, HOME - Violet, HOME - Blue, HOME - Green, HOME - Red, Pikachu)

v1.3.0

  • New applet mode (album/HB menu): bank-only access for all games, two banks side by side for bank-to-bank transfers.
  • Banks that are currently in use cannot be deleted.
  • When switching banks, the selector appears on the side being switched while the other panel stays visible.
  • Bank switching now always saves game and bank together to prevent data corruption.
  • Multi-select improvements: drag selection (hold Y + D-Pad) to select a rectangular group of Pokemon at once.

v1.2.0

  • Implement all boxes overview for save and bank boxes (access with ZL / ZR).

v1.1.0

  • Now supports Let's Go Pikachu / Eevee games.

v1.0.0

  • Initial release.

Credits

  • PKHeX by kwsch - PokeCrypto research and save structure reference.
  • JKSV by J-D-K - Save backup and write logic reference.
  • Built with libnx and SDL2.

External links

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