Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Save Data Loss Reported After Nintendo Switch 2 Transfers

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, remains one of the highest-profile RPGs released for the Nintendo Switch platform.

The game launched globally in November 2022 and quickly became a major success, selling over 23 million copies worldwide as of April 2024.

Now, with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet has witnessed renewed attention, with many players celebrating notable improvements to performance and visuals on Nintendo’s latest hardware. However, this transition has not been entirely smooth for all users.

A number of players have reported experiencing significant issues with save data loss during the system transfer process to the new Nintendo Switch 2.

In particular, some fans have taken to community platforms such as Reddit to share their frustration after losing invaluable save files.

One player detailed a loss of over 1,000 hours of progress in Pokémon Scarlet, including Pokémon collected throughout two decades of playing the franchise.

The user described completing the initial data transfer without incident, only to discover their Scarlet save file was missing upon launching the game: the title prompted new language and character selection screens, indicating no previous save data was present.

The player confirmed that data for their other Pokémon titles had survived the transfer, but Scarlet’s irreplaceable save was gone. Other replies echoed similar experiences, with some reporting that they lost save data from multiple Switch titles—notably The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Pokémon Sword and Shield, and others—forcing them to restart from scratch.

These reports are particularly concerning because Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, like most mainline Pokémon games, do not support Nintendo Switch Online’s cloud save backup feature.

This means that if something goes wrong during a system transfer, recovery options are extremely limited. Due to these limitations, many experienced players have emphasized the importance of using Pokémon HOME, Nintendo’s official cloud-based storage app for Pokémon creatures.

Prior to transferring systems, moving important Pokémon into Pokémon HOME helps safeguard collections against potential data loss.

Several users advised this step in their community posts, highlighting it as standard practice for any player considering a system upgrade or transfer. Pokémon HOME is available on the Nintendo Switch and compatible mobile devices, allowing users to transfer, store, and manage their Pokémon from a variety of mainline games, including Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Utilizing Pokémon HOME before conducting a hardware migration ensures that valuable Pokémon are preserved, regardless of issues encountered with local save files. As Nintendo Switch 2 adoption grows, players are urged to consult official support resources before undertaking a system transfer, and to routinely back up or migrate their most prized Pokémon collections using Pokémon HOME.

Game Freak and Nintendo have not issued an official statement on save data loss for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet occurring specifically during Switch 2 transfers, but user reports provide a cautionary reminder to take all preventative measures available. If you’re planning an upgrade to the Nintendo Switch 2, protect your gaming legacy by leveraging all available tools for data preservation, especially for titles that lack native cloud save functionality.

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