Gen 3 · Game Boy Advance
Pokémon transfer
Build a Pokémon here, trade it to your cartridge
Pick any Pokémon your game can receive, set its level, nature, moves, IVs and held item, and load up to six onto a GB-Link adapter. The adapter acts as a second player in the game's Cable Club, and you trade for them like with a friend.
Three steps
You need a GB-Link adapter, a Game Boy Color link cable and a Gen 3 game.
Build your party
Choose your game below, pick Pokémon and add up to six to the party.
Load it onto the adapter
In Chrome or Edge, click Connect USB, choose GBLink USB, then Load party onto adapter.
Trade in the Cable Club
Go upstairs in any Pokémon Center, talk to the Cable Club attendant on the right and choose Trade Center.
01 · Make your Pokémon
Pokémon builder
Loading Pokémon data...
02 · In the game
How to trade
Connect the cable
Turn the GBA off, plug the link cable into it and into the adapter, then turn it on and load your save.
Go to the Cable Club
Upstairs in any Pokémon Center. Talk to the attendant on the right and pick Trade Center. Save when asked.
Pick what to give and what to get
You'll see the party you built as the other player's Pokémon. Choose one of yours to give and one of theirs to receive, then confirm.
What you give away is gone
The Pokémon you trade away stays on the adapter and is lost when you unplug it. Trade away something you don't need, like a freshly caught Zigzagoon or Rattata.
One trade at a time
After each trade the adapter's party changes, like a real player's. To trade the rest, keep trading in the same session, or reload the party from this page.
03 · Master Balls and more
Getting items
Set a held item on a Pokémon before adding it. After the trade, open its summary, take the item and it goes into your bag. That works for Master Balls, Rare Candies, evolution stones, berries, held battle items and TMs.
Event tickets work differently
The Eon Ticket, Mystic Ticket, Aurora Ticket and Old Sea Map are key items, which a Pokémon can't hold, so a trade can't deliver them. They arrive through the game's Mystery Gift instead. That's the next tool on this site.
04 · Languages
Japanese and other languages
Gen 3 games trade across languages: a Japanese cartridge can trade with an English one. Each Pokémon remembers its language, which decides how its name is written. Pick Japanese for a Pokémon from a Japanese game; its nickname and OT name are then written in kana (up to 5 characters).
05 · If it doesn't work
Troubleshooting
| What happens | What to do |
|---|---|
| The game says it can't trade that Pokémon | It's outside your regional Pokédex. Get the National Pokédex, or pick one from the list without the National Pokédex box ticked. |
| The Cable Club says no one is there | Load the party onto the adapter first, check the cable, and on generic GBC cables try swapping the wires on GP1 and GP2. |
| A Pokémon won't obey in battle | Its OT isn't you and its level is above what your badges allow. Rebuild it with your own name and Trainer ID. |
| FireRed or LeafGreen won't trade | FireRed and LeafGreen limit trading until later in the game. If the Cable Club refuses, get the National Pokédex and fix the Network Machine on One Island, then try again. |