Pokemon's Global Link Service Is Shutting Down, But You Can Get A Free Pokemon Out Of It

After nine years, the Pokemon Global Link is shutting down, The Pokemon Company has announced. Since the release of Pokemon Black and White on the original DS, the website has served as an online battling hub for the mainline Pokemon series, allowing players to join online competitions and view their rankings, but the latest entries, Pokemon Sword and Shield, have moved away from the service, making it no longer necessary.

In a statement on the Pokemon Global Link website, The Pokemon Company revealed the service will cease on February 24, 2020. After that point, players "will no longer be able to use any gameplay features that require a connection to the PGL" in either Pokemon Sun and Moon or Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. However, regular online features such as battling and trading will still be available in those titles.

Before the Pokemon Global Link shuts down, The Pokemon Company is giving away one final free Pokemon to Global Link users. From now until February 24, you can claim a free Fennel's Munna in a Gen 7 3DS game. This Munna is modeled after the one owned by Fennel, the Dream World researcher from Pokemon Black and White.

To receive the Pokemon, log into the Pokemon Global Link and a personal notification about the gift will appear on the homepage. Click on the link within the notification to generate a download code. After that, you'll need to go into Mystery Gift in your 3DS game of choice (either Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, or Ultra Moon) and go through the following steps:

• Select Receive Gift
• Select Get with Code/Password
• Follow prompts to connect online
• Input download code
• Open your save file
• Retrieve the Pokemon from the deliveryman in any Pokemon Center

While the Pokemon Global Link may be shutting down, its functionality still lives on in Sword and Shield's Battle Stadium, which lets players compete in ranked online competitions. The upcoming Pokemon Home service will feature some PGL functionality as well. That is slated to launch sometime in early 2020 and will also allow you to transfer Pokemon from 3DS to Switch.