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What Is a Living Dex? A Pokemon HOME Guide
A Living Dex is a collection that keeps one of every Pokemon you have chosen to include available at the same time. If you catch a Bulbasaur, evolve that exact Pokemon into Ivysaur, and then evolve it again into Venusaur, your Pokedex records all three. A Living Dex keeps a separate Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, and Venusaur in the collection.
That is the basic idea. The harder part is deciding what “every Pokemon” means for you. Living Dex is a community term, so there is no single official checklist that every collector has to follow.
What counts in a Living Dex?
A species-only Living Dex is the simplest version: one Bulbasaur, one Ivysaur, one Venusaur, and so on. Many collectors stop there. Others add regional variants, alternate forms, gender differences, or separate versions of Pokemon with visible form changes.
A Shiny Living Dex is a different project. It usually means keeping a Shiny example of every Pokemon in the chosen scope. You do not need a Shiny collection for your regular Living Dex to count. The rules are yours, but writing them down before you start can save a lot of reorganization later.
You can also build a game-specific Living Dex. That might cover the Paldea, Kitakami, and Blueberry Pokedexes from Scarlet and Violet, the Lumiose collection from Legends Z-A, or another game you want to complete on its own.
Living Dex versus Pokedex completion
A completed Pokedex records every required entry. You do not have to keep every Pokemon afterward. You can register a Pokemon, evolve it, trade it away, or move it to another game while keeping the entry.
A Living Dex keeps the Pokemon themselves. The difference matters when you want to browse the whole collection, move individual species into a game, or keep track of forms without relying on old Pokedex records.
How Pokemon HOME helps
Pokemon HOME gives you one place to store and sort Pokemon from supported games. Depositing a Pokemon into a HOME Box registers it in the National Pokedex. HOME also has game-specific Pokedexes, but those have their own origin requirements. For example, a game-specific Pokedex only registers Pokemon caught in that game.
The mobile app includes Pokemon details and a Guidebook, while the Nintendo Switch version connects to supported game save files. Before moving a Pokemon, check its Games it can travel to section on mobile or its Connected Games view on Switch. A Pokemon can only enter a game where that species is supported.
Storage is the first practical limit. The Basic plan holds 30 Pokemon. The Premium plan holds 6,000, which leaves room for a species collection, forms, and duplicates. If Premium expires, only the 30 most recently deposited or traded Pokemon are accessible in the Basic Box. Pokemon Support says the others remain stored for a certain period, and you regain access if you subscribe again.
How to organize your Living Dex
- Choose the scope. Decide whether you want one of every species, a game-specific collection, every form, or a Shiny version.
- Make a checklist. Track what you own, what still needs to evolve, and which Pokemon need a different game or transfer route.
- Plan your Boxes. Leave space between generations or regional sections. A few empty slots are easier to work with than moving hundreds of Pokemon each time a new species arrives.
- Keep special forms clear. Put regional variants and other form changes beside the base species, or give them a separate section if that is easier to maintain.
- Check compatibility before moving. HOME supports several games, but not every Pokemon can enter every game. Some transfers are one way, including Pokemon moved from Pokemon Bank into HOME.
Moves can also change when a Pokemon enters a game where its current moves are unavailable. HOME saves a move set for each linked game, but it is still worth checking the destination before moving a battle-ready Pokemon.
Common Living Dex questions
Do Eggs count?
You can set this rule yourself. For a practical species checklist, count the hatched Pokemon rather than the Egg. That gives you the finished species to browse and move.
Do I need every form?
Only if that is part of your chosen scope. Some collectors keep one Pokemon per species. Others include regional forms, alternate appearances, gender differences, and special forms that HOME can store.
Does every Pokemon need to come from the same game?
No, not for a general HOME Living Dex. A game-specific Pokedex may require Pokemon caught in that game, but a National collection can bring together Pokemon from different supported titles.
Can I move every Pokemon back into any Switch game?
No. Each game supports its own selection of Pokemon, and some transfer routes have additional restrictions. Check HOME’s compatibility display for the individual Pokemon before moving it.
Ready-made Living Dex options
Building the collection yourself is part of the fun, but it can take a long time. If you would rather start with a completed package, browse Rawkhet’s Pokemon HOME collection. The Past-Generations Living Dex covers the earlier generations, while the Paldean Living Dex and Legends Z-A Living Dex cover the newer game collections.
