Games
Sun and Moon: the Alola island challenge in 2026
Sun and Moon are the 2016 Nintendo 3DS games set in Alola, four islands where captains' trials and kahunas' grand trials take the place of gyms. The two versions split a short list of species, including the legendaries Solgaleo and Lunala, and Moon runs 12 hours ahead of the 3DS clock, so a morning in Sun is an evening in Moon. The 3DS eShop stopped selling games in March 2023 and 3DS online play ended in April 2024, so the game is now played from a cartridge or an earlier download, with trades over local wireless and Pokémon Bank as the one-way route to Pokémon HOME until Bank ends service on 25 February 2027.
Sun and Moon, both versions, from the start to the postgame. Drafted 8 Nov 2026.
Four islands replace the eight gyms
Alola has no gyms and no badges. Each island has trial captains, and each trial ends with a totem Pokémon: a boosted wild Pokémon that calls allies into the fight. Clearing a trial gives a Z-Crystal. Each island ends with a grand trial, a battle against its kahuna: Hala on Melemele (Fighting), Olivia on Akala (Rock), Nanu on Ula'ula (Dark) and Hapu on Poni (Ground). After the fourth grand trial the story climbs Mount Lanakila to a newly built Pokémon League. The Elite Four are Hala, Olivia, Acerola and Kahili. There is no sitting champion: the player becomes the first, and the final battle of the main story is against Professor Kukui. Team Skull and the Aether Foundation run the side plot, which ends in Ultra Space before the League.
Each version keeps one legendary and a few species
Sun has Solgaleo and Moon has Lunala. Both come from the same Cosmog, which the story hands over before the League. The other splits are short: Alolan Sandshrew in Sun and Alolan Vulpix in Moon, Passimian in Sun and Oranguru in Moon, Turtonator in Sun and Drampa in Moon, and two Ultra Beasts in each version, Buzzwole and Kartana in Sun, Pheromosa and Celesteela in Moon. Completing the Alola Pokédex needs the other version's species and the trade evolutions, such as Haunter, Machoke and Graveler. In 2026 the only direct trade is local wireless between two 3DS systems in the same room, through Festival Plaza. The time offset also matters: species that appear only by day or by night are found at opposite hours in the two versions.
Rowlet, Litten and Popplio, then the first trial at Verdant Cavern
The three starters are Rowlet (Grass and Flying, evolving into Decidueye, Grass and Ghost), Litten (Fire, evolving into Incineroar, Fire and Dark) and Popplio (Water, evolving into Primarina, Water and Fairy). The choice is made in Iki Town on Melemele in the first half hour. The first milestones come in this order: a battle with Hau, the Rotom Dex, the trainers' school in Hau'oli City, then Ilima's trial in Verdant Cavern, which ends with a Normal-type totem and gives Normalium Z. Hala's grand trial closes Melemele. Litten is the slow choice for Hala, whose team is Fighting type; Rowlet and Popplio have an easier first island.
The postgame is Ultra Beasts, the Battle Tree and title defences
After the credits the player is champion and can be challenged at the League by returning characters. Looker and Nanu send the player after the Ultra Beasts, with Beast Balls as the tool. The Battle Tree on Poni opens as the battle facility, with Red and Blue among its opponents. Mina's trial, the Tapu guardians as catches, Necrozma at Ten Carat Hill and the Island Scan feature, which places a species from outside the Alola Pokédex on a given island each day, all sit in the postgame. Hyper Training with Bottle Caps unlocks at level 100 and lets a trained Pokémon reach maximum individual values.
Z-Moves, regional forms and Ride Pokémon are the Generation VII systems
A Z-Move is a once-per-battle move of raised power, unlocked when a Pokémon holds the Z-Crystal that matches one of its moves. Each trial gives one crystal. Alola also introduced 18 regional forms of Generation I species with new types: Alolan Vulpix is Ice, Alolan Ninetales is Ice and Fairy, Alolan Exeggutor is Grass and Dragon. HMs are gone. Ride Pokémon, called with a pager, handle travel and obstacles, so no party slot is spent on a field move. Wild Pokémon can call for help in battle, which is the route to rare species and hidden abilities. The type chart is unchanged from Generation VI, with 18 types.
There is no paid DLC, and the online features have closed
Sun and Moon had no paid downloadable content. A software update added Pokémon Bank compatibility, which began on 25 January 2017, and a cartridge that has never been online plays at version 1.0 without it. Festival Plaza's online modes, the Global Trade System, Wonder Trade, online battles and internet Mystery Gift all depended on 3DS online services, which ended on 8 April 2024. The single-player game, local trading and local battles still work. Event Pokémon distributed between 2016 and 2018 can no longer be received.
Play it on a 3DS from a cartridge or an earlier download
Sun and Moon run on the 3DS family, including the 2DS and New 3DS models. They are not on Nintendo Switch or Switch 2. The eShop closed for purchases on 27 March 2023; a copy bought digitally before then can still be redownloaded. Cartridges are the normal way in today. To move Pokémon out, use Pokémon Bank, which can no longer be downloaded and ends service on 25 February 2027: deposit them there and send them on to Pokémon HOME on a Switch or phone before that date. The move is one way: Pokémon in HOME cannot return to a 3DS game. A used cartridge may carry an old save, which must be deleted from the title screen before a new game starts.
| Sun | Moon |
|---|---|
| Solgaleo | Lunala |
| Alolan Sandshrew, Alolan Sandslash | Alolan Vulpix, Alolan Ninetales |
| Passimian | Oranguru |
| Turtonator | Drampa |
| Buzzwole, Kartana | Pheromosa, Celesteela |
| Order | Island | Kahuna | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melemele | Hala | Fighting |
| 2 | Akala | Olivia | Rock |
| 3 | Ula'ula | Nanu | Dark |
| 4 | Poni | Hapu | Ground |
| Order | Island | Captain | Type of the trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melemele | Ilima | Normal |
| 2 | Akala | Lana | Water |
| 3 | Akala | Kiawe | Fire |
| 4 | Akala | Mallow | Grass |
| 5 | Ula'ula | Sophocles | Electric |
| 6 | Ula'ula | Acerola | Ghost |
| 7 | Poni | None (Vast Poni Canyon) | Dragon |
5 checks before you act
- Set the 3DS clock to local time before starting; Moon will run 12 hours ahead of it
- Delete any old save on a used cartridge from the title screen
- Choose a starter in Iki Town, knowing Hala uses Fighting types
- Clear Ilima's trial in Verdant Cavern and keep the Normalium Z
- Move any Pokémon worth keeping through an installed Pokémon Bank to HOME before 25 February 2027
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