Modder builds an adapter to trade Pokémon from GBA to Switch 2

Hardware and software developer Andrew Henley has built a custom adapter that allows an original Game Boy Advance to trade Pokémon directly with a Nintendo Switch 2. Operating under the name Drewworks, Henley demonstrated a functional prototype earlier this month. The video shows him successfully moving a Kangaskhan from a physical GBA cartridge to a modern Switch version in exchange for a Slowpoke. The device translates the GBA's serial link signals into wireless protocols readable by the Switch, requiring no modifications to the modern console.

The initial proof of concept was posted on X by Henley on September 3. It shows the standard in-game Union Room trading mechanics working across a 22-year hardware gap.

Bypassing the DS and 3DS entirely

Moving a Pokémon from 2004's FireRed or LeafGreen to a current-generation game is currently a logistical nightmare. The official method requires a Nintendo DS Lite to migrate the creature to a Generation 4 cartridge, a second DS system to transfer it to Generation 5, a 3DS to move it into the Poké Transporter app, and finally a subscription to Pokémon Bank to push it to Pokémon Home. It's a fragile chain of aging hardware and discontinued digital storefronts.

That official pathway is about to break. With Pokémon Bank scheduled for a permanent shutdown on February 25, 2027, the bridge between vintage cartridges and modern hardware is collapsing. Henley's prototype uses a microcontroller to act as a real-time bridge. It plugs directly into the GBA's six-pin 3.3V serial port and handles the protocol translation locally.

The Pokémon franchise has relied on trading creatures across generations as a foundational pillar of its gameplay loop for three decades. However, the data structures for individual Pokémon change wildly between console generations. A Generation 3 Pokémon from the Game Boy Advance lacks many of the hidden values, abilities, and metadata fields expected by a modern Switch game. The adapter has to bridge the physical hardware gap while ensuring the data is formatted correctly so the Switch doesn't reject the incoming creature. It essentially tricks the modern console into thinking it is talking to another Switch.

Modernizing the 2004 wireless adapter

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen originally introduced the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter peripheral in 2004. Henley's work builds on that concept, updating the communication standards to interface with modern hardware. He created a few cool things that are detailed on his official website, including early looks at a RetroSync Wireless Adapter prototype.

The GBA-to-Switch adapter is still in active development. Henley noted in his post that there's plenty of work ahead before it is finished. If you want to follow the progress on the trade adapter or get notified when it might be available, you can join his mailing list through this form. Pulling a 20-year-old Pokémon directly into a Switch 2 without hunting down a working DS Lite battery is a massive win for anyone with old save files.