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Can You Trade Pokémon With Yourself on an Emulator?

You can trade Pokémon with yourself in some emulator setups. Learn how mGBA local multiplayer works and why steps depend on your platform and games.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Yes—if your emulator supports local link play and the two game versions can trade with each other. With mGBA, you can open a second game window on the same computer and trade through the games’ normal in-game trading process. The exact setup depends on your emulator, platform, and Pokémon games.

What you need for an emulator self-trade

  • An emulator with local multiplayer or link support for the system your Pokémon game runs on.
  • Two game instances, each loaded with a compatible game and player save.
  • Access to the in-game location and prerequisites for trading in both saves.

For Game Boy Advance, Game Boy, and Game Boy Color games, the mGBA project README lists “Local (same computer) link cable support.” That establishes local link play as an mGBA feature; it does not mean every emulator, game pairing, or device uses the same setup. mGBA README

How to trade with yourself in mGBA on SteamOS

EmuDeck documents this approach for mGBA on SteamOS. Back up your normal save before duplicating or renaming files. The save-file instructions below are specific to that setup and should not be assumed to apply to every operating system, frontend, or mGBA build.

  1. Make a backup copy of the game’s save file.
  2. Create a second copy of the save for the other player and change the copy’s extension to .sa2, following the EmuDeck mGBA guide.
  3. In mGBA Desktop Mode, select File → New multiplayer window.
  4. If you want separate physical controllers, assign controls for each player window. A second controller is optional; the guide does not establish it as a requirement.
  5. Load the relevant game in each window.
  6. In both game instances, reach the trading location and meet any in-game requirements. Follow each game’s on-screen prompts to complete the trade.

An mGBA project administrator described opening a multiplayer window on the same computer and using the game’s Trade Center. The exact location and prerequisites vary by game. mGBA forum response (June 17, 2024)

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How emulator options differ

Emulator What the cited documentation establishes What to keep in mind
mGBA The project README lists local link support on the same computer. EmuDeck gives a SteamOS-specific setup for mGBA self-trading. The `.sa2` save-copy method is documented for the EmuDeck setup, not as a universal requirement. mGBA README · EmuDeck guide
melonDS The project FAQ discusses local multiplayer and an emulated access-point approach; a project-board discussion describes local multiplayer between two instances. The cited pages do not provide a complete current walkthrough for trading a particular Pokémon game. Check the setup for your exact game and platform. melonDS FAQ · melonDS discussion

Local multiplayer is not the same as online trading

mGBA’s README lists same-computer local link support and identifies networked multiplayer link cable support as planned. A June 2024 forum response also described multiplayer as requiring the same computer. Because the README is a living document, check its current feature list rather than assuming mGBA supports trading between computers over a network. mGBA README · mGBA forum response

What to check if the trade will not start

  • Game compatibility: Confirm that the two specific Pokémon games support trading with each other. Support for local link play alone does not guarantee compatibility between every pair of releases.
  • Save handling: Make sure each instance is using the intended player save. On SteamOS with the EmuDeck instructions, check the second save copy and its .sa2 extension; back up saves before further changes.
  • In-game requirements: Verify that both characters have reached the required trading location and completed any prerequisites the games impose.
  • Emulator and platform: Check the instructions for your exact emulator version and device. The documented mGBA save procedure is not established as a universal recipe.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

How this differs from trading on a Nintendo console

On Nintendo Switch, Nintendo’s support page for Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! describes trading with another player over local wireless or online. It separately describes two-player cooperative play on one save; that co-op feature is not a self-trading method. These instructions apply to the named games, not every Pokémon release. Nintendo Support

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