Compatibility
Check your Android device, game and save file separately. Linking an emulator folder helps PKForge find saves; the file’s contents determine whether it can be opened.
Android devices
- APK minimum
- Android 5.0
- Architecture
- 64-bit ARM (arm64)
- Controls
- Touch or gamepad
- Second screen
- Optional
Use a 64-bit ARM (arm64) Android phone, tablet or handheld that meets the APK’s declared requirements. You also need access to a compatible save through Android’s file or folder picker. No root access is required.
Supported games
| Generation | Games |
|---|---|
| I | Red, Blue, Green (Japanese), Yellow |
| II | Gold, Silver, Crystal |
| III | Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, LeafGreen |
| GameCube | Pokemon Box: Ruby & Sapphire, Colosseum, XD: Gale of Darkness |
| IV | Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, SoulSilver |
| V | Black, White, Black 2, White 2 |
| VI | X, Y, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire |
| VII | Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon; Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee |
| VIII | Sword, Shield, Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, Legends: Arceus |
| IX | Scarlet, Violet |
A game appearing here does not mean every Pokemon can move into it unchanged. Transfer previews explain conversion changes, and unavailable species or items can prevent a transfer.
ROM hacks
These hacks have dedicated support. Keep the version limits and tool differences in mind.
- Pokemon Unbound · v2.1.x
- Dedicated species, move and item data. Ordinary legality verdicts and batch tools are unavailable.
- Radical Red · v4.1
- Dedicated species and item data, including bag editing. Ordinary legality verdicts and batch tools are unavailable.
- GS Chronicles
- Uses its own data and Pokedex slots. Ordinary legality verdicts and batch tools are unavailable.
- Luminescent Platinum · v1.1 and v1.3 saves
- Custom forms, icons and items are supported. Ordinary legality verdicts are unavailable.
- Pokemon Compass
- Includes a dedicated settings editor for Compass saves.
Living Dex Autopilot excludes ROM hack saves. The GBA hacks also have batch-tool restrictions. A missing ordinary legality verdict is not a guarantee that every edit is valid.
Other ROM hacks
Some hacks keep their base game’s save format; others change it. A suspected hack can offer read-only browsing or an explicit “Edit at my own risk” choice. Layouts known to be unsafe remain read-only. That override does not make a hack supported.
Emulator linking
These named profiles help locate saves in a folder you grant access to. An emulator not listed here may still produce a compatible save, but should not be assumed to have a tested linking profile.
On a narrow screen, scroll this table sideways to see all columns.
| System | Profiles | Save files |
|---|---|---|
| GB / GBC | RetroArch, Linkboy, Pizza Boy C | .sav, .srm |
| GBA | RetroArch, Linkboy, Pizza Boy A | .sav, .srm |
| DS | melonDS, DraStic, RetroArch | .sav, .dsv, .srm |
| GameCube | Dolphin | Individual .gci saves |
| 3DS | Azahar, Lime3DS, Citra MMJ | main |
| Switch | Eden | main, .bin |
Pick the emulator’s actual save folder. If Android prevents access, export the save and use the single-file option. See opening a save or the emulator-specific linking guide.
Save files and limits
The folder scanner recognizes names ending in .sav, .srm, .bin, .dat, .gci, .dsv, .bak, .main and files without an extension. It then checks the contents. Renaming a file does not make it compatible.
The single-file picker allows other filenames, but the contents still need to be a supported save. Files copied or exported from another device must be in a format PKForge can read.
- Save states: unsupported. Use an in-game save, and avoid loading an older state after editing.
- GameCube: use an individual
.gcisave. Whole.rawor.gcpmemory-card images must first be exported to individual saves, or use Dolphin’s GCI Folder setting. - Exported copies: editing the copy does not replace the emulator’s active save until you import it back.
App and save languages
The PKForge interface is in English. Saves in languages supported by PKHeX can be opened when their game and file format are supported. Save-language support is separate from app-interface or website translations.