X and Y were designed as connected games: the bottom screen constantly displayed other players from all over the world, ready to battle or trade. The servers have shut down, but a good part of the features still work locally. Here is what remains.

📡The PSS

The PSS, for Player Search System, occupies the bottom screen. It shows three lists of players: your friends, your acquaintances, that is, players you have already met, and passersby. Touch a player to propose a battle or a trade. The PSS menu also leads to the GTS, Wonder Trade, O-Powers and the Holo Caster.

✅What still works

  • Local battles and trades, between two nearby consoles, without Internet: this is now the only way to trade, and therefore to evolve Pokémon that evolve by trade.
  • O-Powers: they activate for yourself, and are shared with nearby players.
  • Pokémon-Amie and Super Training, which need no connection.
  • Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter, provided you installed the apps before the eShop closed, and only until their announced closure (see below).

❌What no longer works

  • The GTS: the global trading system, where you deposited a Pokémon while asking for a specific species.
  • Wonder Trade: a random trade with a player from all over the world.
  • Online battles, ranked or not, and competitions.
  • The passersby list from around the world, and adding friends over the Internet.
  • Distributions by Mystery Gift over the Internet.

🔁Sending your Pokémon to Pokémon HOME

  1. Deposit your Pokémon in Pokémon Bank from X or Y.
  2. Open Pokémon HOME on Switch or mobile, and link it to your Pokémon Bank.
  3. Start the transfer from Bank to HOME: a HOME Premium Plan is required, and it is one-way.
  4. From HOME, your Kalos Pokémon can join compatible Switch games.

Full details, with compatible consoles: playing X and Y today.