How to Complete the Pokémon LeafGreen Pokédex on Switch and Claim the Free Celebi

The short answer: link your copy of Pokémon LeafGreen Version on Switch or Switch 2 to Pokémon HOME (version 4.1.0 or later) and your in-game Kanto Pokédex syncs automatically. You do not need to deposit a single Pokémon. Register all 150 Kanto species, Mew excluded, and the mobile version of Pokémon HOME hands you a Celebi. The catch is that anything you do transfer into HOME can never return to LeafGreen, so settle your trades before you start moving Pokémon around.

That sync behaviour is the whole trick behind finishing the Pokémon LeafGreen Pokédex today. For two decades the dex was a private checklist on a cartridge. Since the 4.1.0 update, it doubles as a reward tracker that pays out in the modern ecosystem.

What you need before you start

• Pokémon LeafGreen Version on Switch or Switch 2. The digital re-release launched February 27, 2026 at $19.99. There is no physical version and no Nintendo Switch Online subscription is required. If you are still deciding whether the port is worth it, our breakdown of the Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Switch Release covers what shipped and what changed.
• Pokémon HOME version 4.1.0 or later installed on both your Switch and your phone. The Celebi is delivered in the mobile app specifically, so the Switch app alone will not show it.
• The mobile HOME app is where the Celebi is delivered, so open it there once the dex is done.
• A second copy of FireRed or LeafGreen plus a local trade partner. The Kanto dex cannot be finished solo: Alakazam, Machamp, Golem and Gengar evolve only by trade, and LeafGreen is missing several FireRed exclusives.
• Patience for the post-game. The National Dex upgrade and the Sevii Islands quest are separate from the HOME Kanto registry and are not needed for the Celebi.

Connect LeafGreen to Pokémon HOME

1. Launch Pokémon HOME on your Switch.
2. Choose the link/connect option for FireRed/LeafGreen from the main menu (the "Kanto Pokédex (GBA)" registry was added in the 4.1.0 update).
3. Follow the prompt to connect your LeafGreen save file.
4. Confirm the sync. HOME reads the Pokémon already registered in your in-game Pokédex, so nothing needs to be deposited.
5. Open the new Kanto Pokédex (GBA) registry in HOME to see exactly which entries carried over.

This is a read of your dex, not a transfer. Your team stays on the cartridge unless you deliberately move it.

If the sync fails:

• Confirm Pokémon HOME is updated to version 4.1.0 or later on both devices, then relaunch the app and reconnect LeafGreen to HOME.

Audit your Kanto dex before you grind

Open the in-game Pokédex and sort by seen versus caught. HOME's registry mirrors your caught count, so any gap there is a gap in your LeafGreen Pokédex progress.

Flag these categories first:

• The four trade evolutions. Alakazam, Machamp, Golem and Gengar need a trade partner rather than a route.
• Version exclusives. LeafGreen offers Vulpix, Bellsprout, Staryu and Pinsir; FireRed offers Growlithe, Oddish, Shellder and Scyther. Note which counterparts you still need in return.
• One-time encounters you may have skipped. Eevee in Celadon City, Lapras in Silph Co., and both Snorlax encounters are fixed spawns that are easy to miss on a casual run. If you have already used or released one, it must come via trade.

If you are running a Fire-type squad and want to know which of Kanto's flames are actually worth the slot, The Ultimate Fire-Type Guide for Pokémon ranks them for this exact pair of games.

Fill the gaps with local trades

1. Use the Wireless Club to trade locally with a FireRed player. Trading and battling on the Switch re-release are local-only, so you need a partner in the same room.
2. Trade-evolve deliberately. Send a Machoke and get a Machamp back, then repeat for Kadabra, Graveler and Haunter.
3. Swap version exclusives one-for-one, Vulpix for Growlithe, Bellsprout for Oddish, Staryu for Shellder, Pinsir for Scyther, so both dexes advance in the same session.
4. Keep these trades off HOME entirely. Pokémon sent into HOME cannot come back, and Pokémon from other games cannot be sent into LeafGreen.

Trading locally with a FireRed player who also wants to finish their dex lets both carts advance in the same session.

Sync again and claim the Celebi

1. Once the in-game dex shows all 150 Kanto species registered, reconnect LeafGreen to HOME so the Kanto Pokédex (GBA) registry updates.
2. Open the mobile version of Pokémon HOME and check your Mystery Gifts. The Celebi arrives there, not on the Switch app.
3. Confirm the registry lists all 150 Kanto species before assuming something went wrong. Mew is not required and will not block the reward.
4. Treat the Celebi as a HOME resident from the moment it lands. It cannot be sent into LeafGreen.

If an entry is missing: recheck the four trade evolutions first, since they evolve only by trade, then compare your in-game caught list against the HOME registry line by line before re-syncing.

Decide what to transfer, and what to keep

Assume every transfer is permanent. Pokémon moved into HOME cannot return to FireRed or LeafGreen, and nothing from another game can be sent in.

Keep your in-game team, your HM users and anything you want for the Sevii Islands post-game on the cartridge. Move only duplicates and finished specimens. Transferred Kanto Pokémon can go on to other compatible games, so the vault is not a dead end.

HOME is also becoming the long-term vault for legacy Pokémon as older services wind down — Pokémon Bank ends service on February 25, 2027 at 7:00 p.m. PT — which raises the cost of a careless one-way move. The broader question of how Nintendo is handling these standalone re-releases is worth reading in our piece on Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch.

Mistakes that stall the Celebi

• Transferring Pokémon to fill the dex. The reward checks your registered dex, not your HOME boxes. Depositing Pokémon is unnecessary and irreversible.
• Hunting Mew. The Kanto dex is 150 entries. Mew is a Mythical and is not required for completion.
• Expecting the Celebi on Switch. The gift is delivered in the mobile version of Pokémon HOME.
• Chasing Johto species too early. Species beyond the original Kanto roster only appear after the National Dex upgrade and the Sevii Islands quests, which the Celebi does not require.
• Assuming online trading exists. The Switch re-release trades and battles locally only, so arrange a partner in person.

From Kanto dex to National Dex

Once you are Champion, record at least 60 caught Kanto species and speak to Professor Oak in Pallet Town for the National Dex upgrade. Then help Celio repair the Network Machine with the Ruby and Sapphire to open encounters on Four through Seven Island. From there you can start collecting Johto and Hoenn species across the Sevii Islands on the way to the full 386-entry National Dex. If you want a full FireRed or LeafGreen walkthrough of the Sevii quests before you commit, that post-game path is well documented.

That post-game is also the moment to revisit your transfer plan. By then you will know which Pokémon you want on the cartridge for island encounters and which are duplicates you can safely send to HOME for good.