Pokémon Bank is an expansion of the entire box system in Pokémon games, and as such, it expands upon the concept giving a variety of new aspects and features. Some match and expand upon ones from the main-game, while others are completely new to Pokémon Bank.

Game Selection

The main feature of Pokémon Bank is allowing you to transfer Pokémon between various games. However, in addition to the generational transfer of Poké Transporter, you can transfer between Pokémon X & Y. As the games can be downloaded, the game offers you a choice of what game to utilise in your transfer. You can exit out and reload the other game at will, and it gives you the details of the game's current status.

The most interesting point of this is that it ignores the 3DS's region lock, meaning that you can put an American game into a Japanese 3DS and use Pokémon Bank there.

With the Sun & Moon update, while you can add Pokémon to Sun & Moon, once they have enterred the game, despite being storable on Pokémon Bank, they will not be able to return to any Generation VI game.

Groups

A new feature in Pokémon Bank is the ability to organise your boxes into groups. These groups can be renamed and you can place any of your 100 Pokémon Bank boxes in it. As such, if you wish to store Shiny Pokémon in four boxes, you can group them into the group you call Shiny, same with Competitive and any other group you desire

Search

In Pokémon X & Y, there's a new feature of the Pokémon Box that allows you to search for certain Pokémon, types, with specific moves and so forth. This returns in Pokémon Bank, but has a difference.

In X & Y, the Pokémon that don't match the criteria will just become transparent, but Bank gives you a list of all your Pokémon. These lists can be sorted by a variety of attributes including Level, type, stats etc., and filtered so that it only lists the Pokémon that match your search criteria. From here, you can then gain quick access to the box that Pokémon is stored in, and/or see the Pokémon's summary.

The search criteria is as follows:

  • Pokémon Species: On each category, you can then filter by Pokémon species
  • Gender: This allows you to organise all Pokémon by gender: Male, Female or Genderless
  • Type: This will organise Pokémon by type. First by Primary type, and then by Secondary. You can also filter to search for Pokémon of a specific type.
  • Nature: This will allow you to sort by and search for Pokémon by nature.
  • Marking: Like in the game, you can mark all Pokémon. You can search for Pokémon based on the marking and if it is Kalos native
  • Level: You are able to sort by Level, both highest-to-lowest and lowest to highest
  • Stat: You are able to sort by each stat, both highest to lowest and lowest to highest
  • Attacks: You are able to search for Pokémon by whether or not they know a specific
  • Abilities: You are able to filter Pokémon by specific abilities
  • OT and ID: When you're in the search, you can check for Pokémon with a specific OT/ID, designated by the Pokémon you are currently highlighting
  • Shiny: You have the ability to filter Pokémon by whether or not they are Shiny
  • PokéRus: You have the ability to filter Pokémon by whether they have PokéRus or have been infected by it in the past
  • Pokédex Number: You have the ability to filter Pokémon by Pokédex number. The Pokémon does not have to have been from the game to be categorised. There are multiple options
    • National Pokédex: Sorts all Pokémon by their National Pokédex number
    • Alola Pokédex: Filters Pokémon that are in the Alola Pokédex as shown in Pokémon Sun & Moon
    • Hoenn Pokédex: Filters Pokémon that are in the Hoenn Pokédex as shown in Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
    • Central Kalos Pokédex: Filters Pokémon that are in the Central Kalos Pokédex in Pokémon X & Y
    • Coastal Kalos Pokédex: Filters Pokémon that are in the Coastal Kalos Pokédex in Pokémon X & Y
    • Mountain Pokédex: Filters Pokémon that are in the Mountain Kalos Pokédex in Pokémon X & Y
    • Unova Pokédex: Filters Pokémon that are in the Unova Pokédex as shown in Pokémon Black 2 & White 2
    • Sinnoh Pokédex: Filters Pokémon that are in the Sinnoh Pokédex as shown in Pokémon Platinum
    • Good Ol' Hoenn Pokédex: Filters Pokémon that are in the Hoenn Pokédex as shown in Pokémon Emerald
    • Johto Pokédex: Filters Pokémon that are in the Johto Pokédex as shown in Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver
    • Kanto Pokédex: Filters Pokémon that are in the Kanto Pokédex as shown in Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen
PokéMiles & Battle Points

When you deposit Pokémon into your Pokémon Bank boxes, you will earn various PokéMiles, which can be transferred to Pokémon X & Y to purchase a variety of items. However, this is not just limited to PokéMiles. If you do so wish, you can receive these points as 10% of the PokéMiles in Battle Points , to allow for spending in various Battle Facilities

These are obtained depending upon how long your Pokémon spend in Bank, and how many Pokémon you have stored. The more and longer you store, the more points you get.

Pokédex

When you have updated the game to the version that allows for Pokémon Sun & Moon, it will give you a special Pokédex feature when you connect with X, Y, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire, Sun & Moon. This will add the Pokémon you have seen and captured to the Pokédex. When you load the Pokédex up with the game loaded into Bank, it will register the game and the Pokémon of the game into the Pokédex.

This means that you don't need to include all the Pokémon into your Bank in order to fill your Pokédex, merely fill your Pokédex in the game and continue it across. To complete the Pokédex in your games, however, you still need to put the Pokémon into the main game.

You can search through the Pokédex like all games based on name, type, colour, shape, appearance (filtering to see seen Mega Evolutions, Alola Forms and Shiny Pokémon) and regional Pokédex options. The game will also give Pokédex entries for each of the game and allow you to change the forms.

Adventure Records

A new feature of Pokémon Bank with the release of Pokémon Sun & Moon is the ability to check your Adventure Records in the Pokédex. This will show each of your registered games and compare them for specific totals, with the winner getting a golden sheen to it. This allows for you to check the following bits of data for each of your games.

Pokémon caught
Pokémon caught by fishing
Eggs hatched
Pokémon evolved
Fossils Restored
Wild Pokémon encountered
Number of trades
Pokémon caught in one day
Pokémon evolved in one day