Pokémon Global Link

The Pokémon Global Link (Japanese: ポケモングローバルリンク Pokémon Global Link) was a website that the Generation V, , and core series games could connect to. Features on the website extended the gameplay of the games, generally offering minigames, record-keeping, and user profiles. These features are similar to the Global Terminal in Generation IV. Some of these features were inherited by Pokémon HOME in Generation VIII.
In , the option of connecting to the Global Link is activated with an item called the Dream Mist. This is obtained early in the game from a . If the Dream Mist is given to Fennel, she will give away the C-Gear and activate the menu option that would allow the player to set up the Global Link. The Generation V Global Link allowed players to enter the Pokémon Dream World where they could catch Pokémon otherwise not obtainable in Unova.
In Generation VI, despite the absence of the Pokémon Dream World, other features were introduced, such as the PokéMileage Club.
==Website==
===Generation V===
In the early days of the Black and White release, the website was temporarily closed because of traffic concerns. The site was originally set to be back up September 29, 2010, ten days after closing down, but this was moved to October 4. Due to maintenance the Pokémon Dream World did not open to the public until October 13.
To fix the site for the international release of Black and White, planned to be released March 30, 2011, the previously Japanese-only Global Link was disabled of certain features on certain dates. From March 18 to 22, no Pokémon could be obtained from Pokémon Dream World. From March 22 to March 30, Global Link, as well as Game Sync, was made unavailable. This however was extended due to the . Despite delays, , a game that allowed players to obtain one of the Eeveelutions with their respective Hidden Abilities, was made available on March 28. On the other hand, Global Link itself again became available on April 12, 2011, which was also the premiere of the international versions of the Global Link.
In June 2012, the website underwent another revamp in both appearance and to accommodate compatibility with ; it was down between June 5 and June 20. During this time, the Global Battle Union was inaccessible and the Game Sync function was inoperable.
====Closure====
Between October 1, 2013 to October 12, 2013, the Pokémon Global Link was closed for maintenance in preparations for Pokémon X and Y. Following this maintenance, users were temporarily unable to sign up for new accounts, add additional games to existing accounts and lost access to the demo. On December 10, 2013, players were no longer able to tuck in new Pokémon, but could still play with and awaken those already asleep until January 14, 2014. Once the deadline had been reached, the service was closed down and with it the ability for players to change their C-Gear skin, Pokémon Musical song, or Pokédex skin. Until the 20th May 2014, players who had yet to do so could still awaken their Pokémon.『ポケットモンスターブラック・ホワイト・ブラック２・ホワイト２』版　「ポケモングローバルリンク」サービス終了のお知らせ [Pokemon Global Link End of Service Announcement]. Pokemon Global Link (in Japanese). 01 July 2013. Archived from the original on 05 September 2013.
The GTS was not affected by this closure, except that the trade history became no longer viewable since it was only viewable on the website.. Random Matchup Rating Mode was shut down, although Free Mode remained available until May 20, 2014, when online support for Nintendo DS games were terminated.
===Generation VI===
The Generation VI version of the Pokémon Global Link launched on October 12, 2013. Players who registered on the Pokémon X and Y Global Link with the same username as on the Pokémon Black, White, Black 2 and White 2 Global Link until January 14, 2014 got a certain number of Poké Miles on the PokéMileage Club, depending on the quantity of Dream Points obtained on the other version of the website. This bonus was applied to all of the registered Generation VI games, without a split in the reward.
====Closure====
On November 1, 2016, the Global Link shut down to make room for the next generation. On July 26, 2016, the prices of everything in the PokéMileage shop were halved, and Ability Capsules were made available for 5,000 Poké Miles.Closure of the Pokémon Global Link service for Pokémon Omega Ruby, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, Pokémon X, and Pokémon Y. Pokémon Global Link. 19 July 2016. Archived from the original on 20 July 2016.
===Generation VII===
The Generation VII version of the Pokémon Global Link launched on November 18, 2016.
====Closure====
On November 26, 2019, the Global Link posted a news article stating that it would be shutting down as of February 24, 2020 to focus their resources on the following generation. Between those dates, accounts that logged into the Pokémon Global Link website were given a serial code allowing them to receive Fennel's Munna as a parting gift to celebrate the history of the service.Closure of the Pokémon Global Link service for Pokémon Sun, Pokémon Moon, Pokémon Ultra Sun, and Pokémon Ultra Moon. Bulbanews. 30 Nov 2019. Archived from the original on 6 Dec 2019.
With the termination of the service, Rating Battles are no longer possible to conduct in Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, or Ultra Moon. There is also no longer a list of QR Rental Teams, but any QR codes the player had already saved for rental teams will continue to work as long as they continue to use the same game save file as they were logged in with when they generated and saved the code.
===Maintenance===
The Global Link site underwent routine maintenance every week. During maintenance all features of the website, as well as the in-game Game Sync, cannot be accessed; maintenance may interrupt those currently using Dream World. Despite this weekly maintenance, the site may undergo additional maintenance when the need rises. Prior to the site closing down to accommodate international versions of Black and White, maintenance was done every Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. JST. Prior to the site closing down to accommodate Black 2 and White 2, maintenance was done every Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. JST. The most recent schedule for maintenance was as follows, according to the website:
* Japan and Korea: Tuesdays 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. JST/KST
* US: Mondays 8 p.m. to midnight EDT
* UK: Tuesdays 7 a.m. to Wednesdays 1 a.m. UTC
* Australia: Tuesdays 3 p.m. to Wednesdays 9 p.m. AWST
Occasionally, the amount of time for the maintenance may change. In addition, players who use Pokémon Trainer Club accounts may not be able to access Global Link if the Trainer Club is under maintenance (i.e. if Trainer Club is under maintenance, players may not access the English-language Global Link, but they may access the Japanese-language Global Link).
==Generation VII Global link features==
===Rating Battles===
===QR Rental Teams===
===Online Competitions===
===Friendly Competitions===
===Profile===
;Game Info
;Rating Battles
;QR Rental Teams
;Online Competitions
;Friendly Competitions
;Global Trade Station
;VIP List
==Generation VI Global link features==
===PokéMileage Club===
The PokéMileage Club is an online item shop where players can use Poké Miles to purchase items that will be transferred to their game the next time they use Game Sync. There are also attractions, games players may spend Poké Miles on to play and win items.
===Rating Battles===
The Rating Battles section of the Global Link shows the Trainer rankings and Pokémon rankings for different types of battles or over all types battles. Clicking a player shows their record, while clicking a Pokémon shows various statistics for it, including its top moves, , Natures, held items, and teammates; its top moves used to win and the top Pokémon it beat; and the top moves used to beat it and the top Pokémon that beat it.
===Online Competitions===
Players may sign up to participate in special Online Competitions using a registered game. Online Competitions may have special rules and regulations, and all players start the competition with the same Rating. For more information, see the Global Link's online manual.
The Online Competitions section of the Global Link shows current and past competitions. Clicking on one of the past competitions will allow the user to view details of that competition, including the regulations it used, its final rankings, and statistics about the Pokémon used, just like in the Rating Battles section.
===Profile===
The Profile displays information about the user's activity on the Global Link and, to a limited extent, in their game. If the user allows it in their privacy settings, other people may be able to view the user's Profile. Privacy settings can be customized separately for separate pages of the Profile, and even for different registered games. If their privacy setting is set to "Everyone", the user will also be able to share aspects of their Profile on social networks.
Some aspects of the profile may take some time to update after a game is synced.
;Game Info
This page lists the user's: Game Sync ID, time of the most recent Game Sync, 3DS location setting, number of Pokémon in the Pokédex, play time, date adventure was begun and (if applicable) date the Hall of Fame was first entered, number of Badges obtained, and game message. The Game Sync ID and play time cannot be viewed by other people.
;Logbook
The logbook is a timeline that tracks events in-game and happenings on the Global Link website. Every time the player syncs their game, the logbook will show information about the achievement of important milestones in the main story or about other noteworthy happenings, such as new Medals or photos, prizes won in the lottery, and s received from the Day Care. The logbook may also show information concerning the user's activity on the Global Link, such as participation in an Online Competition.
A user may delete an entry in their own timeline, but this only affects the Logbook. For example, deleting an entry about a new Medal does not delete that Medal from the Medals page.
;PokéMileage Club
This page keeps track of the user's Poké Mile usage history in the PokéMileage Club, any items yet to be sent to the selected game using Game Sync, and any items previously sent to the game. This page of the Profile is not visible to other people.
;Rating Battles
This page displays the user's record for the current or past seasons of Rating Battles and records of recent matches.
;Online Competitions
This page displays records of the user's Online Competition matches and a history of the user's participation in Online Competitions.
;Global Trade Station
This page displays records of Pokémon the user has traded over the Global Trade Station. It also displays the Pokémon the user currently has deposited (if any) and the Pokémon they want for it.
;Medals
This page displays a list of Medals the player has earned for actions in the game or on the Global Link website.
;Photos
This page is where the user can view photos uploaded from their game. When the user syncs their game, the most recently taken photo is uploaded to the Global Link. At first, the user may only store 12 photos, but starting at 20 Medals, the user will be able to store an extra 12 photos for every 10 extra Medals, up to a maximum of 60 photos at 50 Medals. If a new photo is uploaded when the user already has the maximum number of photos stored, the oldest photo will be overwritten. The user may lock certain photos to prevent them from being overwritten, but at least one photo must always remain unlocked.
;Friend List
This page displays the user's roster of Friends, Acquaintances, and Favorites from the Player Search System.
;Super-Secret Base
This page displays information about the user's Super-Secret Base, including the name and location of the base, the Pokémon on the user's team and the battling format in the base, and a QR Code others can use to access the user's Super-Secret Base.
==Generation V Global Link features==
===Pokémon Dream World===
The Pokémon Dream World allowed players to befriend a Pokémon, as well as find items, using a Pokémon they sent using Game Sync by playing various mini-games, as well as exploring the Island of Dreams.
===Global Battle Union===
The Global Battle Union or GBU recorded statistics obtained over the Random Matchup feature found in Black and White. Participating players were given ranks that were tallied every season. The GBU also hosted tournaments through the Random Matchup feature.
===Profile===
The profile allowed players to see various pieces of information, such as the most-recent six Pokémon they had befriended on Dream World, the Pokémon they had sent via Game Sync, their neighbors on Dream World, the number of Dream Points they had, the Badges they had earned in the game that was synced to the Global Link website, the people that had been traded with over the GTS, and people registered in their Pal Pad. They could also edit their avatars and input a code corresponding to their favorite Battle Video.
Accordingly, per account, a player could only have ten Dream Pals on their Dream Pal Roster. This total counted toward registered neighbors as well as pending requests the player had sent. The received requests made by other players did not count toward this number. While the total was ten, a player could not accept a request made while inside the Dream World, unless either a Dream Pal or a Dream Pal request was deleted from the roster on the Global Link profile, to a number less than ten. The Dream World site referred to this as "organizing," as requests can only be accepted while playing in the Dream World.
===Customize===
This option allowed players to customize certain aspects of Pokémon Black, White, Black 2, or White 2. These included the Pokédex and C-Gear skins, as well as Pokémon Musical shows. These customizations could be set in the game after using the Game Sync feature to wake up a Pokémon from .
===E-Z Mail===
The E-Z Mail option let a user send and receive messages called E-Z Mail with Game and Dream Pals over Pokémon Global Link. The letters themselves were preconstructed, with users only able to fill in the blanks using the easy chat system.
===Promotions===
The Pokémon Global Link occasionally had promotions players could participate in for a certain period of time. Promotions granted players access to various things. These included Pokémon, Décor, and catalogues obtainable at the Pokémon Dream world, C-Gear skins, Musical shows, and Pokédex skins accessible through the Customization part of the site, as well as special homes players could access in the Dream World. Promotions were usually done in collaboration with other parts of the Pokémon franchise, such as merchandise like , the , and .
Some of these had passwords players had to input before being able to participate in the promotions. Passwords could be of one-time use, requiring players to purchase merchandise.
==Trivia==
* The English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian websites can be used regardless of the language of the game.
* The art style used for the Pokémon Global Link is not exclusive to the site; it has been used in various other parts of the franchise, including stores and , before the Global Link even emerged.
* Other than DLC, Detective Pikachu, and the Pokémon Trainers, all the other Pokémon spirits artwork in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate were taken from the PGL.
==In other languages==
==References==
==External links==
* Pokémon Global Link website
Category:Game mechanics
Category:Pokémon world
Category:Websites
 
de:Pokémon Global Link
es:Pokémon Global Link
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ja:ポケモングローバルリンク (第六世代)
zh:寶可夢全球連結