You can change your Pokémon username through your Nintendo Account settings

Your Pokémon username is tied to your Nintendo Account, so changing it means going into your account settings rather than into the game itself. The process takes about five minutes and works the same way whether you play Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, or any other game on Nintendo Switch. You do not need to start a new game or lose your progress.

The username you see in-game is the same one other players see when you trade, battle, or join raids. Once you change it, the new name appears everywhere you play Pokémon on that account. You can change your username once every 30 days, so plan ahead if you want something specific.

Key Takeaways

  • Your Pokémon username lives in your Nintendo Account settings, not in the game app itself.
  • You can change your username once every 30 days, and the new name shows up in all your Pokémon games when ready.
  • The change takes effect the next time you start your game, with no progress lost.
  • If you have parental controls set on your account, you may need a parent or guardian to approve the change first.

Steps to change your username on Nintendo Switch

Start by opening the Nintendo Switch home screen and pressing the X button to go to System Settings. Scroll down to find Accounts and select it, then choose the account you use for Pokémon. Select Profile and then Edit Profile.

You will see a field labeled Nickname — this is your in-game Pokémon username. Select that field, delete your current name, and type the new one. Pokémon usernames can be up to 16 characters long and can include letters, numbers, and some special characters, but not spaces. Once you type your new name, select OK to save the change.

Close out of settings and start your Pokémon game. The new username will appear the next time you load in. If you are in the middle of a game session, you may need to restart the game for the change to show up in trades or battles.

What happens if parental controls are on your account

If your Nintendo Account has parental controls enabled, you cannot change your username without approval from the account that set up the controls — usually a parent or guardian. When you try to edit your profile, you will see a message saying the change requires approval.

The person who set up parental controls can approve the change through the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app on their phone, or by logging into their own account on the console and approving it from System Settings. Once approved, you can complete the username change. This usually takes a few minutes but can take up to 24 hours in some cases.

Changing your username on mobile Pokémon games

If you play Pokémon GO or Pokémon Unite on your phone, the process is different because those games use the Pokémon Trainer Club account or your Google or Apple login, not your Nintendo Account. To change your username in Pokémon GO, open the app, tap the Poké Ball at the bottom, select Settings, and then tap on your username. You can edit it there and save the change.

Pokémon Unite uses your Nintendo Account if you linked it, so you would follow the same Nintendo Account steps above. If you linked a different account type instead, you would change the username through that service — Google, Apple, or Facebook — rather than through Nintendo.

Rules for what your new username can be

Pokémon usernames must follow Nintendo's code of conduct. You cannot use profanity, slurs, or hateful language. Names that impersonate real people, celebrities, or official Pokémon accounts are not allowed. Usernames that are only numbers or symbols, or that are blank, will not be accepted.

Your username can be 1 to 16 characters long. You can use letters (uppercase and lowercase), numbers, hyphens, underscores, and periods. Spaces are not allowed. If you try to save a name that breaks these rules, the system will reject it and ask you to try again.

The 30-day waiting period between changes

Nintendo enforces a 30-day cooldown between username changes to prevent spam and account abuse. If you just changed your username, you will not be able to change it again until 30 days have passed from the date of your last change. The system will tell you the exact date you can change it again if you try to edit your profile before the cooldown ends.

This timer applies to your entire Nintendo Account, not just to individual games. So if you change your username and then want to change it back a week later, you will have to wait until the 30 days are up. Plan your username choice carefully, or pick something you are comfortable keeping for at least a month.

Troubleshooting: your username change is not showing up

If you changed your username but it still shows the old name in your game, restart the game completely. Close it entirely and reopen it from the home screen. Sometimes the game needs to refresh its connection to your account to pull the new username.

If the old name persists after a restart, check that you are logged into the correct Nintendo Account. If you have multiple accounts on your Switch, make sure you are playing Pokémon on the account where you made the change. You can verify which account you are using by looking at the profile icon in the top-left corner of the home screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing my username affect my Pokédex or my saved games?

No. Your username is just the name other players see. All your Pokémon, items, progress, and playtime stay exactly the same. You will not lose anything by changing your username.

Can I change my username back to what it was before?

Yes, but you have to wait 30 days from your last change. After 30 days, you can change your username to anything allowed, including a name you used in the past. The system does not prevent you from reusing old usernames once the cooldown is over.

What if someone else has the username I want?

Pokémon usernames are not unique across all players — multiple people can have the same username. If the name you want is taken by someone else, you can still use it. The system does not check for duplicates the way some games do.

Do I need to change my password when I change my username?

No. Your username and password are separate. Changing your username does not affect your password or your account security. Your password stays the same unless you choose to change it separately in your Nintendo Account settings.

Can I change my username on the Pokémon app itself?

No. The Pokémon game app does not have a username-change option built in. You must go through your Nintendo Account settings on your Switch console or through the Nintendo Account website to make the change.