Preparing for New Game+
Start a new game with resources from a previous play through
Author: CensoredHarp
Last updated: March 20, 2026
New Game+ offers players the chance to experience Pokémon Polished Crystal again, but with early access to Pokémon species or powerful resources. To unlock New Game+ you must defeat the final trainer of the game on Navel Rock. After this, the New Game+ option will be available to select from the title screen.
In New Game+, you will keep:
- Any Pokémon in your PC boxes
- Any items those Pokémon are holding
- Money held by the player
- Battle points
- Any charms held by the player.
You will not keep:
- Your original trainer identification number (OTID)
- Pokédex progress (Pokémon kept in your boxes will not count towards the Pokédex when you receive it from Professor Oak)
- Pokémon in your party or left in the day care
- Any items in your bag or your PC item storge other than charms
- Money held with the player character's mother.
You can breed a team of perfect IV Pokémon to take with you into your New Game+. This gives you the opportunity to give yourself a strong team with a statistical advantage, or early access to your favourite Pokémon species.
Noting the player receives a different OTID in New Game+, Pokémon brought from one game to another will be treated as traded Pokémon.
If you want to avoid the bonus experience and chance for the Pokémon to disobey you can turn on the initial options setting to treat traded Pokémon the same as caught, or if you would like them to share your new OTID you can bring perfect eggs into New Game+ by:
- Breed eggs as you normally would, and collect them from the day care
- Save once you have a full party of eggs
- Hatch the eggs and check at the Judge Machine to see if any have your desired IVs and ability. If none do, keep collecting eggs, saving, hatching and checking
- If one of the Eggs has your desired IVs and ability, note the position in your party, reset your save, and box the egg that was in the Pokémon's party position
- Repeat this process to have a team's worth of eggs ready to hatch in New Game+
Since boxed Pokémon can bring held items into New Game+, you can bring some powerful late game items into your New Game+. These include:
- Power training items and Exp Shares: these held items speed up EV training a lot. If you didn't play with EVs in your first playthrough, try it in this run with the ability to effortlessly train your team!
- Master balls: trivialise capturing the roaming legendary Pokémon
- Late game held items for battle: bring things like your Choice Band, Leftovers or Life Orb into your New Game +
- Rare or late game evolutionary items: want to have a Porygon-Z before reaching Kanto? You probably want to bring your Upgrade and Dubious Disc! Consider bringing items like Metal Coat, Electirizer or Protector.
It's common to start a New Game+ and realise you've forgotten to bring something you would really like to have. Make sure you do the following so you can start your new game with no regrets:
- Check your party and day care. Make sure that if you want to keep any of these Pokémon or their items that they find their way to your boxes
- Withdraw money from your mother
- Check your bag pockets one last time for any items to give to your boxed Pokémon
- Create a new save state or a backup copy of your save file, just in case you're still forgetting something.
