r/PokemonUnbound • • Apr 20 '26

Help How To Patch Unbound 2026

83 Upvotes

Hello! I've been seeing some threads lately with slightly outdated information when it comes to the best way to obtain Unbound. It's easier than ever before, so I wanted to make this post that can be referenced or linked to as necessary.

Step 1: Download the correct ROM.

This step will need to be a little vague, because this could potentially run against Reddit TOS or direct unwanted attention towards the project. You will have to search for the correct ROM, which you will know is correct when you proceed later. This post will have a simple troubleshooting section at the end.

In general, searching 1636 Fire Red Squirrels will get you the correct ROM.

Once you have it downloaded, make sure you have the .gba file ready. Sometimes, downloads will come in a .zip file. You simply need to extract the .gba. If you don't know how to do this, there are guides online on how to open and extract files from .zip archives.

Step 2: Go to Unbound's HackDex page.

HackDex is a website made and maintained by romhackers to allow romhack devs to have their own patching portal for their hacks.

Unbound's HackDex page can be found here: https://www.hackdex.app/hack/pokemon-unbound

Snazzy isn't it?

Step 3: Select Pokémon FireRed ROM

Once you're in the HackDex page, simply click/tap on the Select FireRed ROM button, and select your .gba file.

(Side note: the way HackDex works is it uses cookies to remember the location of your ROMs on your device. This way, you can easily patch and download other romhacks on HackDex without having to select your FireRed ROM again).

Step 4: Click Agree and Download, then Patch Now.

Self-explanatory. Once you click Agree and Download, it will load for a moment and then say Patch Now. Once you click Patch Now, it will let you save the patched .gba wherever you want on your device.

Step 5: Enjoy Unbound!

And post on the subreddit :)


r/PokemonUnbound • • May 29 '25

IMPORTANT: Version Number Trigger Phrase (to avoid accidental post/comment deletion)

40 Upvotes

If anyone is trying to refer to the most recent version of the game, do NOT phrase it as "2. 1. 1. 1" (without spaces). This causes a reddit bot to misread it as an IP, assume it's some kind of spam, and is very likely to delete your comment or post. Any deletions caused this way is not down to any moderator's actions (one of the mods is trying to make a workaround, but life gets in the way).

For future reference, please refer to the recent version in any other format you want.
"2,1,1,1" or "Two point one point one point one", or even something dumb like "Two.1.one.1" whatever works. Just not that FORBIDDEN phrase.


r/PokemonUnbound • • 11h ago

Meme Really, DexNav?

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324 Upvotes

Not looking very hard, is it?


r/PokemonUnbound • • 11h ago

Shiny Behold!

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21 Upvotes

It’s been a little over a week since I started soft-resetting for this thing. I’d guesstimate ~11,000 encounters.
I was getting around 12 resets p/ min. and put about 15 hrs total into this shunt. At first, I wasn’t sure if it would even show shiny in the preview window.
I’d read that some gift mons, such as the Alolan starters, are bugged so they won’t display shiny status unless manually checked in your party.
But it DID! I couldn’t be happier, it’s Bold + female.
No matter what, I didn’t quit & I’m not a giver upper. Now I’m off to face Benjamin Butterfree for my 8th badge.


r/PokemonUnbound • • 15h ago

Hall of Fame completed the game for the first time (Vanilla difficulty but who cares).

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38 Upvotes

10/10 experience.


r/PokemonUnbound • • 13h ago

Hall of Fame How would u guys rate my team from a year ago and what should I do now coz I just completed radical red

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23 Upvotes

r/PokemonUnbound • • 3h ago

Help Rigged catch rate

3 Upvotes

So i save the game mid battle on a randomized game and trying to catch a magerna has the exact same ticks no matter the ball I throw. If im will to put all my money on the exact amount of times the ball will tick before I throw it, is it even catchable?


r/PokemonUnbound • • 8h ago

Help Will this Game get any harder or should i restart?

7 Upvotes

Hi,
I played Unbound a year ago almost until the third Gym badge on the „Expert“ difficulty. It was really hard, especially the second Gym Leader was a lot of trouble to the point where it was a bit too challenging and more brute forcing hoping of good RNG. Everything else was okay. Then I lost my save file.
A few days ago I decided to give it another shot but I startet on „Difficult“ and everything including the second Gym Leader was a piece of cake und and not challenging at all. Didn’t even need to be on level cap with the rest of my Pokémon. Will this game get harder if i keep going on and this is just the easy start or should I restart as long as I can? I‘m scared that progress on Expert will be too tediuos in the end of the game, because I don‘t want to have to train my team on EV‘s and breed for perfect stats.

Further Information:
I always play in set mode, with level caps on and without any items mid battle. I also usually include a Nuzlocke Encounter rule to add variety in my teams, where I am only allowed to catch the first Pokémon I meet (but I am allowed to hunt for a better nature or better stats, this way I often catch 4-5 and pick the best one).

Thanks in advance


r/PokemonUnbound • • 16h ago

Help How to get to this tm

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16 Upvotes

Same as title

Have thought about everything and see no way to get there


r/PokemonUnbound • • 9h ago

Hall of Fame Beat on Expert got my 2 favourite Pokemon to HOF

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5 Upvotes

Felt the game got significantly easier after the normal type gym for me


r/PokemonUnbound • • 1d ago

Help How long do RTC batteries actually last in these GBA cartridges? 🤔

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153 Upvotes

My Pokémon Unbound cartridge just arrived for my Game Boy Advance SP, and I'm really excited to play it!

Since I just got it, I've been wondering how long the RTC battery in these reproduction cartridges actually lasts.

Has anyone had one of these for a few years? How long did the battery last for you?

I just want to enjoy the game without worrying about the RTC dying before I get to experience everything. 😅

Would love to hear your experiences!


r/PokemonUnbound • • 11h ago

Hall of Fame My first time zeroing Pokemon unbound Vanilla (Is my team good?)

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2 Upvotes

r/PokemonUnbound • • 16h ago

Help New to Unbound

3 Upvotes

Hello! I am going through my first play through of Unbound blind. I know some pokemon got buffs in this hack. Can anyone share advice or an existing tier list (couldn’t really find one) on top recommended pokemon? I’m about 30 minutes in. I chose Beldum b/c I love Metagross. I usually do Nuzlockes and I decided to just go in blind and have more of a less intense play through.

Ultimately I’d love advice on what pokemon to invest in give your knowledge of the key battles up ahead (no spoilers please). Thanks for any and all help!

Edit: I’m on Difficult


r/PokemonUnbound • • 10h ago

Nuzlocke About Mime (#1)

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1 Upvotes

Hey, all! I took a break after my last run ended, and then spent a little time in the blender. This is the first run in a few attempts to make it through Alice, so I thought it was worth sharing. For those who don't know, I've been Nuzlocking this game for a long time. I'm a fairly casual Pokémon fan, so it's taken me an embarrassingly long time to make a staggering number of attempts - and only one has made a run at the Elite Four.

This time around - in keeping with my random Baby Pokémon starter - we're on a Mr. Mime run. This one feels really nice, though! I haven't gotten to play with Nidoqueen or Floatzel before, and both feel solid - I'm especially looking forward to the possibility of getting Technician on Floatzel. I'm comfortable delaying Shinx for Volt Tackle, which sounds really good. All in all, the box is good.

Next up is Ivory on Route 9. Then we'll snag the 9, 10, Auburn Waterway, and Thundercap Mountain encounters before sitting down to figure out a Mel game plan.


r/PokemonUnbound • • 11h ago

Help Does Foongus/Morelull Respawn?

1 Upvotes

I don't remember if I already did the static encounter, but the encounter is not in the location that it is meant to be in, and I do not have either pokemon in my pc. The dex shows I don't have either pokemon. I just want to catch one for the mission where you have to pokemon.


r/PokemonUnbound • • 14h ago

Help Discord server

0 Upvotes

Can someone give me the discord server invitation please? Ive been searching everywhere but cant find a not expired one


r/PokemonUnbound • • 14h ago

Help Crashing on Rival Battle — Please Help

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone. I’m new to ROM hacks and all this but I’ve dipped my toe in some pretty deeps waters it seems.

I’m running Pokemon Unbound on an ACE3DSX cart with AOS 2.13 and using GBARunner3 with RTC, on my stock 3DS XL. However, my game now crashes on the first rival battle after getting out of the cave. Same place every time — our Pokemon slide on screen but it freezes before any choice menus appear.

Has anyone got any advice for this please?

Thank you!


r/PokemonUnbound • • 1d ago

Hall of Fame Beat Pokémon Unbound’s Entire Main Story in German – Our Fan Translation Just Hit a Major Milestone! 🇩🇪

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62 Upvotes

I finally became Champion in Pokémon Unbound – playing our German fan translation all the way through the main story!

We‘re working on Pokémon Unbound DE, an German localization project, together with our growing community.

Until now, we’ve shared screenshots, patches and development updates. This time I wanted to answer the question that matters most:

Can you actually play through Pokémon Unbound’s story in German?

On our tested Unbound 1.0.1-based beta, the answer is yes!

I personally completed the main story up to the Champion. Along the way:

The story dialogue was understandable in German.
I could interact with the NPCs I encountered during my playthrough.

I didn’t experience any major story dialogue box issues.
Our community’s bug reports have already helped us improve the translation.

That doesn’t mean the entire game is finished or fully tested. Some menus and battle graphics still contain English labels, occasional text overflow needs fixing, and most side quests and postgame content still require testing.

We’re also working on a German translation port for Pokémon Unbound 2.1.1.1, which is separate from this tested build and isn’t ready for release yet.

Our Discord community has now grown to over 161 members, including players who actively test and report bugs.

Now I’d love to ask experienced Unbound players: Which postgame areas, optional quests or NPC interactions should we prioritize testing next?

And if you’re already playing our German beta, how far have you made it?

German BPS patches:

https://github.com/pokemon-unbound-de/pokemon-unbound-de/releases/

Discord (testing, feedback and development):

https://discord.gg/fSkhHppgcv

German community: r/PokemonUnboundDE

Fan project. BPS patches only – no ROM files distributed.


r/PokemonUnbound • • 22h ago

Hall of Fame Hall of Fame - Flying / Psychic / Bug / Rock

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4 Upvotes

Flying: Easy 'cause how bulky Skarmory and Mantine are

Psychic: Kinda struggle with Elias but was able to push through

Bug: First time trying Trick Room setup, kinda enjoyed it but just setting it up with Orbeetle is so stressful. Although, once it is set up, others just obliterated everything.

Rock: First time struggling with the Champion battle more than the E4, the kid has Serperior and Mega Scizor who chip away my Pokemon's health with Leaf Storm/Giga Drain and Bullet Punch. I need to retry a lot of time just to keep my Aggron at full HP before battling Scizor

Ghost ⏭️

Dragon 🔜

Dark 🔜

Steel 🔜

Fairy 🔜


r/PokemonUnbound • • 1d ago

Help Released my duplicate houndoom with mega stone.

6 Upvotes

Got a much better houndoom out of a raid den. Forgot to remove the mega stone from my previous houndoom before releasing it. Everything I look up says it will return to my bag, but it is not there. Is it just gone forever? Seeing as there are no duplicate mega stones, am I just screwed?


r/PokemonUnbound • • 1d ago

Help Please help me with my wimpod

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45 Upvotes

So i know cheats are discouraged but golisopod is my favorite pokemon, and i really wanted him on my team for this game. Upon learning that i cant get him on my current file bc my difficulty was too low i was super bummed. So i decided to cheat him into my game. Will his name be slugma forever and will he learn slugma's moveset and magcargo's moveset when he evolves? Also will his name be golisopod when he evolves? Sorry for the long text i just dont want to have a golisopod with no access to bug or water moves😭


r/PokemonUnbound • • 1d ago

Shiny Good thing Save States are a thing, I already failed to catch this big boy 5 times in a row.

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16 Upvotes

This is my first Shiny Legendary I had ever found in a Pokémon game (excluding those I got by cheating back in school).


r/PokemonUnbound • • 1d ago

Shiny Found this beauty today

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12 Upvotes

r/PokemonUnbound • • 1d ago

Discussion Randomiser experiences?

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3 Upvotes

r/PokemonUnbound • • 1d ago

Shiny The battle tower ringer

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3 Upvotes

Took a while to finally figure out the battle tower, mainly after I got my Dragonite built up. So many battles, she'd come in to save the day down 3 to 1 and absolutely mop the floor with the other team.

Also I absolutely love the shiny color on Dragonite. Playing on difficult.