"Pokémon ZA" Bug Causing "Capture to Always Fail" Announced, Official Patch Scheduled for November

1. What is Happening: Symptoms and Reproduction Conditions

In 'Pokémon ZA', a very serious behavior has been reported and confirmed where capture always fails. The official reproduction conditions provided are as follows.

• Before the first Mega Evolution runaway battle,

• the box is full, and

• the box screen has never been opened,
  if these conditions are met, all subsequent Pokémon captures will fail. Furthermore, if you proceed with a side mission where you can obtain a Pokémon in this state, the mission may be completed without receiving the reward. plza-news.pokemon-home.com

Additionally, another progression-blocking bug has been announced. In some side missions, if the moment a move hits the target coincides with the day-night switch, there may be cases where moves no longer hit, and the mission cannot progress. plza-news.pokemon-home.com

2. Official Response Plan: Patch in November

The official Pokémon account announced the bug information on October 30 and predicted a fix in the update data scheduled for November. The domestic media "GAME Watch" also reported the same content by quoting the official X post. plza-news.pokemon-home.com+1

Overseas, Nintendo Life and Nintendo Everything have reported that known issues are scheduled to be fixed in the November update, and the focus is on the capture bug and side mission progression issues. Nintendo Life+1

3. Spread of Impact: Why is it "Critical"?

In RPGs, inability to capture means stopping the core of progression, collection, and development. The fact that it can occur before the early Mega Evolution runaway battle is particularly critical, greatly impairing the new player experience. Furthermore, the behavior of completing missions without obtaining rewards may lead to irrevocable situations, with a heavier impact on collectors.

4. Interim "Self-Defense Measures": What Players Can Do

As a temporary workaround until the patch is distributed, the following is recommended.

1. Always open the box screen at least once. (It's safer to open it before progressing to the point where it could become full) plza-news.pokemon-home.com
   
   

2. **Ensure there are empty slots in the box.** Create space before capturing or receiving rewards. plza-news.pokemon-home.com
   
   

3. Avoid the day-night switch boundary during side mission battles. (Shift the time just before/after the switch) plza-news.pokemon-home.com
   
   

4. Utilize multiple save management and cloud backup (Nintendo Switch Online) to prepare for irrevocable situations. (General recommendation)

Also, as reported overseas, a fix is scheduled for the November update, so keeping automatic updates ON will make it less likely to miss the distribution. Nintendo Life+1

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. I might have already met the conditions. Can I still avoid it now?
A. Opening the box screen may remove you from the conditions. At the very least, ensure to create empty slots and check the box before receiving. Normalization is expected after the patch distribution. plza-news.pokemon-home.com

Q2. I missed receiving the reward and only completed the mission. Will there be compensation after the patch?
A. The official announcement only states **"fix in the November update"**, and **no specific mention of compensation is confirmed at this time.** We should wait for further updates. plza-news.pokemon-home.com

Q3. Are there any other known issues?
A. Overseas media reports that a November patch to fix known issues is underway. While touching on season information related to ranked battles, the focus is on stabilizing capture and side mission progression. Details should be confirmed in future patch notes. Nintendo Everything

6. Stabilization Process Post-Release: Why Does It Take Time?

For large-scale titles, player data surges immediately after release, and unexpected interactions (e.g., menu not displayed in a specific flow × full box) reveal bugs for the first time. The process of confirming reproduction → identifying causes → verifying side effects → fixing → testing → preparing for distribution means a lead time of several weeks is not uncommon. This time, a relatively short span of October 30 announcement → November fix scheduled was shown. plza-news.pokemon-home.com

7. Overseas Media Perspective and Community Reaction

Reports from overseas media like Nintendo Life emphasize the importance of this as a condition-dependent critical bug. In the player community, there is a widespread call for a quick patch. The media's tone generally agrees with the expectation for a stable version soon, while evaluating the clarification of specific conditions by the official. Nintendo Life

8. Summary: "Safe Driving" Until the Patch

• Open the box screen once / Ensure space

• Avoid the day-night switch boundary

• Backup & Auto Update ON
  Practice these while waiting for the November fix distribution. Once the official follow-up and patch notes are released, we should recheck the details. plza-news.pokemon-home.com+1