Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver and Crystal keep your save in memory powered by a small coin battery inside the cartridge. When that battery dies, the game stops saving and your save is lost. Replacing it costs £20, but it clears the existing save unless it's backed up first.
How these cartridges save
The Game Boy and Game Boy Color Pokémon games store your progress on a memory chip that needs a constant trickle of power to hold it. A small coin battery inside the cartridge supplies that power when the console is off. These batteries were fitted in the late 1990s and early 2000s, so many are now at or near the end of their life.
On Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal, the same battery also runs the in-game clock. That clock drives day and night and the events tied to the time and day of the week.
The signs of a dying battery
- The game won't save. You save, switch off, and the game starts as if new.
- Your save has gone. A game that used to load your file now shows only the new game option.
- The clock is wrong or keeps resetting on Gold, Silver or Crystal. The game may ask you to set the time again, or time-based events stop happening as they should.
A game can seem fine one week and lose its save the next, as the battery voltage drops.
Rule out the obvious first
Before blaming the battery, clean the cartridge contacts with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton bud and let them dry. A dirty contact can stop a game loading properly or make it act oddly. If the game loads cleanly but still won't hold a save, the battery is the likely cause.
The important bit: replacing the battery clears the save
The save only exists while the battery is powering the memory. When the old battery comes out, the memory loses power and the save goes with it. So replacing the battery clears the existing save unless it's backed up first.
If the battery has already died and the save has gone, there's nothing left to lose, and a new battery simply means the game can save again. If your save is still there and you want to keep it, back it up before the battery is changed. That's done with a cartridge reader or backup device that copies the save to a computer so it can be written back afterwards. If keeping your save matters, get in touch before booking.
What the replacement involves
The cartridge save battery replacement is £20 and sits on the retro consoles page. I open the cartridge, remove the old coin battery, fit a new one, and test that the game saves and loads. On Gold, Silver and Crystal, the clock will need setting again afterwards.
It comes with a 12-month warranty on the work, and it's no fix, no fee: if I can't fix it, I refund what you paid, less return postage. You pay postage to me; the insured, tracked return is included.
What about the Game Boy Advance Pokémon games?
The Game Boy Advance games work differently. Most GBA cartridges save to chips that don't need a battery. On Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, a battery runs only the real-time clock. When it dies, the game shows "The internal battery has run dry", and time-based events stop, but saving still works. Emerald behaves the same way. There's more in the guide to the internal battery message.
Is it the console instead?
If none of your games will load, or the console itself is acting up, the fault is more likely to be the Game Boy. The Game Boy repairs page lists the options, and the Game Boy repair cost guide covers the prices.
Sending it in
Book and pay online, and the confirmation email gives the address and packing guidance. Pack the cartridge so it can't move about in transit. I replace the battery, test it, and send it back insured and tracked.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose my Pokémon save if the battery is replaced?
Yes, unless it's backed up first. The save is held by the battery, so removing it clears the save.
Why does Pokémon Gold keep asking me to set the time?
On Gold, Silver and Crystal, the battery runs the in-game clock as well as the save. When it's running low, the clock can reset or stop keeping time.
Do Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire lose their saves when the battery dies?
No. On those games the battery only runs the clock. Saving still works; only the time-based events stop.
