How to Restart Pokemon Sun & Moon in 2024 [in 5 Seconds]

Written By Steven Arends

If you are playing pokemon sun and pokemon moon on your Nintendo 3DS, you might have known by now that;

The game allows you to have only one active save file at a time.

So, if you accidentally clicked on the wrong language or provided an incorrect name, you must restart the game.

How to Restart Pokemon Sun and Moon?

To restart the pokemon sun game on Nintendo 3DS, you must press UP+X+B together. Press the Button Combination on the console during the intro cutscene of the game. This process will skip the cutscene and allow you to delete the save file of the game.

Keep Reading, As I’m about to show you how to get shiny starter Pokemons by resetting Pokemon Sun and Moon.

So, let’s get started.reset-pokemon-sun

Why Restart Pokemon Sun?

You might want to scrap the save file of pokemon Sun to switch characters or correct the problems you first faced while playing the game. If you haven’t seen pokemon sun walkthrough, chances are you would walk aside, keeping the TMs unnoticed.

Or, you might miss out on the exp share item.

In that case, restarting the game and starting a new journey might help.

But wait.

Nintendo 3DS doesn’t allow to keep multiple saved files at once. In fact, there isn’t any option to start a new game.

Another major reason for resetting a pokemon game is to choose a new starter pokemon. Additionally, if you miss out on catching a legendary pokemon and accidentally saving the game, you might want to reset the game and start a new adventure.

Most pokemon trainers don’t know how to reset a pokemon game because there isn’t an option to start a brand new game. Unlike Pokemon Leaf Green, Emerald, Heart Gold,  or Soul Silver, Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon don’t allow to delete a saved file directly.

Instead, you have to use a combination of keys to erase the saved file on your Nintendo 3DS.

It might feel like you are stuck with whatever you have.

There are multiple reasons why pokemon players start over.

Here are some reasons pokemon players reset their pokemon game:

  • You chose the Wrong Language accidentally while starting the game.
  • You want an alternate Starter Pokemon (Litten or Popplio instead of Roulette in Pokemon sun)
  • You accidentally saved the game, failing to catch a legendary pokemon (Solgaleo, Lunala).
  • You want a shiny pokemon as a starter.
  • Starting over with a new character and name.

Do keep in mind that you cannot retrieve your deleted file once you reset Pokemon Moon & Pokemon Sun.

You may also like to read: Shader Cache for Pokemon Legends

How to Restart Pokemon Sun on Citra

If you don’t know, Citra is a 3DS emulator for playing Nintendo 3DS games. On the Citra emulator, you can play pokemon sun as well.

You may ask:

How to delete pokemon sun game file on Citra?

Here are the steps to restart the pokemon Sun game on Citra:

  1. Open the Citra Folder and Start the emulator.
  2. Load the pokemon game in which you want to start a new journey.
  3. Press the button B to return to the start screen whenever your saved file appears.
  4. Go to Emulation > Configure > Input and set the keys on your Keyboard for X, B, UP. Don’t repeat the keys.
  5. Select OK and Press the X+UP+B keys together whenever the screen shows to Start the Game.
  6. Close the emulator whenever the Red Text Error pops up. Relaunch the emulator to start a new game.

Check out the easiest way to Fix Pokemon Legends Arceus Low FPS Problem in Yuzu

How to Start a New Game in Pokemon Sun

Starting a new game in Pokemon Sun is easy if you know the right combination of keys.
Why am I saying about a combination?

It is because you won’t see a ‘New Game’ in the Main Menu of the game. You need to reset the game to start over.

Here are the steps to start a new game in Pokemon Sun:

  1. Launch Pokemon Sun or Pokemon Moon.
  2. Press X, B, and UP Button (on the D-pad) together when the intro cutscene of the legendary pokemon pops up.erase-save-file-pokemon-sun
  3. Select ‘Yes’ twice for the pop-up text, ‘Would you like to delete all saved data?’
  4. Confirm to erase all saved data.

So, now you can no longer recover your saved data and quickly start over a new journey in Pokemon Sun.

You might also ask:

How to restart pokemon ultra sun?

You can restart pokemon ultra sun on Nintendo 3DS by pressing the X+B+Up button on the D-pad together.

This is all about hard resetting your pokemon Sun game where you will lose a save file.

If you don’t want to lose the save file and still want to restart the game, you can perform a soft reset.

Read more on how to Fix Pokemon Legends Arceus not Working on Yuzu

How to Soft Reset Pokemon Sun

If you are a master of pokemon, you know what a soft reset is. For those who don’t know;

What is a soft reset in pokemon?

Soft Reset is a feature in Pokemon games where it involves holding certain buttons on the gaming console at once. Soft Resetting or SRing won’t delete your saved file. Instead, it will take you to the startup screen. This feature is great for searching shiny pokemons.

Most players use soft reset to get Shiny Starters And Good Nature Legendaries. You already have taken one of the pokemon sun starters by now.

But what if I tell you that; you can get a shiny starter as the Pokemon Sun Best Starter (a shiny Popplio or a shiny litten).

To soft rest pokemon games, you need to press a similar button pattern just like you did in hard resetting.

You may ask:

How many times do you have to soft reset to get a shiny starter?

To increase the chance of getting a shiny starter, you have to perform 1893 soft resets. In a minute, you can do 3 soft resets. So, approximately you will need 10 and a half hours to get a shiny starter.

Geez, that’s a lot of effort in getting a shiny.

But, yeah, it’s worth it.

So,

Does soft resetting increase shiny chances?

Yes, you got it all right. Soft resetting is the method to increase the chance of catching shinies.

And, Does soft resetting damage your 3DS? No, a soft reset won’t damage your 3DS.

How to soft reset a Pokemon game in Nintendo 3DS?

Here are the steps to soft reset Pokemon Sun:

  1. Save the currently playing Pokemon game.
  2. Press L+R+SELECT, and the game will soft reset and bring you back to the main menu.soft-reset-pokemon-sun-and-moon
  3. Continue Playing the Game.

By SRing, you won’t lose your current progress, and you will start your game from the exact location you saved. This feature is fantastic if you want to increase the rate of catching shinies.

If you don’t have a 3DS and want to play pokemon sun on the Desktop, download the Citra Emulator.

How do I soft reset Citra?

Launch Citra and Go to Emulation > Stop and Relaunch the emulator.

PRO TIP: Shiny Popplio is the best pokemon sun Starter you can get. What do you think? Do let me know in the comments down below.

How to Delete a Save File in Pokemon Sun

For deleting a saved file in pokemon ultra sun you need to know how to reset the pokemon games in 3 DS.

Hold the Up button (on the D-pad), X, and B at once when the intro cutscene of the game pops up. This will lead you to a text box saying, ‘Would you like to delete all saved data? , You cannot recover deleted data, so, are you sure you want to delete it?’. You can click either Yes or No depending on your preferences.

But don’t delete your saved file too often. Because Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon are big games that need hours of gameplay to finish.

Instead, complete the pokedex and finish the adventures of the Alola region.

How to Delete Pokemon Moon Save File

Does the same rule apply for deleting Pokemon Moon or Pokemon Ultra Moon Save Files?

Yes, of course. In Nintendo 3DS, most pokemon games follow the same rules in deleting saved files.

Press the X+UP+B button while the Legendary Pokemon LUNALA is shown in the intro cutscene. Double-press Yes to erase the save file. Once the saved file is erased, you can no longer retrieve it.

It may take particular tries for some users. But, in 99% of cases, users can erase save files on 3DS this way.

Restarting the Pokemon Ultra Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon is no different from Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon. Just recall the UP+X+B key combination.

Can you get all 3 starters in Pokemon Sun?

Yes, you can get all three starters in Pokemon Sun if you have 3 NDS’s. Trade the starter pokemon in one of the three saved files and you can now complete the Pokedex in the Alola Region and get the Certificate and Shiny Charm.pokemon-sun-starters

What if you don’t have 3 NDS’s?

Well, in that case, you have to reset the Pokemon game every time and trade it with a friend. And then restart Pokemon Sun and get back all the starter pokemons from your friend.

Soft reset pokemon sun to get a shiny starter. The chance of getting a shiny is 1 out of 4,096.

So, yeah, 4096 resets and one shiny pokemon!

FAQ

Question: Which Sun and Moon starter are the best?

Answer: Popplio and Litten are considered the best starter pokemons in pokemon sun and moon. However, at first, it might seem difficult to continue the adventure with litten.

Question: How to Reset Pokemon Moon?

Answer: To reset pokemon moon, hold the UP+X+B  buttons at once on the 3DS and confirm to reset the game. However, you can soft reset pokemon moon by pressing L+R+SELECT. This will help you increase the rate of getting a shiny pokemon.

Final Thoughts

I have played a  lot of pokemon games. As pokemon games are becoming more and more realistic, features of the games change as well.

While playing Pokemon Leaf Green, Pokemon Emerald in Nintendo GameBoy or PSP, you might have seen that the ‘New Game’ option pops up immediately after the cutscene finishes.

But in Nintendo 3DS, the case is not the same. There isn’t any option to delete a save file.

So, sometimes you may feel like you are stuck with what you have in the game. But don’t worry.  With the above-mentioned steps, you can start a new game in pokemon sun.

I  think Primarina is the best. Do mention your favorite starter Pokemon in the Alola region.

About The Author
Steven Arends is a computer science graduate and tech enthusiast with over 10 years of experience in the field. He has a vast collection of computer hardware and loves exploring the latest advancements. As a contributing author to 10Scopes, Steven shares his expertise to make the world of technology more accessible and easier to understand for all readers.

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