You're standing in the tall grass of Alola. It's humid. Your Rowlet is tired. You've been hunting for a female Salandit for three hours because, honestly, the gender ratios in this game are a nightmare. Then you remember that weird little scanner in your menu. You pull up a grainy image of a square code on your phone, line up the 3DS camera, and beep. Suddenly, the game knows exactly where that rare monster is hiding. Pokemon Sun and Moon QR codes weren't just a gimmick; they were a legitimate lifeline for players who didn't have fifty hours to spend hunting every single encounter.
It’s been years since the 3DS era peaked, but these codes still work perfectly. Even with the 3DS eShop being essentially a ghost town, the local hardware functionality of the QR scanner remains untouched. It’s one of the few features from the seventh generation that hasn't aged poorly.
Most people think the scanner is just for "seen" data. They're wrong.
The Island Scan Secret Nobody Mentions Anymore
The real meat of the system is the Island Scan. You get 10 points for every "regular" Pokemon Sun and Moon QR code you scan. Once you hit 100 points, you trigger a rare encounter that isn't even in the Alola Pokedex. We're talking about starters from other regions, powerful Johto beasts, and weirdly specific outliers like Togekiss or Aegislash.
Here’s the catch most guides miss: the encounter is tied to the specific day of the week and the specific island you are currently standing on. If you trigger an Island Scan on Melemele Island on a Friday, you’re getting a Kanto starter. If you do it on Poni Island, you might get something much more dangerous. You only get one shot. If you accidentally KO that Totodile or run away, that’s it. Your 100 points are gone, and you have to wait for the scanner to recharge. It takes two hours to gain a single scan "charge," meaning you can't just spam this all day unless you've been hoarding scans.
It's a high-stakes mini-game.
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The variety is actually pretty staggering. In the original Sun and Moon, you could find things like Chikorita or Deino. When Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon launched, Game Freak expanded the list significantly. Suddenly, you could find Charmander, Grovyle, and even Greninja. It changed the math of a "casual" playthrough. Why settle for a generic Alolan bird when you can have a high-level Blaziken precursor before the third trial?
How to Actually Use Pokemon Sun and Moon QR Codes Without Losing Your Mind
First, open the menu. Press X. Flip to the second page. There it is—the "QR Scanner."
You don't need "official" codes. This is the part that blows people's minds: any QR code works. Seriously. Look at the back of a cereal box. Scan the link to a restaurant menu. Look at the digital tag on a pair of jeans. The game’s internal logic translates the data of any QR code into a Pokemon entry. If the code isn't a "registered" Pokemon code, the game just generates a random encounter data point for your Pokedex. It’s a great way to "see" Pokemon you haven't encountered yet, which is vital because you can't search for something on the Global Trade System (GTS) unless it’s in your Dex.
Well, you could back when the GTS was fully functional. Now, it's mostly about completing that local collection.
The Magearna Loophole
There is one "Special" QR code that everyone needs to know about. Unlike the random ones, this one is hard-coded into the game’s logic. It’s the Magearna code.
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- Beat the Elite Four. You have to be the Champion.
- Find the Magearna QR code online (it’s region-locked, so make sure you find the one for North America, Europe, or Japan depending on your cartridge).
- Scan it.
- Go to the delivery man at the Antique Shop in Hau'oli City.
Boom. A Mythical Pokemon. No limited-time event required. No driving to a GameStop in 2016. It still works today because the data is on the cartridge, not a server.
The Math of Points and Recharges
Let’s talk efficiency. You get 10 scans stored at a time. Each scan recharges in 120 minutes.
If you’re trying to complete the Pokedex, you should be scanning codes while you’re doing something else—watching a movie, sitting on the bus, whatever. If you scan 10 codes, you’ve triggered one Island Scan. If you do this twice a day, you’re catching two non-native Pokemon daily. In a week, you’ve filled nearly twenty slots that would otherwise require complex trading or transferring from older games through the now-precarious Pokemon Bank.
Why This System Was Better Than What We Have Now
In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, if you want a non-native starter, you usually have to wait for a limited-time Tera Raid or pay for DLC.
Sun and Moon was different. The QR system felt like a bridge between the real world and the game world. It encouraged players to share codes on forums and subreddits. It turned the 3DS camera—usually a useless vestige—into a tool for discovery. It also solved the "version exclusive" headache. While you couldn't catch the other version's legendary just by scanning a code, getting the Pokedex entry meant you could at least track it or trade for it more easily.
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There's a certain tactile joy in it. Lining up the little green square. Waiting for the jingle. Seeing a silhouette you don't recognize.
Common Pitfalls and Troubleshooting
Sometimes the scanner won't pick up a code. This is usually a lighting issue. The 3DS camera is, to put it bluntly, terrible. It has the resolution of a potato. If you’re trying to scan a code off a bright smartphone screen, turn your phone's brightness down. The glare often washes out the black-and-white patterns, making it impossible for the 3DS to "read" the data.
Also, remember the region locking. If you find a "Wonder Card" style QR code for a specific event (like the shiny Silvally event from years ago), those are likely expired or won't work across regions. Stick to the standard Pokedex QR codes and the Magearna exception.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
If you’re dusting off your 3DS for a nostalgia trip, do these three things immediately to maximize the Pokemon Sun and Moon QR codes system:
- Download a QR Master Sheet: Find a single image online that contains all 400+ Alola Pokedex QR codes. Keep it on your phone or tablet.
- Scan for the "Seen" Bonus: Spend ten minutes scanning the starters and rare evolutions. This populates your Pokedex so you can check their locations in-game without using external wikis.
- Check the Island Scan Schedule: Before you trigger that 100-point scan, Google the "Island Scan Schedule" for your specific game version. Don't waste a scan on a Meowth on a day when you could have caught a Togekiss.
- Prioritize Poni Island: Usually, the highest-level and most "competitive" Island Scan encounters happen on the fourth island. Save your scans for when you reach the late game if you want immediate battle-ready team members.
The 3DS era is slowly fading into "retro" territory, but the QR system remains a functional, clever piece of game design. It turns the entire world into a source of Pokemon data. Start scanning everything—you'd be surprised what a bag of chips can unlock in Alola.