Newbie Guide to Pokemon Trading Using TGB Dual

KaityJoe

New member
Hello there! Recently I've had the frustrating job of figuring out to trade Pokemon on TGB Dual, the only emulator out there which provides reliable linking. Even after reading countless of forum threads, watching several YouTube videos, and messing around I still encountered problems every step of the way. It took hours of piecing different Google searches together to finally be able to have a Pokemon Blue starter Pokemon put onto my Android phone emulator (GBC A.D.) and because I have finally figured it all out, I decided to share just in case some other amateur was having problems as well and needed a complete guide!

STEP ONE: Software

You need VBA and TGB Dual. Also have the ROMs of the games you're planning on trading between (compatible ones are Red/Blue/Yellow/Gold/Silver/Crystal) and save files for each where you are able to trade (for Gen I/Gen II trading make sure you have acquired the Time Capsule).

STEP TWO: Preparation

Open TGB Dual (two files will be created upon opening named media and save) and go to Options > Folders and check to make sure the filepaths to both new folders are correct. I have a habit of moving my emulators for organization, make sure you update these filepaths each time you move TGB. Go ahead and exit TGB now. Next, we have to set up TGB Dual in a way that it will load the files you need properly and this takes quite a bit of over-preparation just to be safe. TGB needs the ROMs being used to be placed directly in the media folder and because TGB has issues loading save files, I put the ROMs in the save folder just in case. So copy all your necessary ROMs (.gb and .gbc files please, no zipped folders) into both the media and save folders located in the TGB Dual directory.

Next, open VBA and load your save file. If transferring from another emulator (such as a phone emulator), save your game on the other emulator through the in-game menu option (not your emulator's save function) and copy the .sav created (should be found in your emulator's save files) for backup and open it in VBA through the File > Import > Battery File option (ignore any pop-ups created stating you'll lose data and continue) and when the emulation resets your game should have the option to continue. If you are faced with a New Game option, you don't have an updated .sav file. You can fix this by going onto your usual emulator, deleting the .sav file you copied from, resetting, and saving in-game from your loaded spot again. The new .sav file found should be accurate.

Once you have your game loaded in VBA and at the correct spot, go prepare yourself for the trade. In certain games you can only trade if you have more than one Pokemon captured and in Gen II games you need to make sure there are no Gen II Pokemon in your party for trades with Gen I. Once prepared, save your game through the in-game menu option (Start > Save) and NOT the emulator save function. Afterwards, use VBA to export the .sav file (battery save file) by going to File > Export > Battery File. When prompted where to place the file, navigate to TGB Dual's media folder and save there. Repeat the process of exporting the .sav files for each game you plan on trading and make sure to always place them in the media folder in the TGB Dual directory. Once done, exit VBA.

Lastly, navigate to the TGB Dual's media folder. If exporting the .sav files worked correctly, you should have the two .sav files for the games you plan on trading between in here. Decide which game you want to be in the first window (GB1) and which game you'd like in the second window (GB2). If you're planning on duping/having one game register the trade and the other not, choose the one you don't want saved as GB2. For the game you plan on opening in GB2, rename the file extension from .SAV to .sa2 and also make sure both saves are named after their ROMs which should also be in this folder from previous instructions. After both are named appropriately (.sav for GB1 and .sa2 for GB2) copy both files and place them in the save folder. The media and save folders should be exact copies of each other if done right at this point. Once your directories are prepared, we are prepared to begin trading!

STEP THREE: Trading

To begin, open TGB Dual and select File > GB1 Load and navigate to the media folder and select the ROM you decided would be played in GB1. Do the same for GB2. If the exporting of the .sav files and renaming process worked (which believe me, this process tends to have issues), the option to Continue should be present in both games.

TROUBLESHOOTING: If you're faced with a New Game option, I'd recheck the Folder filepaths in the Option menu, load the .sav file you exported in VBA to make sure it actually works (note on this: the best .sav files are ones that haven't been opened in VBA, for some reason if I loaded a .sav file to double check it was working properly and then moved this into the media/save directory, it would never open in TGB Dual) and recreate it if it does (another note, for every .sav file you export you MUST save in-game before doing so), double check the names and make sure you have the .sav file and .sa2 file matched with the correct ROMs. Honestly this part is a bit trial and error. If facing a ton of problems, I'd delete everything out of the media and save files and restart the preparation process altogether. Usually having the ROMs and the save files in the same folder with freshly exported files that have been named correctly tends to work especially if you also have the ROMs and save files in the save folder, too. TGB Dual is known for having issues with save states so be as careful as possible.

Once both games have loaded (which if they have you are a lucky son-of-a-gun because as far as I can tell, this in and of itself is a miracle), go ahead and start trading. If you're having trouble navigating, change the preset controls under Options > Keys to something manageable for yourself. Trading is fairly simple, you just talk to the ladies in the Pokemon Centers around the same time and try to keep everything in sync while you progress. Once in the trading room, you choose the correct Pokemon, say farewell, etc. After all this done, DO NOT exit the room and move on to Step Four.

STEP FOUR: Exporting

As you've probably noticed by now, TGB Dual is not the ideal emulator to play your game on. After your trade, you're going to want to get an updated .sav file so you can continue your game on VBA or another emulator (which for mobile, you have to replace the old .sav file with the new one and backup and delete your emulator's unique save game files e.g. GBC A.D. has .ss0 files). If you don't want to continue a game with the trade completed (for duping), just exit GB2 and continue the next steps for only GB1. To get a new .sav file for your games, reset your game directly after the trade has taken place, preferably inside the trading room (I tested to see what would happen when you exited with Pokemon Gold and Blue, Blue froze and crashed, Gold was fine). Don't save, just reset both the GB1 and GB2 by using TGB Dual's File > Reset features. When you start up again, you'll see you still have your traded Pokemon in your party. Once you're satisfied with the results of the trading, save your game through the in-game start menu. Once both games are saved, exit TGB Dual.

Once the games are closed, navigate to the TGB Dual's directories for media and save. Pay attention to the Date Updated for the .sa2 and .sav files, on some occasions I've found the updated .sav/.sa2 files located in media and on other occasions save. Figure out which is updated (the one with the most recent updated date should do) and copy both the .sa2 and .sav files and relocate them to where you regularly put your .sav files (make sure to keep backups and not replace the old ones with the news right away just in case). Go ahead and rename the .sa2 file to .sav. Once this is all done, you should test both of the updated files by opening VBA and going to File > Import > Battery files and opening the .sav files. Two error notifications will pop up after selecting them, don't worry about these just press OK and continue. The game should load properly and have the Continue option that leads to your post-trade game.

TROUBLESHOOTING: If you don't have a post-trade save, I suggest going back and copying all four .sav/.sa2 files (the ones in media and the ones in save) into their own separate folder and renaming the .sa2 to .sav and importing each of these .sav files until you find the correct saves. If you're still having trouble, you've probably made a mistake during resetting and saving your games in TGB Dual and I suggest going back and redoing the trade again, carefully.

Hopefully both games will run just fine in VBA (mine do) and once that's taken care of, save in VBA or save in-game and export your game data to your other emulator (more often than not, the TGB Dual post-trade .sav files will only load once, so make sure to create a new one in VBA for backup)! Wa-la, you have officially traded Pokemon using the frustrating and buggy TGB Dual. Congrats! If you need any clarification or assistance, go ahead and ask me and I'll try to help you to the best of my ability. I myself am not new to emulation, but fairly new to Pokemon and thus trading so bare with me. My hopes are that this guide will help any other newbies in the future (I'm sure most of you on these forums have already worked out how to trade Pokemon) who are lost in Google searches as I was. Thanks!
 
Last edited:

testmachine

Old member
In my opinion this should be stickied.As many people register here to ask about pok?mon trading with emulators.
 

crucial

New member
I almost gave up on my android Pokemon Gold game because I couldnt get the trading working and already invested all my loves into a Kadabra and a Haunter - but then found this post and it was -PERFECT-.

Thanks!
 

CellTF

New member
I'm actually having an issue after using TGB Dual to trade with Crystal and Gold. After I finished trading, I got the following message after loading my saves: "Failed to read RTC from save game..."

Now the times for both Crystal and Gold are messed up for me. Does anyone know how to fix this?
 

7jas

New member
First of all thanks to the people who share and take their time to help others.

This web is amazing. I recently felt like playing pokemon again in GB and wanted to be able to trade. Here I found both battery files, and the perfect guide on how to trade (it really works) after trying quite before.

So thank you very much KaityJoe and Anestesis, and Emulator-zone.com. Here I found everthing. Bye guys!
 
Last edited:

Phillip

Web Designer Freelancer
Dear KaityJoe,
You explained very well. In fact you have written the entire Guide. It can be a great help to anyone who is finding difficulty in getting things done the right way. Do you have any idea about the Pokemon Amiibos Installation? I have recently bought Pikachu Amiibo ( was looking for Detective Pikachu but it is releasing late) I am getting error " not properly configured" every time I try to choose the option.
 

GASIYAT

Banned
I almost gave up on my android Pokemon Gold game because I couldnt get the trading working and already invested all my loves into a Kadabra and a Haunter - but then found this post and it was -PERFECT-.

Thanks!

Open TGB Dual (two files will be created upon opening named media xender discord omegle and save) and go to Options > Folders and check to make sure the filepaths to both new folders are correct. I have a habit of moving my emulators for organization, make sure you update these filepaths each time you move TGB. Go ahead and exit TGB now. Next, we have to set up TGB Dual in a way that it will load the files you need properly and this takes quite a bit of over-preparation just to be safe. TGB needs the ROMs being used to be placed directly in the media folder and because TGB has issues loading save files, I put the ROMs in the save folder just in case. So copy all your necessary ROMs (.gb and .gbc files please, no zipped folders) into both the media and save folders located in the TGB Dual directory.
 
Last edited:

pankaj

New member
Hello there! Recently I've had the frustrating job of figuring out to trade Pokemon on TGB Dual, the only emulator out there which provides reliable linking. Even after reading countless of forum threads, watching several YouTube videos, and messing around I still encountered problems every step of the way. It took hours of piecing different Google searches together to finally be able to have a Pokemon Blue starter Pokemon put onto my Android phone emulator (GBC A.D.) and because I have finally figured it all out, I decided to share just in case some other amateur was having problems as well and needed a complete guide!

STEP ONE: Software

You need VBA and TGB Dual. Also have the ROMs of the games you're planning on trading between (compatible ones are Red/Blue/Yellow/Gold/Silver/Crystal) and save files for each where you are able to trade (for Gen I/Gen II trading make sure you have acquired the Time Capsule).

STEP TWO: Preparation

Open TGB Dual (two files will be created upon opening named media and save) and go to Options > Folders and check to make sure the filepaths to both new folders are correct. I have a habit of moving my emulators for organization, make sure you update these filepaths each time you move TGB. Go ahead and exit TGB now. Next, we have to set up TGB Dual in a way that it will load the files you need properly and this takes quite a bit of over-preparation just to be safe. TGB needs the ROMs being used to be placed directly in the media folder and because TGB has issues loading save files, I put the ROMs in the save folder just in case. So copy all your necessary ROMs (.gb and .gbc files please, no zipped folders) into both the media and save folders located in the TGB Dual directory.

Next, open VBA and load your save file. If transferring from another emulator (such as a phone emulator), save your game on the other emulator through the in-game menu option (not your emulator's save function) and copy the .sav created (should be found in your emulator's save files) for backup and open it in VBA through the File > Import > Battery File option (ignore any pop-ups created stating you'll lose data and continue) and when the emulation resets your game should have the option to continue. If you are faced with a New Game option, you don't have an updated .sav file. You can fix this by going onto your usual emulator, deleting the .sav file you copied from, resetting, and saving in-game from your loaded spot again. The new .sav file found should be accurate.

Once you have your game loaded in VBA and at the correct spot, go prepare yourself for the trade. In certain games you can only trade if you have more than one Pokemon captured and in Gen II games you need to make sure there are no Gen II Pokemon in your party for trades with Gen I. Once prepared, save your game through the in-game menu option (Start > Save) and NOT the emulator save function. Afterwards, use VBA to export the .sav file (battery save file) by going to File > Export > Battery File. When prompted where to place the file, navigate to TGB Dual's media folder and save there. Repeat the process of exporting the .sav files for each game you plan on trading and make sure to always place them in the media folder in the TGB Dual directory. Once done, exit VBA.

Lastly, navigate to the TGB Dual's media folder. If exporting the .sav files worked correctly, you should have the two .sav files for the games you plan on trading between in here. Decide which game you want to be in the first window (GB1) and which game you'd like in the second window (GB2). If you're planning on duping/having one game register the trade and the other not, choose the one you don't want saved as GB2. For the game you plan on opening in GB2, rename the file extension from .SAV to .sa2 and also make sure both saves are named after their ROMs which should also be in this folder from previous instructions. After both are named appropriately (.sav for GB1 and .sa2 for GB2) copy both files and place them in the save folder. The media and save folders should be exact copies of each other if done right at this point. Once your directories are prepared, we are prepared to begin trading!

STEP THREE: Trading

To begin, open TGB Dual and select File > GB1 Load and navigate to the media folder and select the ROM you decided would be played in GB1. Do the same for GB2. If the exporting of the .sav files and renaming process worked (which believe me, this process tends to have issues), the option to Continue should be present in both games.

TROUBLESHOOTING: If you're faced with a New Game option, I'd recheck the Folder filepaths in the Option menu, load the .sav file you exported in VBA to make sure it actually works (note on this: the best .sav files are ones that haven't been opened in VBA, for some reason if I loaded a .sav file to double check it was working properly and then moved this into the media/save directory, it would never open in TGB Dual) and recreate it if it does (another note, for every .sav file you export you MUST save in-game before doing so), double check the names and make sure you have the .sav file and .sa2 file matched with the correct ROMs. Honestly this part is a bit trial and error. If facing a ton of problems, I'd delete everything out of the media and save files and restart the preparation process altogether. Usually having the ROMs and the save files in the same folder with freshly exported files that have been named correctly tends to work especially if you also have the ROMs and save files in the save folder, too. TGB Dual is known for having issues with save states so be as careful as possible.

Once both games have loaded (which if they have you are a lucky son-of-a-gun because as far as I can tell, this in and of itself is a miracle), go ahead and start trading. If you're having trouble navigating, change the preset controls under Options > Keys to something manageable for yourself. Trading is fairly simple, you just talk to the ladies in the Pokemon Centers around the same time and try to keep everything in sync while you progress. Once in the trading room, you choose the correct Pokemon, say farewell, etc. After all this done, DO NOT exit the room and move on to Step Four.

STEP FOUR: Exporting

As you've probably noticed by now, TGB Dual is not the ideal emulator to play your game on. After your trade, you're going to want to get an updated .sav file so you can continue your game on VBA or another emulator (which for mobile, you have to replace the old .sav file with the new one and backup and delete your emulator's unique save game files e.g. GBC A.D. has .ss0 files). If you don't want to continue a game with the trade completed (for duping), just exit GB2 and continue the next steps for only GB1. To get a new .sav file for your games, reset your game directly after the trade has taken place, preferably inside the trading room (I tested to see what would happen when you exited with Pokemon Gold and Blue, Blue froze and crashed, Gold was fine). Don't save, just reset both the GB1 and GB2 by using TGB Dual's File > Reset features. When you start up again, you'll see you still have your traded Pokemon in your party. Once you're satisfied with the results of the trading, save your game through the in-game start menu. Once both games are saved, exit TGB Dual.

Once the games are closed, navigate to the TGB Dual's directories for media and save. Pay attention to the Date Updated for the .sa2 and .sav files, on some occasions I've found the updated .sav/.sa2 files located in media and on other occasions save. Figure out which is word unscrambler updated (the one with the most recent updated date should do) and copy both the .sa2 and .sav files and relocate them to where you regularly put your .sav files (make sure to keep backups and not replace the old ones with the news right away just in case). Go ahead and rename the .sa2 file to .sav. Once this is all done, you should test both of the updated files by opening VBA and going to File > Import > Battery files and opening the .sav files. Two error notifications will pop up after selecting them, don't worry about these just press OK and continue. The game should load properly and have the Continue option that leads to your post-trade game.

TROUBLESHOOTING: If you don't have a post-trade save, I suggest going back and copying all four .sav/.sa2 files (the ones in media and the ones in save) into their own separate folder and renaming the .sa2 to .sav and importing each of these .sav files until you find the correct saves. If you're still having trouble, you've probably made a mistake during resetting and saving your games in TGB Dual and I suggest going back and redoing the trade again, carefully.

Hopefully both games will run just fine in VBA (mine do) and once that's taken care of, save in VBA or save in-game and export your game data to your other emulator (more often than not, the TGB Dual post-trade .sav files will only load once, so make sure to create a new one in VBA for backup)! Wa-la, you have officially traded Pokemon using the frustrating and buggy TGB Dual. Congrats! If you need any clarification or assistance, go ahead and ask me and I'll try to help you to the best of my ability. I myself am not new to emulation, but fairly new to Pokemon and thus trading so bare with me. My hopes are that this guide will help any other newbies in the future (I'm sure most of you on these forums have already worked out how to trade Pokemon) who are lost in Google searches as I was. Thanks!

I can't seem to save the file from .sa2 to .sav. it gives me a permission error. Please let me know what to do
 

GASIYAT

Banned
I almost gave up on my android Pokemon Gold game because I couldnt get the trading working and already invested all my loves into a Kadabra and a Haunter - but then found this post and it was -PERFECT-.

Thanks!

Open TGB Dual (two files will be created upon opening auto clicker word unscrambler jumble solver named media and save) and go to Options > Folders and check to make sure the filepaths to both new folders are correct. I have a habit of moving my emulators for organization, make sure you update these filepaths each time you move TGB. Go ahead and exit TGB now. Next, we have to set up TGB Dual in a way that it will load the files you need properly and this takes quite a bit of over-preparation just to be safe. TGB needs the ROMs being used to be placed directly in the media folder and because TGB has issues loading save files, I put the ROMs in the save folder just in case. So copy all your necessary ROMs (.gb and .gbc files please, no zipped folders) into both the media and save folders located in the TGB Dual directory.
 
Last edited:

KaityJoe

New member
I know this is a late reply but if you are getting a permission error when changing a file extension then you should login as your computer's Administrator and try again.
 
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