Berry glitch

The Berry glitch (Japanese: きのみ問題 Berry problem) is a glitch only found in early versions of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire which affects the game's internal calendar. The name of the glitch comes from the fact that the first thing a player will usually notice is that all Berries that have been planted have ceased growing. The glitch occurs 366 days after the game is first started, or 366 days after the internal battery is replaced, and causes all calendar-based events to be delayed by 366 days. After the glitch was officially acknowledged by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, they provided several methods to mitigate the effects of the glitch, and incorporated a permanent fix into later production runs of the game.

Explanation

The game cartridge contains a real-time clock (RTC) which keeps track of the year, month, day, hour, minute, second, and day of the week. When the RTC is first turned on, its date is set to January 1, 2000. Because the game has no need for an actual calendar system, it converts the RTC's year, month, and day data into a single "day number". The conversion function has a flaw, however: it will only count years (adding 365 or 366 days for each year or leap year) starting from 2001. So, while the RTC clock is reporting the year as 2000 or 2001, in both cases, the conversion equates this to "add 0 days to the day number". This means that, for the first 366 days the RTC runs (starting from January 1, 2000), the game's day number will count from 1 to 366 normally, but when the RTC clock reports January 1, 2001, the game's day number will start from 1 again.

If, for example, a Sitrus Berry was planted on December 31, 2000 according to the RTC, which the game interprets as day 366, it will be scheduled to be fully grown on day 367. Due to the glitch, day 367 will not happen until the RTC reaches January 2, 2002. The result is that the growth of the Berry appears to be frozen for 366 days. Other effects of this glitch include:

• Random events which are calculated once per day, including the random number for Mirage Island and weather conditions on Route 119 and Route 123, along with random events which must be announced on TV, such as the Energy Guru and Lilycove Dept. Store sales, service days at the Mauville Game Corner, will be frozen until 366 days after the game was last played before the glitch took effect.
• Drawings at the Pokémon Lottery Corner, NPCs who offer free Berries daily, and the man in Pacifidlog Town who gives TM27 (Return) or TM21 (Frustration) weekly, will be frozen until 366 days after these events were last used.
• The number of successful rocket launches at the Mossdeep Space Center will be reset to 1.

The glitch does not affect the Evolution of Eevee into Espeon or Umbreon or the tides in Shoal Cave because these events are based only on the current time, not the day number.

Similar effects

Dead battery

When the game cartridge's CR1616 internal battery runs dry, the in-game clock will also stop, resulting in very similar symptoms to the above. However, cartridges that have a dead battery will display a message after the title screen warning of the dry battery and the fact that clock-based events will no longer occur. In contrast, games being affected by the Berry glitch will not display this message.

The only way to fix this issue is to replace the battery. It is also possible for a game with a dead battery to be affected by the Berry glitch, however, meaning replacing the battery will not fix time-based events. To further complicate matters, replacing the battery may also cause issues of its own, as explained below.

Replaced battery

Cartridges that have had their battery replaced may also experience similar problems. When the supply of power from the battery is interrupted, the RTC is reset to January 1, 2000. As with the Berry glitch, this reset causes all scheduled calendar-based events to be frozen until the RTC reaches the expected value, which may take many years. This can be solved by starting a new game, or (with additional hardware) by altering the timestamp stored in the save file so it is lower than the RTC value, or by setting the RTC forward so it is greater than the save file timestamp.

Max RTC

While the RTC runs after 2099-12-31 23:59:59, it will be reset to 2000-01-01 00:00:00. This glitch has two situations:

• RTC runs after 2099-12-31 23:59:59, while game is turned off.
• RTC runs after 2099-12-31 23:59:59, while game is running.

When the game is turned on, the first will be the same as replaced battery glitch. In the second case, the elapsed RTC days saved in the game will generate to a large number, such as 62291 days. The number change relies on the initial RTC saved in the game.

The player can use rtcread to fix the former, but it will eventually change into the second-type RTC glitch. The only way to fix it is to edit the initial RTC and elapsed RTC stored in the save and use rtcread to change the RTC. Editing the initial RTC and elapsed RTC in the save will not synchronously change values relying on the RTC. When running the game, these values will dislocate with the corresponding RTC, such as Mirage Island Values.

Fixing the glitch

	This glitch is in need of research. Reason: Clarify if deleting patched save file and starting anew (without replacing cartridge battery) removes the patch. You can discuss this on the talk page.

The glitch can be fixed with the Berry Program Update from Pokémon FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald; a patch from Pokémon Colosseum, Pokémon XD, Pokémon Channel, Pokémon Box Ruby & Sapphire, the e-Reader, or a specific interactive demo disc; or by sending the affected game to Nintendo.

If the Berry glitch has not yet begun, these programs will set the RTC forward by 366 days, which prevents the effects of the glitch. If the game is already affected by the Berry glitch, these programs will set the RTC forward to January 2, 2002, the date at which all effects of the glitch end. If the cartridge battery is replaced and a new game is started, the fix will need to be applied again.

Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen/Emerald patch

The main screen in FireRed and LeafGreen

The main screen in Emerald

1. Load FireRed, LeafGreen, or Emerald until the title screen is displayed.
2. Press the Select and B buttons. After the new screen loads, press A.
3. Insert the Link Cable so that FireRed, LeafGreen, or Emerald is connected to the P1 cable port and Ruby or Sapphire is connected to the P2 port. Once this is done, press A.
4. Turn on Ruby or Sapphire while holding the Start and Select buttons.
5. Refer to the FireRed, LeafGreen or Emerald game display for further instructions. The patch should be transferred at this time.

Pokémon Colosseum and XD patch

Linking an affected game to Colosseum or XD: Gale of Darkness for trading or battling will automatically download the patch. In addition, the Bonus Disc that came with pre-orders of Colosseum can be used to download Jirachi into a game; when this happens, the patch is downloaded as well.

Pokémon Channel patch

Downloading Jirachi from a PAL version of Pokémon Channel will automatically download the patch.

Pokémon Box patch

Linking an affected game to Pokémon Box Ruby & Sapphire, accessing the Go To Adventure mode, and then saving the game whilst playing will also automatically fix this glitch, with the message "The Berry Program was updated" appearing with the save confirmation. (This option is not available for Japanese versions.)

e-Reader patch

Japanese e-Reader+ cards containing the Berry Program Update, with explanation of the glitch from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.

For Japanese versions, a special set of e-Reader+ cards (ID# 16-A001 & 16-A002) were distributed with Pokémon Scoop's Winter 2004 issue containing the Berry Program Update (Japanese: きのみ問題修理プログラム Berry Problem Repair Program).

GameCube Interactive Demo patch

Specially-marked GameCube demo discs were released to select stores across U.S. and Japan, so players could visit these stores and download the patch from the disc. In addition, players will also receive a Shiny Zigzagoon holding a Liechi Berry as a bonus. However, since the demo disc program does not block fixed games, players can receive multiple Zigzagoon by downloading to the same cartridge again.

GBA cartridge patch

Specially made GBA cartridges, with the same function as the GameCube demo discs, were released to select stores across the UK. Players could visit these stores and connect to a GBA system containing one of these cartridges via link cable to download the patch, as well as receiving a shiny Zigzagoon holding a Liechi Berry. As with the GameCube demo discs, the program does not block fixed games, so the Zigzagoon can be received by the same cartridge multiple times.

Sending cartridge to Nintendo

If the player had no opportunity to download the patch, the game could be sent to Nintendo to have it fixed. However, as of August 2012, Nintendo stopped offering to patch the Berry glitch.

Cartridges with/without Berry glitch

Early versions of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire have the Berry glitch. It is fixed in later versions of these games and all versions of Pokémon Emerald.

Cartridges with/without Berry glitch
Version		With glitch	Without glitch
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire	JP FR DE IT ES	1.0	1.1
	EN	1.0, 1.1	1.2

External links

• Nintendo.com
• Nintendo.co.jp

References

Glitches in the Pokémon games Multiple generations Transform glitches • Glitch Trainers • Cloning glitches • Error messages • Arbitrary code execution Generation I Glitches • Battle glitches • Overworld glitches -- • 0 ERROR • Broken hidden items • Cable Club escape glitch • Dual-type damage misinformation Experience underflow glitch • Fight Safari Zone Pokémon trick • Glitch City • Item duplication glitch • Item underflow Mew glitch • Old man glitch • Pewter Gym skip glitch • Pokémon merge glitch • Rhydon glitch • Rival twins glitch Select glitches (dokokashira door glitch, second type glitch) • Super Glitch Time Capsule exploit • Walking through walls • ZZAZZ glitch Generation II Glitches • Battle glitches Bug-Catching Contest glitch • Celebi Egg glitch • Coin Case glitches • Experience underflow glitch Glitch dimension • Glitch Egg • Teru-sama • Time Capsule exploit • Trainer House glitches • GS Ball mail glitch Generation III Glitches • Battle glitches • Overworld glitches Berry glitch • Dive glitch • Pomeg glitch • Glitzer Popping Generation IV Glitches • Battle glitches • Overworld glitches Acid rain • GTS glitches • Pomeg glitch • Rage glitch Surf glitch • Tweaking • Pal Park Retire glitch Generation V Glitches • Battle glitches • Overworld glitches Charge Beam additional effect chance glitch • Charge move replacement glitch • Choice item lock glitch Frozen Zoroark glitch • Sky Drop glitch Generation VI Glitches • Battle glitches • Overworld glitches Charge Beam additional effect chance glitch • Charge move replacement glitch • Choice item lock glitch Lumiose City save glitch • Symbiosis Eject Button glitch • Toxic sure-hit glitch Generation VII Glitches • Battle glitches Charge Beam additional effect chance glitch • Charge move replacement glitch • Choice item lock glitch Toxic sure-hit glitch • Rollout storage glitch Generation VIII Glitches Charge Beam additional effect chance glitch • Charge move replacement glitch • Choice item lock glitch Toxic sure-hit glitch • Rollout storage glitch • Party item offset glitch Generation IX Glitches Glitch effects Game freeze • Glitch battle • Glitch song Gen I only: Glitch screen • TMTRAINER effect • Inverted sprite Gen II only: Glitch dimension Lists Glitches (GO • Mystery Dungeon • TCG GB • Spin-off) Glitch Pokémon (Gen I • Gen II • Gen III • Gen IV • Gen V • Gen VI • Gen VII • Gen VIII) Glitch moves (Gen I) • Glitch types (Gen I • Gen II)

This article is part of Project GlitchDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on glitches in the Pokémon games.