Evolution is when a Pokémon changes into a new, usually stronger Pokémon. Most Pokémon evolve when they reach a certain level, but some need an evolution stone, a trade, a strong friendship with their trainer, or something much stranger.
When a Pokémon evolves, it becomes a different species with a new name, new looks and higher stats. It keeps its level, its nickname and the moves it already knows.
The five main ways to evolve
We counted every evolution in the pokee.si Pokédex: 475 of them. Here is how they break down.
| Method | How many | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Reach a level | 322 | Charmander → Charmeleon at level 16 |
| Level up with a condition | 40 | Sliggoo → Goodra at level 50, but only in the rain |
| Use an item, usually a stone | 59 | Pikachu → Raichu with a Thunder Stone |
| Trade to another player | 26 | Haunter → Gengar |
| Friendship | 19 | Pichu → Pikachu |
| Something unusual | 9 | Gimmighoul → Gholdengo after 999 coins |
So about two in three evolutions are the simple kind: train your Pokémon and wait.
1. Levelling up
Every time your Pokémon wins battles it gains experience points. When it has enough, it goes up a level. At the right level it evolves.
Some Pokémon evolve very early. Caterpie becomes Metapod at level 7 and Butterfree at level 10. Others take ages. Deino waits until level 50, and its final form Hydreigon only arrives at level 64.
Some families have three stages, like this one:
Gible → Gabite (Level 24) → Garchomp (Level 48)
And some have two:
Magikarp → Gyarados (Level 20)
Some level-up evolutions have an extra rule. It might need to be daytime or night-time, raining, or a certain place. It might need to know a certain move, or to have a certain Pokémon in your team. Mantyke only evolves into Mantine if a Remoraid is in your party.
2. Evolution stones
Some Pokémon don't evolve by level at all. You use a special stone on them instead, and they evolve straight away. These are the stones and how many Pokémon each one evolves. Each stone has its own page listing every evolution, and all evolution items are on one page:
| Stone | Evolves | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Thunder Stone | 7 | Pikachu, Eevee, Magneton |
| Moon Stone | 6 | Clefairy, Jigglypuff, Nidorino |
| Leaf Stone | 6 | Gloom, Exeggcute, Eevee |
| Water Stone | 6 | Poliwhirl, Staryu, Eevee |
| Fire Stone | 5 | Vulpix, Growlithe, Eevee |
| Sun Stone | 5 | Gloom, Sunkern, Cottonee |
| Shiny Stone | 4 | Togetic, Roselia, Minccino |
| Dusk Stone | 4 | Murkrow, Misdreavus, Lampent |
| Ice Stone | 3 | Eevee, Crabrawler, Cetoddle |
| Dawn Stone | 2 | Male Kirlia, female Snorunt |
Newer games added other items that work like stones: three different apples for Applin, a cracked or chipped teapot for Sinistea, and two suits of armour for Charcadet, which turn it into Armarouge or Ceruledge.
A tip: once a Pokémon evolves with a stone, it usually learns fewer new moves by level. Some players wait until their Pokémon has learned a favourite move first.
3. Trading
Some Pokémon only evolve when you trade them to another player. When the trade finishes, they evolve on the other person's screen. You can trade them back afterwards.
The famous four are Kadabra → Alakazam, Machoke → Machamp, Graveler → Golem and Haunter → Gengar. Others need to hold an item while they are traded. Onix holding a Metal Coat becomes Steelix, and Seadra holding a Dragon Scale becomes Kingdra.
The strangest pair is Karrablast and Shelmet. They only evolve if you trade one for the other. Karrablast takes Shelmet's shell and becomes Escavalier, and Shelmet, now shell-less, becomes Accelgor.
4. Friendship
Some Pokémon evolve when they love their trainer enough. You build friendship by walking with your Pokémon, battling together, keeping it healthy and not letting it faint too often. When its friendship is high and it levels up, it evolves.
Many baby Pokémon evolve this way, including Pichu, Cleffa and Togepi. So do Golbat into Crobat and Chansey into Blissey. Some friendship evolutions also care about the time of day. Riolu only becomes Lucario during the day.
5. Eevee, the Pokémon with eight answers
Eevee can evolve into eight different Pokémon, more than any other. Which one you get depends on how you evolve it:
| Evolution | How |
|---|---|
| Vaporeon | Water Stone |
| Jolteon | Thunder Stone |
| Flareon | Fire Stone |
| Espeon | Friendship, during the day |
| Umbreon | Friendship, at night |
| Leafeon | Leaf Stone |
| Glaceon | Ice Stone |
| Sylveon | Friendship, knowing a Fairy-type move |
In older games, Leafeon and Glaceon needed you to level Eevee up near a special mossy rock or icy rock instead of using a stone. The stones are how it works in recent games.
The weirdest evolutions
Nine evolutions don't fit any of the groups above. Our favourites:
- Gimmighoul becomes Gholdengo once you collect 999 Gimmighoul Coins.
- Primeape becomes Annihilape after using Rage Fist 20 times.
- Bisharp becomes Kingambit after defeating three Bisharp that lead groups of Pawniard.
- Milcery becomes Alcremie when you make your character spin around while it holds a sweet.
- Nincada evolves into Ninjask at level 20, and if you have a spare Poké Ball and room in your party, a bonus Shedinja appears too.
- Meltan becomes Melmetal in Pokémon GO, after 400 Meltan Candy.
Pokémon that never evolve
Not every Pokémon evolves. Of the 1,025 in the pokee.si Pokédex, 201 are not part of any evolution family. That includes Tauros, Lapras, Ditto and most Legendary Pokémon. They are not weaker for it. Many of them already have high stats.
Want to see a Pokémon's full family? Every Pokémon page on pokee.si shows its evolution chain with the level or item it needs. Try Eevee first.