Trade Evolution

Trade evolution refers to the process of evolving a Pokémon by trading it to another game. This method of evolution was introduced in Generation I. From Generation II onwards, several Pokémon evolve when traded with a held item. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the trade evolutions are also available without the need to trade the Pokémon.

List of trade evolutions

Previous evolution		Trade evolution
Introduced in Generation I
Abra  Psychic	Level 16+ →	Kadabra  Psychic	Trade →	Alakazam  Psychic
Machop  Fighting	Level 28+ →	Machoke  Fighting	Trade →	Machamp  Fighting
Geodude  Rock  Ground	Level 25+ →	Graveler  Rock  Ground	Trade →	Golem  Rock  Ground
Gastly  Ghost  Poison	Level 25+ →	Haunter  Ghost  Poison	Trade →	Gengar  Ghost  Poison
Introduced in Generation II
Poliwag  Water	Level 25+ →	Poliwhirl  Water	+ Trade (holding King's Rock) →	Politoed  Water
Slowpoke is the lowest in its line		Slowpoke  Water  Psychic	+ Trade (holding King's Rock) →	Slowking  Water  Psychic
Onix is the lowest in its line		Onix  Rock  Ground	+ Trade (holding Metal Coat) →	Steelix  Steel  Ground
Scyther is the lowest in its line		Scyther  Bug  Flying	+ Trade (holding Metal Coat) →	Scizor  Bug  Steel
Horsea  Water	Level 32+ →	Seadra  Water	+ Trade (holding Dragon Scale) →	Kingdra  Water  Dragon
Porygon is the lowest in its line		Porygon  Normal	+ Trade (holding Upgrade) →	Porygon2  Normal
Introduced in Generation III
Clamperl is the lowest in its line		Clamperl  Water	+ Trade (holding Deep Sea Tooth) →	Huntail  Water
			+ Trade (holding Deep Sea Scale) →	Gorebyss  Water
Introduced in Generation IV
Rhyhorn  Ground  Rock	Level 42+ →	Rhydon  Ground  Rock	+ Trade (holding Protector) →	Rhyperior  Ground  Rock
Elekid  Electric	Level 30+ →	Electabuzz  Electric	+ Trade (holding Electirizer) →	Electivire  Electric
Magby  Fire	Level 30+ →	Magmar  Fire	+ Trade (holding Magmarizer) →	Magmortar  Fire
Porygon  Normal	+ Trade (holding Upgrade) →	Porygon2  Normal	+ Trade (holding Dubious Disc) →	Porygon-Z  Normal
Duskull  Ghost	Level 37+ →	Dusclops  Ghost	+ Trade (holding Reaper Cloth) →	Dusknoir  Ghost
Introduced in Generation V
Feebas is the lowest in its line		Feebas  Water	+ Trade (holding Prism Scale) →	Milotic  Water
Roggenrola  Rock	Level 25+ →	Boldore  Rock	Trade →	Gigalith  Rock
Timburr  Fighting	Level 25+ →	Gurdurr  Fighting	Trade →	Conkeldurr  Fighting
Karrablast is the lowest in its line		Karrablast  Bug	+ Trade (traded for Shelmet) →	Escavalier  Bug  Steel
Shelmet is the lowest in its line		Shelmet  Bug	+ Trade (traded for Karrablast) →	Accelgor  Bug
Introduced in Generation VI
Spritzee is the lowest in its line		Spritzee  Fairy	+ Trade (holding Sachet) →	Aromatisse  Fairy
Swirlix is the lowest in its line		Swirlix  Fairy	+ Trade (holding Whipped Dream) →	Slurpuff  Fairy
Phantump is the lowest in its line		Phantump  Ghost  Grass	Trade →	Trevenant  Ghost  Grass
Pumpkaboo is the lowest in its line		Pumpkaboo  Ghost  Grass	Trade →	Gourgeist  Ghost  Grass
Introduced in Generation VII
Geodude Alolan form  Rock  Electric	Level 25+ →	Graveler Alolan form  Rock  Electric	Trade →	Golem Alolan form  Rock  Electric

In the core series games

In the core series games, the Pokémon evolves automatically after being traded. Several Pokémon evolve by trade without any additional requirement, but several other Pokémon need to be holding a specific Evolution item in order to evolve. The item is consumed after the evolution.

The player is unable to press B to cancel a trade evolution, unlike certain other methods of evolution. If a Pokémon is able to evolve by trade with no held item, then it is possible to prevent this evolution by trading it with a held Everstone, except Kadabra still evolves while holding this item from Generation IV onwards. However, due to the lack of held items in Generation I, Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! and Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and due to a glitch in Generation III, there is no way to prevent those Pokémon to evolve when traded in those games. There is also no way prevent a Kadabra from evolving when traded from Generation IV onwards.

Feebas evolves into Milotic when leveled up with its Beautiful condition high enough or when traded while holding a Prism Scale. For more details, see Feebas → Evolution data.

In the case of Karrablast or Shelmet, they evolve specifically when one is traded by the other. However, if either of those Pokémon is holding an Everstone during this trade, neither will evolve.

During the trade evolution, the player who received this Pokémon obtains both the unevolved and evolved species as caught in their Pokédex.

Generation II

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Confirm if a Pokémon holding the correct evolution item in GSC is able to evolve in the Time Capsule after it is traded to RBY and back to GSC

In Generation II, any Pokémon (including Kadabra) traded while holding an Everstone will not evolve by trade.

Generation III

In Generation III only, the trade evolutions are affected by a glitch: if a Pokémon is able to evolve by trade with no item, but that Pokémon is traded while holding any item, this item will be consumed during the evolution.

If Kadabra, Machoke, Graveler, or Haunter is traded while holding an Everstone, this Pokémon will still evolve while this item is consumed by the glitch mentioned above.

In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, if the player does not have the National Pokédex, when a Pokémon in the Kanto Pokédex meets its evolution conditions but its evolved form is not in the Kanto Pokédex (including the trade evolutions such as Onix into Steelix), it will attempt to evolve but fail.

Generation IV onwards

From Generation IV onwards, due to an explicitly programmed exception, Kadabra still evolves into Alakazam while holding an Everstone. Other trade evolutions are prevented if the Pokémon is holding an Everstone.

Generation VIII

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the trade evolutions are available with no need to trade Pokémon.

The Linking Cord item can be used from the player's satchel to trigger the evolution of Pokémon that would evolve by trade with no held item. However, those Pokémon can still alternatively evolve by being traded as is the case in other core series games.

The Linking Cord has no effect on Pokémon that evolve by being traded while holding an item. In this game, due to the absence of held items, those Pokémon are unable to evolve by trade. Instead, they evolve if the player uses the correct Evolution item from the satchel on the Pokémon.

Availability outside of trades

In some cases, the trade evolutions are available outside of trades.

• Blue (Japanese): Two of the in-game trades in this game involve Pokémon that evolve by trading. In one, the player gives away Kadabra and receives Graveler; the other one has them give away Machoke and receive Haunter. The Pokémon they receive this way will thus evolve into Golem and Gengar respectively, allowing them to be registered without linking to another game.
• Yellow: One of the in-game trades in this game allows the player to give away Cubone and receive Machoke in return, which will thus evolve into Machamp.
• Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum: Wild Steelix can be found directly in the lower floors of Iron Island, without needing to go through evolution. Additionally, if the player has access to dual-slot mode with any Generation III game, wild Gengar can be found in one room of the Old Chateau.
• HeartGold and SoulSilver: Wild Steelix can be found at Mt. Silver, in the room where Moltres spawns. Alternatively, after the player defeats the Champion, Jasmine can also give out a Steelix in an in-game trade where she will accept any Pokémon in return.
• Black and White: Politoed, Slowking, Kingdra, Milotic (which has newly become a trade evolution in this generation, with no means of increasing its Beauty), Huntail, and Gorebyss are all catchable in the wild using the phenomenon of rippling water in various places, though Huntail is version-exclusive to Black while Gorebyss is exclusive to White.
• Black 2 and White 2: With the exception of Slowking, the wild trade evolutions that were available from Black and White's rippling water remain available here, with Huntail and Gorebyss retaining their version exclusivity for players who are unable to trade. In addition, wild Steelix are now available from the phenomenon of dust clouds in Clay Tunnel, and two in-game trades offer trade-evolution Pokémon directly at their final stage, without registering the pre-evolved form first. One NPC requests Emolga and gives away Gigalith (in Black and White, this same NPC asks for Boldore in a trade and gives away Emolga), while another asks for Hippowdon and gives away Alakazam, though this trade does not become available until the player does a separate trade, as well as a battle, with the same NPC.
• X and Y: Trevenant, Politoed, Huntail, and Gorebyss are all available as wild encounters on their respective routes, and once again Huntail and Gorebyss serve as version counterparts when obtained this way, with Huntail appearing in X and Gorebyss in Y. In addition, an in-game trade is available where the player gives away Luvdisc and receives Steelix.
• Sun and Moon: Wild Gengar, Politoed, and Trevenant have a small chance to appear in SOS Battles in which their respective pre-evolutions call for help, allowing them to be obtained without trading. Wild Conkeldurr can also be found using Island Scan on Mondays, and there is an in-game trade where the player can give away Haunter and receive Alolan Graveler, which will thus evolve into Golem.
• Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon: The Gengar, Politoed, and Trevenant helpers are still available here, joined by additional SOS helpers in Slowking, Huntail, and Gorebyss. Unlike in previous games, the Huntail and Gorebyss encounters are no longer version-exclusive, but instead depend on whether the battle started during daytime or nighttime according to the in-game clock. No trade evolutions are available from Island Scan this time, and the NPC who offered the Graveler trade in the previous games now offers a different trade instead, in which both traders give away Phantump which thus evolves into Trevenant.
• Sword and Shield: With the exceptions of Porygon2, Porygon-Z, and Slowking, all the Pokémon that appear in these games and that evolve by trading can also be found as wandering Pokémon, in either the Wild Area or one of its DLC counterparts (Isle of Armor or Crown Tundra), though Slurpuff is version-exclusive to Sword and Aromatisse is exclusive to Shield, and some Pokémon may only appear on days with specific weather conditions. They may also be obtained from Max Raid Battle dens--prior to the release of the Expansion Pass, Escavalier could not be found as a wanderer and was exclusive to raid dens originating from Sword, while Accelgor was exclusive to raid dens originating from Shield. Finally, while the non-Galarian form of Slowking is not obtainable in the wild, it has a chance to be found in the Max Lair during Dynamax Adventures.
• Legends: Arceus: As noted above, the Pokédex in this game was designed to be completed without needing to connect to other players. The trade-evolution Pokémon can therefore be obtained without trading, by using either the Linking Cord item or the item that the species would normally hold during a trade in order to evolve, as though that item were an evolution stone. These species may also be found in the wild as Alpha Pokémon, or during massive mass outbreaks or space-time distortions.
• Scarlet and Violet: All trade-evolution Pokémon that exist in these games have a small chance to be found in their fully evolved stage in raid dens for Tera Raid Battles, as does Palafin which is not a trade evolution but which does normally require connecting to other players in Union Circle to evolve. In the case of Pokémon that were first added to the game during the two phases of the Expansion Pass, only raid dens in the appropriate area (Kitakami or the Blueberry Academy) have a chance to spawn them. Gengar and Scizor in particular can also be found in the wild in specific DLC areas. Additionally, there is an in-game trade in which the player gives away Pincurchin and receives Haunter; unlike in-game trades in Diamond, Pearl, and their remakes, this Haunter is not holding an Everstone so it will evolve into Gengar.

In the side series games

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: State whether or not it is possible to stop a trade evolution by pressing B in the Stadium games, Colosseum, and XD

Pokémon Stadium series

In Pokémon Stadium and Stadium 2, Pokémon are able to evolve by trade as in the core series games. The Pokémon trades are available by using trade machine in the Pokémon Lab, where Pokémon are traded between two core series games using Transfer Paks.

The earlier game Japanese Pokémon Stadium has no trade feature. Pokémon Stadium is compatible with Generation I Pokémon, which require no held item. Pokémon Stadium 2 is compatible with Generation I and II Pokémon, some of which require a held item to evolve.

Pokémon Colosseum

In Pokémon Colosseum, Pokémon are able to evolve by trade as in the core series games.

There are no trade evolutions available outside of trades.

Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness

In Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, Pokémon are able to evolve by trade as in the core series games.

The only trade evolution available outside of trades is the Shadow Scizor in the Japanese version of Pokémon XD, which requires the e-Reader and the Pokémon Colosseum Double Battle e cards.

Pokémon HOME

In Pokémon HOME, trade evolutions are not triggered by online trades, unlike in the core series games.

In the spin-off games

Pokémon GO

Main article: Trade (GO) → Trade Evolution

In Pokémon GO, this is officially referred to as "trade Evolution". This feature was introduced on January 10, 2020. The Pokémon that evolve by trading (with no held item) in the core series can either evolve in Pokémon GO if the player spends Candy or if the player has obtained this Pokémon from a trade. However, only a subset of those Pokémon can currently trade evolve in Pokémon GO.

Unlike in the core series, which requires Pokémon to be at a specific evolutionary stage to evolve via trade, Pokémon in Pokémon GO become eligible for trade Evolution if they were traded at any evolutionary stage prior to their trade Evolution stage. For example, trading a Gastly and then evolving it to Haunter makes it eligible to later evolve into Gengar at no Candy cost.

Notably, no Pokémon that evolve by trading with a held item in the core series can trade evolve in Pokémon GO. These Pokémon instead require Evolution items in addition to Candy to evolve.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red and Blue Rescue Team, Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky

In the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, the Link Cable item is used to evolve the Pokémon that would evolve by trade in the core series games. If the Pokémon would evolve by being traded while holding an item, then both the Link and that same item are required to evolve this Pokémon. For instance, Scyther evolves into Scizor by using both the Link Cable and the Metal Coat. The items are consumed during the evolution.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX

In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, the evolutionary items (including the Link Cable and the other items that are specific to each Pokémon such as the King's Rock or the Dragon Scale) are replaced by the Evolution Crystal item instead.

Pokémon Sleep

Main article: Linking Cord → Pokémon Sleep

In Pokémon Sleep, the Linking Cord item and certain amounts of candy are required to evolve the available Pokémon that would normally evolve by trade in the core series games. This item and the candy are consumed upon use.

In the anime

In the anime, trade evolutions have occurred several times. They have also been shown to occur if the Pokémon in question is transferred between Pokémon Centers while holding the correct Evolution item instead of being traded, as seen in Outrageous Fortunes with Misty's Poliwhirl and in The Evolutionary War with Nancy and Keith's Clamperl. In Searching for Chivalry, Goh's Scyther's trade evolution into Scizor was triggered by it being transferred through a trade machine while holding a Metal Coat, without it leaving Goh's ownership at any point.

List of trade evolutions in the anime

First Trainer's Pokémon		Second Trainer's Pokémon		Episode traded	Notes
	Bianca's Shelmet		Professor Juniper's Karrablast	Evolution Exchange Excitement!	Evolved into Accelgor and Escavalier respectively.
	Jessie's Pumpkaboo		Count Pumpka's Mawile	A Festival Trade! A Festival Farewell?	Pumpkaboo evolves into Gourgeist. The trade is reversed the same episode.

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

In Pokémon Adventures, some trade evolutions have occurred.

List of trade evolutions in Pokémon Adventures

First Trainer's Pokémon		Second Trainer's Pokémon		Chapter traded	Notes
	Red's Poli, Saur, and Pika		Blue's Charmeleon, Scyther, Golduck Machoke, Pidgeot, and Porygon	A Tale of Ninetales	Accident. Returned in the same chapter. Machoke evolves into Machamp from the trade.
	Gold's Polibo (Holding King's Rock)		Silver's Seadra (Holding Dragon Scale)	Ampharos Amore	Traded via Pokédex. Evolved into Politoed and Kingdra, respectively. Returned in the following chapter.
	Blue's Rhydon (Holding Protector)		Silver (traded Pokémon unknown)	Prior to Raising the Stakes with Rhyperior	Traded via Pokédex. Rhydon evolved into Rhyperior. Rhyperior returned prior to Pinsir Glares.
	Blake's Shelmet		Whitley's Karrablast	Abyssal Ruins	Traded via Pokédex. Evolved into Accelgor and Escavalier respectively.

Trivia

• All trade evolutions introduced in Generation II and IV are cross-generational evolutions (evolving Pokémon introduced in earlier generations).
• Porygon is the only Pokémon to evolve twice via trading. Both evolutions require a held item, namely the Upgrade and Dubious Disc.
  • Porygon2 is the only Pokémon to have evolved from trading that can evolve further.
• The Clamperl family is the only branched evolution in which both evolutions are achieved by trading.
• Feebas evolving into Milotic is the only case where a non-trade evolution later gained a trade evolution into the same Pokémon species.
• Trevenant is the only Pokémon to have evolved from trading that can also be found as a wild Pokémon in the same games where it was introduced.
• Since Generation VII, no new Pokémon that evolve by trade have been introduced, other than a regional form.
  • Alolan Graveler is the only regional form with a trade evolution.

Held items

• Out of all items used to evolve Pokémon by trade, King's Rock and Metal Coat are the only ones usable by two Pokémon species each, with all other items being exclusively used by a single Pokémon each.
• Several items introduced between Generations II and IV can not only trigger an evolution when held by a traded Pokémon but also have other unrelated uses when held by Pokémon in battle. Other held items introduced from Generation V onwards are exclusively used for trade evolutions.
  • In Generation II, the Upgrade was the only item with no other use than triggering a trade evolution, while the Dragon Scale, King's Rock, and Metal Coat also had some in-battle effects unrelated to evolution. However, Dragon Scale actually had the in-battle effect intended for Dragon Fang as the result of an oversight. This was fixed from Pokémon Stadium 2 onwards, rendering the Dragon Scale with no effect other than being used for evolution.

See also

• Methods of evolution
• Evolution item
• Friendship evolution
• Pokémon that evolve through trading
  • Pokémon that evolve by trading with a held item

References

This game mechanic article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.