Roaming Pokémon

Roaming Pokémon are a type of legendary Pokémon that, instead of remaining in one place as a special event, run around the region they appear in, seemingly at random. Roaming Pokémon have appeared in every main series game since Generation II.

In addition to their changing of routes (something that happens every time the player passes through a route boundary), they will also, on every turn of battle, attempt to flee. The only way to prevent this is to either use a trapping move such as Mean Look or have the Pokémon sent out have a trapping ability such as Shadow Tag or Arena Trap. If they try to flee and fail, they attack on the same turn.

In Generations II and III, a Trainer can use his or her Pokédex to check the ever-changing location of their target after they have seen the target. However, in Generation IV, the Pokétch's Marking Map application and the Pokégear's map card serve this purpose, relieving the player from having to change through a multitude of screens, as was the case in past generations.

List of roaming Pokémon

Generation II

These Pokémon are found roaming Johto in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal; however, Suicune is found at the Tin Tower in Crystal. They can be captured at any point after they are disturbed by the player in Ecruteak City's Brass Tower.

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Raikou	G		S		C		Grass	40	Event
Entei	G		S		C		Grass	40	Event
Suicune	G		S		C		Grass	40	Event
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.

Generation III

Hoenn

The Eon Pokémon can be caught in Hoenn after defeating the Elite Four for the first time. Only one will roam Hoenn (the other can be obtained on Southern Island with the Eon Ticket), depending on version, or in Emerald, depending on the color of Pokémon the player tells his or her mother. In Ruby and Sapphire Versions, the roaming Pokémon will have low IVs due to the Roaming IV glitch.

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Latias	R		S		E		Grass	40	Event
Latios	R		S		E		Grass	40	Event
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.

Kanto

These Pokémon are only present in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. As soon as the player has obtained the National Pokédex from Professor Oak, the legendary beast will commence roaming Kanto. The only one that will appear will be the one whose type weakens the type of the player's chosen starter Pokémon (Raikou for Squirtle, Entei for Bulbasaur, Suicune for Charmander). The legendary beast will be added to the player's Pokédex as "seen". They will have low IVs due to the Roaming IV glitch. If they use Roar to flee, they will disappear permanently due to the Roaming Roar glitch.

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Raikou	FR			LG			Grass	50	Event
Entei	FR			LG			Grass	50	Event
Suicune	FR			LG			Grass	50	Event
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.

Generation IV

Sinnoh

Sinnoh has five roaming Pokémon, each of which is available in the wild after certain events have taken place. Mesprit will roam after the player goes to Lake Verity after defeating Team Galactic at Mt. Coronet, Cresselia will appear after the player helps cure Eldritch's son's nightmares, and the legendary birds will appear in Platinum after the player first talks to Professor Oak in Eterna City.

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Mesprit	D		P		Pt		Grass	50	Event
Cresselia	D		P		Pt		Grass	50	Event
Articuno	D		P		Pt		Grass	60	Event
Zapdos	D		P		Pt		Grass	60	Event
Moltres	D		P		Pt		Grass	60	Event
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.

Johto and Kanto

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Raikou and Entei will roam Johto after meeting them in the Burned Tower, and after leaving the Vermilion City Pokémon Fan Club house with Copycat's doll, Latios or Latias will roam Kanto.

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Raikou	HG			SS			Grass	40	Event
Entei	HG			SS			Grass	40	Event
Latias	HG			SS			Grass	35	Event
Latios	HG			SS			Grass	35	Event
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.

Generation V

Unova

In Pokémon Black and White, after obtaining the Legend Badge, when entering the gate leading to Route 10, the woman behind the desk will alert the player about the big storm on Route 7. Tornadus^{Wrong template. See Template:Sup/doc.} or Thundurus^{Wrong template. See Template:Sup/doc.} will make the weather more extreme in Route 7 when entering the route. Heading towards the second house on the route will cause an old lady to come out and pull the player in. She will then recite the story of either Tornadus^{Wrong template. See Template:Sup/doc.} or Thundurus^{Wrong template. See Template:Sup/doc.}. Upon exiting the house, the player will be approached by the respective Pokémon, which will then fly off and will roam around Unova until being caught or defeated. By checking the bulletin boards the player can determine the location of it via the weather (it only appears in stormy locations).

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Tornadus	B			W			Grass	40	Event
Thundurus	B			W			Grass	40	Event
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.

Game locations of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon

Kanto Seafoam Islands • Power Plant • Victory Road • Cerulean Cave Route 10 • Route 25 • Pewter City • Roaming Pokémon Sevii Islands Mt. Ember • Navel Rock • Birth Island Johto Ilex Forest • Bell Tower • Whirl Islands • Mt. Silver Cave Burned Tower • Embedded Tower • Roaming Pokémon Hoenn Desert Ruins • Island Cave • Ancient Tomb • Cave of Origin • Marine Cave Terra Cave • Sky Pillar • Southern Island • Sea Mauville • Scorched Slab Pathless Plain • Nameless Cavern • Fabled Cave • Gnarled Den Trackless Forest • Crescent Isle • Sky • Roaming Pokémon Sinnoh Acuity Cavern • Valor Cavern • Spear Pillar • Turnback Cave Rock Peak Ruins • Iceberg Ruins • Iron Ruins • Snowpoint Temple Stark Mountain • Newmoon Island • Flower Paradise • Hall of Origin Ramanas Park • Floaroma Town • Roaming Pokémon Unova Guidance Chamber • Trial Chamber • Rumination Field • N's Castle • Abundant Shrine Giant Chasm • Dragonspiral Tower • Liberty Garden • Route 11 • Route 13 • Route 22 Route 23 • Celestial Tower • Nacrene City • Underground Ruins • Twist Mountain Dreamyard • Marvelous Bridge • Reversal Mountain • Coastal Biome • Roaming Pokémon Kalos Sea Spirit's Den • Team Flare Secret HQ • Terminus Cave Unknown Dungeon • Roaming Pokémon Alola Route 16 • Altar of the Sunne • Altar of the Moone • Mount Lanakila • Mahalo Trail Ruins of Conflict • Ruins of Life • Ruins of Abundance • Ruins of Hope Aether Paradise • Ancient Poni Path • Lake of the Sunne • Lake of the Moone Ten Carat Hill • Resolution Cave Galar Tower summit • Battle Tower • Master Dojo • Crown Shrine • Max Lair Rock Peak Ruins • Iceberg Ruins • Iron Ruins • Split-Decision Ruins • Giant's Bed Frigid Sea • Lakeside Cave • Ballimere Lake • Freezington • Roaming Pokémon Hisui Seaside Hollow • Temple of Sinnoh • Acuity Cavern • Valor Cavern • Verity Cavern Lava Dome Sanctum • Moonview Arena • Snowpoint Temple • Turnback Cave • Bonechill Wastes Cobalt Coastlands • Ramanas Island • Scarlet Bog • Coronet Highlands • Floaro Gardens Paldea Grasswither Shrine • Icerend Shrine • Groundblight Shrine • Firescourge Shrine Poco Path • Area Zero • Area Zero Underdepths • Glaseado Mountain South Province (Area One) • Asado Desert • West Province (Area One) • East Province (Area Three) Casseroya Lake • North Paldean Sea • South Province (Area Four) • North Province (Area Two) Alfornada Cavern • Great Crater of Paldea • Tagtree Thicket • East Province (Area One) South Province (Area Five) • Dalizapa Passage • Pokémon League • Socarrat Trail Kitakami Paradise Barrens • Wistful Fields • Oni Mountain • Dreaded Den • Loyalty Plaza Other Faraway Island • Distortion World • Sinjoh Ruins • Ultra Space Wilds

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