List of glitches in Generation III

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This is a list of glitches that occur in the Generation III main series Pokémon games.

In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire

Berry glitch

Main article: Berry glitch

Dewford Gym glitch

In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the wall behind the right-hand statue in Dewford Gym behaves like a statue: when approached, and the A-button is pressed, it says: "DEWFORD POKéMON GYM, BRAWLY'S CERTIFIED TRAINERS:". After Brawly is defeated, it will list the player as a certified Trainer. This was removed in Pokémon Emerald.

Ledge glitch

East of Mauville City there is an Aroma Lady that will battle the player. If the player stands right behind the ledge in her line of sight, she will see the player and walk onto the ledge and stay there until the player leaves the area. This does not occur in Emerald due to her not walking around. A similar glitch involves a Gentleman near Lilycove City.

Nightmare glitch

In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, if Nightmare is used on a sleeping Pokémon yet the sleeping Pokémon wakes up due to Shed Skin, the enemy Pokémon is still harmed by Nightmare even though it is not asleep.

By NaiJPC
This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here.


Pay Day glitch

In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the wrong amount of money received from Pay Day will be displayed if the Amulet Coin is held, leaving the impression that it does not affect Pay Day. Yet, upon checking the Trainer card, the player will discover that the money earned from Pay Day has been doubled and added to their total savings. This error was fixed in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen and all subsequent games.

By ChickasaurusGL
This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here.


Thunder glitch

In some copies of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, using Thunder or Thunderbolt may cause the game to freeze during the moves' animation sequences. This can be remedied by turning off the battle animations in the options menu. Also, in Pokémon FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald, the sound of Thunder or Thunderbolt may get stuck until the game resets.

Truck glitch

This glitch only occurs in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. At the start of the game, if the player saves inside the truck and reboots, upon exiting the truck the game tries to show "Littleroot Town" as if a new area had been entered, while it normally would not have been.

By NaiJPC
This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here.


In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

Infinite Nugget glitch

If the player loses to the Rocket Grunt at the end of Nugget Bridge, the player has a chance to fight him again. Each time he is re-fought, he will give the player a Nugget, so one can purposely lose to obtain Nuggets repeatedly.

Contrary to popular belief, this glitch does not work in Generation I because the player has only one chance to fight the Grunt.

Poké Flute glitch

When the player plays the Poké Flute and while the melody is playing, if the Help Menu is activated and deactivated, the music will be muted until the Pokémon wakes up.

Roaming Roar glitch

If a roaming Pokémon uses Roar to flee from battle, it will permanently disappear from the game.

In Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, FireRed, and LeafGreen

Roaming IV glitch

The roaming IV glitch is a glitch in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, FireRed and LeafGreen that causes roaming Pokémon to have extremely low IVs. The glitch is not present in Pokémon Emerald.

In Generation III, the data for a Pokémon's IVs are stored in a 32-bit integer. However, when a roaming Pokémon is captured, only the last eight bits are transferred. While the HP IV is unaffected, the Pokémon can only have a maximum Attack IV of 7. The other IVs will always be 0.

In Pokémon Emerald

Battle Tower cloning glitch

Main article: Pokémon cloning#Generation III

Mirage Tower glitch

In Mirage Tower, there is no rock on the second floor near the stairs, but the player cannot walk there.

Pomeg glitch

Main article: Pomeg glitch

In Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald

Dive glitch

Main article: Dive glitch

In all Generation III games

Focus Punch glitch

This glitch is triggered by selecting Focus Punch in a double battle on the first Pokémon, pressing the "B" button, then switching out the first Pokémon. When the battle is conducted, the first Pokémon will tighten its focus in preparation for Focus Punch, then switch out.

This does not occur in Pokémon Colosseum or XD, nor in later generations.

Sticky hold glitch

This glitch occurs when Thief or Covet is used to knock out a Pokémon holding an item that has the Sticky Hold ability. It causes the sprite of the defeated Pokémon to stay in a ghost-like form. This lasts until the screen is changed. Switching to the item list or Pokémon list will cause it to disappear.

If it is a battle against a team of six Pokémon, defeating the next Pokémon will cause that Pokémon's sprite to vanish normally, but the ghost-like sprite will remain. If the second Pokémon is defeated without leaving the battle screen, a third Pokémon will come out, but the second Pokémon's sprite will not remain. The original ghost-like sprite will remain and get recolored to match. This is because the game stores color palettes separately to the pictures themselves.

By NaiJPC
This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here.


In the side games

In Pokémon Colosseum

Infinite ball glitch

The infinite ball glitch is a glitch in Pokémon Colosseum that enables the player to reuse any type of Poké Ball. It does not work in the Player's Choice version or in Pokémon XD.

The glitch is performed by selecting a Poké Ball with the player's first Pokémon's turn. Then, on the second Pokémon's turn, switching the location of the Poké Ball in the bag chosen with another Poké Ball in the bag (using the "Y" button). After the Ball is thrown, the Poké Ball pocket will still have the same amount of Poké Balls, as if the Ball just thrown had not been used.

Sometimes, if using a Master Ball, the game will freeze and bring the "An error occurred" message the Nintendo GameCube gives when it fails to properly read a game.

Also, if the second Pokémon is using a multiple-turn move that has been selected on a previous turn, the attack prevents the glitch from working, which causes the thrown Snag Ball to be used.

Purification glitch

In Agate Village, the cliffs directly to the left and right of the hill at the entrance are glitched. If the player walks downward while on these small cliffs, there are two specific points where the player will hit the edge and continue to walk, and the screen will start to shake. This will cause all Shadow Pokémon in the player's party to be purified at the same rate as if the player is walking around.

Shiny Shadow Pokémon glitch

Like in the main series games, in Pokémon Colosseum there is a 1/8192 chance of a Shadow Pokémon being Shiny. When a Shiny Shadow Pokémon is captured, it is highly improbable that the Pokémon will retain Shininess. Conversely, when an ordinary Shadow Pokémon is captured, there is still the 1/8192 chance of that Pokémon becoming Shiny when it is sent to the player's party or the Pokémon Storage System. Shininess is retained through purification.

This glitch is caused by the game not considering the player's ID numbers until it is captured. The game instead uses the opponent's ID number to determine if the Shadow Pokémon will be Shiny based on the personality value it generates at the start of the battle. Upon capture, the ID numbers of the capturing Trainer will then be applied and Shininess will be determined from the previously generated personality value, similarly to the oddity of a hatched Egg changing normal to Shiny, or Shiny to normal.

However, in Pokémon XD, this glitch was corrected. When the game calculates a personality value, it checks against the player's ID numbers and the opponent's ID numbers. If the game were to generate a Shiny personality value, it would then recalculate the personality value until it would not be Shiny with both the player and the opponent's ID numbers. As a consequence of fixing this glitch from Pokémon Colosseum in Pokémon XD, the game ensures that all Shadow Pokémon are never Shiny.

Ability Changing Glitch

This glitch is common in Pokemon XD Gale of Darkness. When a Pokemon is capable of having more than one ability, such as Golduck's Cloud Nine which can be tested or proven by using combinations such as Rain Dance + Thunder, Sunny Day + Solarbeam, or Hail + Blizzard, etc. and then during the weather effects Thunder or Blizzard misses or Solarbeam has to charge up even though it's sunny. K.O. the Pokemon and then get it from Miror B. Go to the PC and check the Pokemon's stats and it now has a 50% chance of changing its ability. It is possible now that the Golduck can have Damp even it appeared to have Cloud Nine in the first battle.

Another way of activating the glitch is to lose to a trainer that has a Shadow Pokemon that is capable of having more than one ability. Example, to trigger this glitch on Greevil enter the battle with his Moltres and Rhydon without an Electric move. If a player uses an Electric move, it will automatically reveal its ability and the glitch will fail. Save before you fight him the second time and you would have already snagged Lugia. Get into a battle and use an Electric attack on Moltres. Reset and then attempt to use an Electric type on Moltres again and have Rhydon block it with Lightningrod. This glitch has been confirmed on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0rEkxYGEuY

EXP Glitch

This glitch only works on Pokemon Colosseum. When your opponent is down to their last Pokemon, have one Pokemon use Perish Song while the other uses something to burn, Will-o-wisp, or poison, Toxic, to poison the enemy. Then DO NOT faint the Pokemon. If the Pokemon faints to any of your attacks, the glitch will fail. If it faints to the Toxic, your Pokemon will gain EXP Points. Then when the countdown of Perish Song starts, you'll gain the same amount of EXP Points you earned as for the EXP Points gained for the Pokemon that was defeated. EXP Points will be awarded twice to both Pokemon no matter which side they're on, left or right. This glitch was removed in Pokemon XD Gale of Darkness but was in Colosseum for unknown reasons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41_bnx_Zs_Q

Multiple
generations
Transform glitchesGlitch TrainersCloning glitchesError messagesArbitrary code execution
Generation I GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
--0 ERRORBroken hidden itemsCable Club escape glitchDual-type damage misinformation
Experience underflow glitchFight Safari Zone Pokémon trickGlitch CityItem duplication glitchItem underflow
Mew glitchOld man glitchPewter Gym skip glitchPokémon merge glitchRhydon glitchRival twins glitch
Select glitches (dokokashira door glitch, second type glitch) • Super Glitch
Time Capsule exploitWalking through wallsZZAZZ glitch
Generation II GlitchesBattle glitches
Bug-Catching Contest glitchCelebi Egg glitchCoin Case glitchesExperience underflow glitch
Glitch dimensionGlitch EggTeru-samaTime Capsule exploitTrainer House glitchesGS Ball mail glitch
Generation III GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
Berry glitchDive glitchPomeg glitchGlitzer Popping
Generation IV GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
Acid rainGTS glitchesPomeg glitchRage glitch
Surf glitchTweakingPal Park Retire glitch
Generation V GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
Charge Beam additional effect chance glitchCharge move replacement glitchChoice item lock glitch
Frozen Zoroark glitchSky Drop glitch
Generation VI GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
Charge Beam additional effect chance glitchCharge move replacement glitchChoice item lock glitch
Lumiose City save glitchSymbiosis Eject Button glitchToxic sure-hit glitch
Generation VII GlitchesBattle glitches
Charge Beam additional effect chance glitchCharge move replacement glitchChoice item lock glitch
Toxic sure-hit glitchRollout storage glitch
Generation VIII Glitches
Charge Beam additional effect chance glitchCharge move replacement glitchChoice item lock glitch
Toxic sure-hit glitchRollout storage glitchParty item offset glitch
Generation IX Glitches
Glitch effects Game freezeGlitch battleGlitch song
Gen I only: Glitch screenTMTRAINER effectInverted sprite
Gen II only: Glitch dimension
Lists Glitches (GOMystery DungeonTCG GBSpin-off)
Glitch Pokémon (Gen IGen IIGen IIIGen IVGen VGen VIGen VIIGen VIII)
Glitch moves (Gen I) • Glitch types (Gen IGen II)


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