Badge sequence

The badge sequence is the order in which badges are obtainable.

In the core series games

Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed, LeafGreen, Let's Go, Pikachu!, and Let's Go, Eevee!

The Boulder Badge must be obtained first, in order to leave Pewter City in the direction of Route 3 without being blocked by a non-player character.

The Cascade Badge must be the second obtained, or else the player will be unable to use Cut. This move can be used to remove the cuttable plant that blocks the entrance to the Vermilion Gym, or to cut the plant blocking the way to leave Cerulean City through the Route 9.

Once the player has obtained the Boulder Badge and Cascade Badge, almost all other badges can be obtained in any order. However, the Soul Badge must be acquired before the Volcano Badge, because the former allows the player to use Surf and travel to Cinnabar Island to obtain the latter.

The Earth Badge must be obtained last, since the Viridian Gym remains closed until the player has obtained the seven previous badges.

Obtaining drink early

If the player connects a Generation I game to Pokémon Stadium 2 using the Transfer Pak, it is possible to obtain a drink (Fresh Water, Soda Pop, or Lemonade) by transferring this item from another Generation I game. If this is done early in the game, the player can leave Cerulean City through the house burglarized by the Team Rocket (which opens once the player obtains the S.S. Ticket from Bill) and then go directly to Saffron City.

If this method is used, then it is possible to obtain almost all badges before the Cascade Badge. However, the player must either obtain the Cascade Badge (in order to use Cut) or the Soul Badge (in order to use Surf) before entering the Vermilion Gym to obtain the Thunder Badge.

The Cascade Badge must be obtained before the Rainbow Badge, because Cut is needed inside the Celadon Gym, and the Earth Badge still must be the last obtained.

Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver

Johto badges

The Zephyr Badge must be the first obtained, or else a non-player character blocks the way in Route 32.

The Hive Badge must be the second obtained, in order to use Cut and remove a cuttable plant blocking the way in the Ilex Forest.

The Plain Badge must be the third obtained, in order to receive the Squirt Bottle from the Goldenrod City flower shop and battle the Sudowoodo who blocks the path on Route 36.

The Fog Badge must be the fourth obtained in order to use Surf and travel to Cianwood City or Mahogany Town.

The Storm Badge, Mineral Badge, and Glacier Badge can be obtained in any order. The player is required to obtain the Secret Medicine in Cianwood City, where they will also be able to challenge the Cianwood Gym (or skip this Gym), before challenging the Olivine Gym.

The Rising Badge must be the eighth and last Johto badge. Once the player obtains the first seven badges, it is necessary to rescue the Goldenrod Radio Tower that has been taken over by Team Rocket before the Blackthorn Gym becomes available. If the player has not yet obtained seven badges or rescued the Radio Tower, then the Blackthorn Gym will be closed^GSC or a non-player character will remain blocking the way on Route 44^HGSS.

The eight Johto badges must be obtained before any Kanto badges, due to the fact that the Rising Badge is required to use Waterfall and cross the Tohjo Falls, entering Kanto for the first time.

Kanto badges

In Kanto, the first seven badges can be obtained in any order. The Earth Badge must be the last one, since it only becomes available after the rest have been obtained.

In Generation II, the order of Kanto badges is not known, since the Trainer Card and the game manuals only display the Johto badges. In Generation IV, the Trainer Card displays the Kanto badges in the same order which was introduced in the Generation I games.