Niantic / The Pokemon Company / DexertoIn Pokemon Go, a select group of ‘mon only evolve after being traded with other players, so it’s vital to know which ones you’ll need to use the Trade Evolution system for.
Trading (and Trade Evolutions) have been at the heart of the Pokemon series since the original Red and Blue games, where iconic ‘mon like Kadabra, Machoke, and Seadra all required trading through a cable Link to evolve. While the evolution method for some Pokemon is different in Go compared to the main series, the core idea remains: certain evolutions only happen when you trade.
Since Niantic introduced the feature to Pokemon Go in 2019, the list of eligible ‘mon has slowly grown — so let’s take a look at all of the ones you can currently evolve by trading.
Pokemon that evolve by trading in Pokemon Go
Starting Pokemon | Evolved Pokemon |
|---|---|
Boldore  | Gigalith  |
Graveler  | Golem  |
Gurdurr  | Conkeldurr  |
Haunter  | Gengar  |
Kadabra  | Alakazam  |
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How much does it cost to trade evolve?
When you trade a Pokemon, its evolution Candy cost is reduced to zero, making it a great option for ‘mon like Pumpkaboo and Phantump that require a lot of Candy to evolve without trading. You can see how much Candy it would cost for each below:
- 100 Candy: Haunter, Graveler, Kadabra, and Machoke.
- 200 Candy: Boldore, Gurrdurr, Karrablast, Phantump, Pumpkaboo, and Shelmet.
With this in mind, evolving through trading takes a lot of work. You will have to pay Stardust, though, the amount of which depends on the rarity of the Pokemon you’re trading (whether it’s a Legendary or Shiny, for example) and your Friendship Level with the other Trainer.
Trade Evolution system requirements
Before you can trade in Pokemon Go, you’ll first need to make sure you’re friends with the person you want to trade with by sharing your Trainer codes.
Both of you will also need to be at least Level 10, and you’ll have to be within close physical proximity (around 100 meters) of each other. You cannot currently trade with Friends remotely.
Trading also costs a variable amount of Stardust, with rarer catches being more expensive (Mythical Pokemon cannot be traded). You can reduce this Stardust cost by increasing your Friendship Level.
How to trade evolve in Pokemon Go
Once you’ve met all of the requirements, follow these instructions to get started with trade evolving:
- While on the Pokemon Go main map screen, tap your avatar icon at the bottom left corner.
- Slide to the right and go to your Friends’ feed.
- Select the Friend you wish to trade with and tap their avatar.
Niantic- Once their profile opens up, select the ‘Trade‘ option (shown in the image above) and wait for your Friend to do the same.
- Select the Pokemon you want to trade and wait for your Friend.
- The trade will start immediately.
It’s important to remember that Pokemon can only be traded once, and a Pokemon’s CP and HP will change when traded, so think carefully before you make a decision. You can’t go back once it’s done.
That’s everything you need to know about all the Pokemon trade evolutions in Pokemon Go. You can also check out our guides on how to get Best Buddy status, how IVs & CP work in the game, and some of our rankings like the best Pokemon in Pokemon Go, or the best Mega Evolutions.
