How to Evolve Pokémon in Pokemon GO

Pokémon in Pokémon GO can only evolve when you have a certain number of that particular Pokémon’s Candy. For example, you need 50 Pikachu Candy to evolve Pikachu. You can get more Pikachu Candy by capturing more Pikachus and by transferring Pikachus to Professor Willow. You should evolve your Pokémon as soon as you can because they become more powerful when evolved.

EditSteps

EditFinding the Amount of Candy You Need for Evolving Pokémon

1. Determine if you have enough Candy to evolve a Pokémon. Whenever you catch a Pokémon, such as a Pikachu, you collect both Pikachu Candy and Stardust.^[1] You need a certain number of Pikachu Candy to evolve a Pikachu (and Spearow Candy to evolve a Spearow, etc.).
   
2. Open the app. Click on the red and white Pokéball in the bottom center of your screen. This will open another menu, which should be green.
   
3. Click on Pokémon, the button on the bottom left.
   
4. View the list of the Pokémon you’ve captured. Click on one of them (a Pikachu, for example).
   
5. Look at the profile of that Pokémon. On the page for the Pikachu, you should see a picture of the Pikachu, its HP (hit points), the type, weight, and height. You can also see Stardust and a number next to some orange “Pikachu Candy.” This number is the number of Pikachu Candies that you currently have.
   
6. Look at the bar that says “Power Up.” Right below that, look at a bar that says “Evolve,” right below the number of Candy that you have. This is the button that you should press to evolve your Pokémon if you have enough Candy.^[2]
   
   • If you have enough Candy, press “Evolve.”
   • If you don’t have enough Candy, collect more Candy.
   • Typically, you will need between 25 and 50 Candies to evolve your original Pokémon. However, these numbers will increase after you evolve your specific Pokémon for the first time.^[3]

EditCollecting More Candy By Catching Pokémon

1. Capture more of the Pokémon that you want to evolve. If you want to evolve a Pikachu, you will need to catch more Pikachus.
   
2. Click the “x” button on the center bottom of the screen if you are still looking at Pikachu. You will go back to your list of Pokémon.
   
3. Click the “x” button again so that you are looking at the green map, with you in the center.
   
4. Walk around your area in the outside world. Look for Pokémon, which will pop up on your screen. They will look like small, dinosaur-ish animals that will appear on your screen relatively near to you.
   
5. Click on a Pokémon when you see it on your screen. You may need to walk closer to the Pokémon before you can click on it. Your phone will open a screen that looks like a camera to the outside world with the Pokémon inserted into the camera frame.
   
6. Use the Pokéball in the bottom of your screen to catch the Pokémon. Using your thumb or forefinger, “throw” the ball toward the wild Pokémon you want to catch. Press the ball, move your finger toward the Pokémon, and release.
   
7. Throw the Pokéball again if you miss. Sometimes the wild Pokémon move or your aim is not quite right. Try throwing the ball farther if you miss the first time.
   
8. Collect the Candy and stardust from your caught Pokémon. If you catch a wild Spearow, for example, you earn Spearow Candy.^[4]
   
   • You will typically get 5-10 Candies the first time you catch a new species, and 3-5 Candies for every duplicate catch.^[5]
9. Be patient. There is no way to control which wild Pokémon will come to you, so you may need to wait a while until you’ve captured enough of a particular Pokémon to evolve that Pokémon.
   

EditCollecting More Candy By Transferring Pokémon to Professor Willow

1. Open the app. Click on the red and white Pokéball in the bottom center of your screen.
   
2. Click the Pokémon button.
   
3. View your list of Pokémon. Assess which ones you have duplicates of and which ones you want to evolve. For example, if you have two Pikachus, and one has 21 CP and the other has 11 CP, you would probably want to keep/evolve the one with 21 CP and transfer the one with 11 CP. The one with more CP and HP will be more powerful in the battlefield.^[6]
   
   • This strategy works best for Pokémon that you can collect a lot of (like Pidgey or Rattata). If you get two rarer Pokémon, you might want to save them and not transfer them to Professor Willow.
4. Click on the Pokémon you want to transfer.
   
5. Scroll all the way down his profile screen until you see a green button that says Transfer.
   
6. Press the Transfer button and say that yes, you are sure that you want to transfer. Transferring a Pikachu to Professor Willow will give you Pikachu Candy. You cannot undo a transfer. Do not transfer the Pokémon if it is your last Pokémon; you won’t have one left to evolve!^[7]
   
   • You will get one Candy for each Pokémon you transfer to Professor Willow.^[8]

EditTips

• Try playing Pokémon GO in a variety of areas to ensure that you have the best chances of getting the Pokémon you want.
• Visit Pokéstops to get Pokéballs. If you have more Pokéballs, you can catch more Pokémon.

EditWarnings

• Look where you are going while you play this game. It is easy to look down at the screen and forget about your surroundings.
• Try not to get frustrated if you can’t find a particular Pokémon. There is no way to control which wild Pokémon come to you.

EditRelated wikiHows

• Level Up in Pokémon GO
• Use PokéStops in Pokémon GO
• Catch Pikachu in Pokémon GO

EditSources and Citations

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