The Pokemon franchise has a long history of special items that help certain creatures evolve, and Pokemon GO carries on the tradition. As they seek to catch and evolve them all, players will encounter a few familiar evolution items and some unique inventions. Let’s break down all the current evolution items in Pokemon GO and how to get them.
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What Are Evolution Items in Pokemon GO?
There are a number of evolutions in Pokemon GO that you can only get if you have specific items. Many evolution items will help several different Pokemon evolve, while others get a bit more specific and may only be useful for a particular evolution.
In Pokemon GO, trainers won’t encounter traditional evolution stones like Thunder Stones, Water Stones, and Fire Stones. Instead, they’ll see region-specific variations like the Sinnoh Stone and Unova Stone, plus a few familiar items. This departure from mainline Pokemon norms can make evolution a little confusing in Pokemon GO, so that’s where we come in to clear things up.
All Pokemon GO Evolution Items and How to Get Them
As more evolution items get added to Pokemon GO, finding them gets more complex and varied. Some are as easy as crossing your fingers while you spin your daily PokeStops, while others require steps like linking your Pokemon GO account to Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
In addition, some evolution items in Pokemon GO are more useful than others. A few, like the Dragon Scale, only evolve one Pokemon, while the Unova Stone can be used on several different species. This chart will help you figure out how to get those elusive evolution items and which ones you can safely discard when your item bag inevitably fills up.
| Evolution Item | Evolutions That Use It | How to Get It |
|---|---|---|
 Dragon Scale | Seadra → Kingdra | Spin PokeStops and Gyms Gifts from Friends |
 Gimmighoul Coins | Gimmighoul → Gholdengo (requires 999 coins) | First, obtain the Coin Bag by linking to Pokemon Scarlet & Violet and sending yourself a postcard. Then: Catch Roaming Form Gimmighoul Spin photo discs at Golden PokeStops Travel with Gimmighoul as your buddy Pokemon |
 Glacial Lure Module | Eevee → Glaceon | Occasional Research Reward Purchase from In-Game Shop for 180 PokeCoins |
 King’s Rock | Poliwhirl → Politoed Slowpoke → Slowking | Spin PokeStops and Gyms Gifts from Friends |
 Magnetic Lure Module | Magneton → Magnezone Nosepass → Probopass | Occasional Research Reward Purchase from In-Game Shop for 180 PokeCoins |
 Metal Coat | Onix → Steelix Scyther → Scizor | Spin PokeStops and Gyms Gifts from Friends |
 Mossy Lure Module | Eevee → Leafeon | Occasional Research Reward Purchase from In-Game Shop for 180 PokeCoins |
 Sinnoh Stone | Gen 4 evolutions for Pokemon from previous generations | Research Breakthrough Reward Win Trainer Battle in GO Battle League Defeat a Team GO Rocket Boss |
 Sun Stone | Gloom → Bellossom Sunkern → Sunflora | Spin PokeStops and Gyms Gifts from Friends |
 Unova Stone | Several Gen 5 Pokemon | Research Breakthrough Reward Defeat a Team GO Rocket Boss |
 Upgrade | Porygon → Porygon2 | Spin PokeStops and Gyms Gifts from Friends |
How to Use Evolution Items in Pokemon GO
Generally, using evolution items in Pokemon GO is pretty straightforward. For most evolutions, you’ll simply click on that Pokemon’s information and hit the evolve button. If you have the required evolution item and the right number of that Pokemon’s candy, you’ll be able to evolve that Pokemon. This applies to most of the items on our list, including all evolution stones and most one-use items.
However, Lure Modules are a bit trickier to use. For these, you’ll need to set the Lure Module at a PokeStop and stand nearby while you evolve the Pokemon in question, such as how you evolve Eevee into Leafeon.
Another unusual case is Gimmighoul Coins. You’ll need to collect 999 of them before you can evolve your Gimmighoul into a Gholdengo. Once you have the full number, you can use the Evolve button to transform Gimmighoul into Gholdengo.
