Pokemon Go trade evolutions: All Pokemon that evolve by trading

Pokemon Go introduced trade evolutions back in 2020, allowing players to quickly evolve specific Pokemon by trading them with others. It’s a great way to fill out your Pokedex and add some unique ‘mon to your team. Here’s a full list of every Pokemon that can be evolved through trading in Pokemon Go alongside details of how trading works in the game.
Pokemon Red and Blue introduced the trading mechanic at the very beginning of the Pokemon franchise and it’s been present in the series ever since. A handful of iconic ‘mon were featured as the first trade evolutions, including Kadabra, Machoke, and the Water-types Poliwhirl and Seadra.
Word of Pokemon Go trade evolutions was originally mentioned back in September of 2019, a significant amount of time after the game’s initial release. Now it’s here to stay, so let’s take a look at all of the ‘mon you can evolve by trading them with friends in Pokemon Go.
Contents
- Pokemon that evolve by trading in Pokemon Go
- How much does it cost to evolve trade?
- How does trade evolution work in Pokemon Go?

Pokemon that evolve by trading in Pokemon Go
The full list of Pokemon that can currently be evolved by trading is relatively small, so it’s worth utilizing this special feature whenever possible:
Starting Pokemon | Evolved Pokemon | ||
Boldore | ![]() |
Gigalith | ![]() |
Graveler | ![]() |
Golem | ![]() |
Gurdurr | ![]() |
Conkeldurr | ![]() |
Haunter | ![]() |
Gengar | ![]() |
Kadabra | ![]() |
Alakazam | ![]() |
Karrablast | ![]() |
Escavalier | ![]() |
Machoke | ![]() |
Machamp | ![]() |
Phantump | ![]() |
Trevenant | ![]() |
Pumpkaboo | ![]() |
Gourgeist | ![]() |
Shelmet | ![]() |
Accelgor | ![]() |
How much does evolve trading cost?
When you trade a Pokemon, its evolution Candy cost is reduced to zero, which makes it a great option for Pokemon like Pumpkaboo and Phantump which require a lot of Candy to evolve without trading.
You will have to pay Stardust, though. The amount 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.
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We’ve listed the cost of evolving each of these Pokemon through Candies below, and you can see that the trading method takes out a lot of work.
- 100 Candy: Haunter, Graveler, Kadabra, and Machoke.
- 200 Candy: Boldore, Gurrdurr, Karrablast, Phantump, Pumpkaboo, and Shelmet.
Once you’ve found another player to connect with and trade, you’ve saved a lot of Candy and a lot of time trying to get that specific Pokemon evolution you want.
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How does trade evolution work in Pokemon Go?
There are a few requirements you’ll need to meet before you can trade in Pokemon Go. Most importantly, you have to be friends with the person you want to trade with by sharing your Trainer codes. Both of you will need to be at least Level 10 in Pokemon Go, and you’ll have to be within close physical proximity (around 100 meters) of each other. You cannot currently trade with Friends remotely.
Trading Pokemon also costs a variable amount of Stardust, with rarer catches being more expensive. You can reduce this Stardust cost by increasing your Friendship Level. Mythical Pokemon cannot be traded.
- Once you’ve met all of these requirements, go to your Friends feed and select the Friend you wish to trade with.
- Select the ‘Trade‘ option, wait for your Friend to do the same, then select a Pokemon to trade.
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!
So, there you have it. Everything you need to know about all the Pokemon trade evolutions in Pokemon Go!
For more tips and tricks to become the best trainer the world’s ever seen, make sure to check out our other guides:
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