Where to find Larvitar, Pupitar, Tyranitar in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Brent Koepp
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Larvitar and Tyranitar evolution line artwork

In the Sinnoh remakes, players can catch the beloved Johto dinosaur in a hidden location. Here is where to find Larvitar, Pupitar, and Tyranitar in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.

Although the Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl remakes are largely faithful adapations of the 2006 DS titles, Studio ILCA has brought new featuers to Sinnoh, such as an extended Pokedex of ‘mon to catch.

One of those characters is the popular Rock-type Tyranitar. This guide will break down where to find its pre-evolutions Larvitar and Pupitar in BDSP and how to evolve them.

Where to find Larvitar in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Larvitar spawn encounter
The beloved Gen II Rock-type can be caught in the Sinnoh remakes.

Players wanting to catch Larvitar will need to first beat Pokemon Brilliant Diamond’s main story campaign. It cannot be caught in Shining Pearl so you’ll need to trade for it.

After that, you have to also unlock its spawn by completing a few steps:

  1. In order to find Larvitar, you need to beat the Elite 4 and Cynthia, and then complete the Sinnoh Dex by seeing all 150 Pokemon.
  2. Next head to Sandgem Town and talk to Professor Rowan to unlock both the National Pokedex and the PokeRadar.
  3. Larvitar can be found on Route 207 by stepping in a patch of grass and using the PokeRadar. However, a much quicker way to find the ‘mon is to travel to the Pokemon League.
  4. Once there, use the Explorer Kit to access the Grand Underground. To the right is the Big Bluff Cavern Hideaway where both Larvitar and its second evolution Pupitar can be roaming around.
  5. Simply enter the room and look for the Pokemon, and exit and re-enter if you don’t see them. Repeat this method until you spot the Rock-type.

The ‘mon can technically be found in any Rocky Cave Hideaways in the Grand Underground but from our testing, Big Bluff Cavern is the quickest way to find it.

How to get Pupitar in Pokemon BDSP

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Pupitar evolution screen
Pupitar can be evolved in BDSP.

If you caught Larvitar on Route 207 or in the Grand Underground, you will now need to build up experience points to trigger its evolution into Pupitar.

  1. Larvitar will evolve into Pupitar at level 30. This can be reached fairly quickly by taking the ‘mon into battles with wild Pokemon.
  2. Another method to level fast is to use a Rare Candy which automatically boosts your level by one.

As mentioned above, Pupitar can actually be caught as an overworld spawn in the Grand Underground. The second evolution is found in the Big Bluff Cavern and Rocky Cave Hideaways.

Evolving Tyranitar in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Players who caught Larvitar or Pupitar in the Grand Underground will find them at Level 58 – 63.

Because of this, you could technically evolve Tyranitar using just one Rare Candy. Even if you don’t have the consumable, you will just need to raise its level until it hits level 60 to trigger its final form.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Tyranitar
Players will need to evolve Tyranitar from Pupitar.

How to get Tyranitar in Pokemon Shining Pearl

Tyranitar is exclusive to Brilliant Diamond, and can NOT be caught in Shining Pearl. Players with the second version of the RPG can still get the green dinosaur but will need to trade with another player.

In the Sinnoh remakes, trading can be accessed in all Pokemon Centers by either going upstairs or downstairs to enter a community room. Simply connect with another Trainer and offer up a ‘mon to swap to get the Johto Rock-type.

Although Larvitar has a 12% spawn rate on Route 207, the ‘mon can only be found at level 7. So it should be pointed out that the quickest way to get Tyranitar is to catch its pre-evolutions in the Grand Underground as it only needs to be leveled up once or twice.


Now that you have the epic Pokemon on your team, make sure to check out our other Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl guides & walkthroughs:

All Rare Candy locations | Where to find Cresselia | How to get the National Pokedex | Best starter to pick | Beating all Gym Leaders | How to get all Sinnoh starters | Best ways to make money | How to unlock Mystery Gifts | How to get Eevee | How to get Leafeon | How to get Glaceon | How to get Umbreon & Espeon | Where to catch Spiritomb | How to get Riolu & Lucario | Where to find Gible & Garchomp | How to unlock the Bike | All trade evolutions