How Do You Evolve a Haunter Pokémon Into Gengar? Step-by-Step Guide

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Plus, find out if it’s possible to evolve Haunter without trading it

Co-authored by Devin McSween Reviewed by Ishrak

Last Updated: July 23, 2025 Fact Checked

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Evolving Haunter

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Can I evolve Haunter without trading?

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Catching a Gengar

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Catching a Gastly

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

Haunter is a Ghost and Poison-type pokémon that evolves into the powerful Gengar. Haunter has an interesting evolution, though—it evolves into Gengar by trading it, rather than leveling it up or giving it an item! In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about evolving Haunter into Gengar, including how to get a Haunter (or Gastly, if you don't mind leveling it up) and how to set up a trade in each game. We’ll also go over if it’s ever possible to evolve Haunter without trading it and if you can find wild Gengars in the Pokémon games. Keep reading to learn more!

Haunter Evolution Guide

In the core games (Gen 1-9), Haunter evolves into Gengar only when you trade it to someone. Once Haunter is traded, it immediately evolves into Gengar. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Haunter evolves into Gengar when you use the Linking Cord. In Pokémon GO, Haunter can evolve from a trade or by giving it 100 candies.

Section 1 of 4:

Evolving Haunter into a Gengar

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Depending on the version of Pokémon you are playing, you may or may not be able to find a Haunter in the wild. Below are the locations you can find a Haunter in each game:^{[1]
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Alternatively, catch a Gastly and raise it to level 25 to evolve it into a Haunter (more on how to do that below).

Game	Location
Red Blue Yellow	Pokémon Tower
Gold Silver Crystal	Route 8 (Night)
Ruby Sapphire Emerald	Trade only (from FR or LG)
FireRed LeafGreen	Pokémon Tower, Lost Cave
Diamond Pearl Platinum	Turnback Cave, Old Chateau (with R, S, E, FR, or LG inserted in DS)
HeartGold SoulSilver	Route 8 (Night), Safari Zone (Night)
Black	Trade only (from W)
White	Catch and evolve Gastly
Black 2 White 2	Trade only (from B or W)
X Y	Route 14, Route 19, Frost Cavern, Victory Road
Alpha Sapphire Omega Ruby	Trade only (from X or Y)
Sun Moon Ultra Sun Ultra Moon	Abandoned Thrifty Megamart
Sword Shield	Route 8, Giant’s Seat (Overcast), Rolling Fields (Raining, Thunderstorm), Watchtower Ruins (Overcast, Raining, Thunderstorm), Max Raid Battles
Brilliant Diamond Shining Pearl	Turnback Cave
Scarlet Violet	Dalizapa Passage (Night), Glaseado Mountain (Night), North Province Area One (Night), 3 Star Tera Raid Battles

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Trade your Haunter to a friend. Haunter only evolves into Gengar when it is traded—it does not evolve by leveling up or giving it an evolution stone. So, you'll need to trade with someone you trust who will trade Haunter back to you once it evolves. The method for trading varies depending on the Pokémon game you are playing:^{[2]
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- Gens 1 through 7 only support local trading, as Nintendo no longer supports online Wi-Fi trading for these games. This means you must have a friend with a compatible game and be in the same room as them to trade.
  - R/B/Y and G/S/C: Connect the Gameboys with a link cable and visit a Pokémon Center.^{[3]
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  - R/S and FR/LG: Connect the Gameboy Advances with a link cable and visit a Pokémon Center.^{[4]
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  - D/P/Pt, HG/SS, B/W, and B2/W2: Go to a Pokémon Center and enter the Union Room.^{[5]
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  - X/Y and OR/AS: Access the Player Search System from the touch-screen menu.^{[6]
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  - S/M and US/UM: Select Quick Link from the touch-screen menu.^{[7]
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- Gens 8 and 9 support local and Wi-Fi trading. So, you can trade with a nearby friend or other players online. You just need a Nintendo Switch Online membership to trade online.
  - Sw/Sh: Open the Y-Comm and select Link Trade to trade locally. To connect with someone online, press the “+” button and select “Start Trading.”^{[8]
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  - BD/SP: Go to a Pokémon Center and enter the Union Room upstairs to do a local trade. To trade online, go to a Pokémon Center and enter the downstairs Union Room.^{[9]
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  - S/V: Select Poké Portal from the menu and choose Link Trade to do a local trade. To trade online, connect to the internet (press the “L” button) and select Link Trade.^{[10]
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- If you are playing a game on an emulator, some allow you to trade online. Others, such as John GBA Lite, allow you to trade with yourself using another game file. Some emulators/ROMs are even coded to evolve Haunter without trading it.
- Note: Fans have created online servers for some of the older games to allow for online trading. You can search for these online!
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Once your friend receives the Haunter through trade, it will evolve into a Gengar. Just repeat the trade process and have your friend send it back to you so that you can use your new Gengar!

Section 2 of 4:

Can I evolve Haunter without trading?

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Haunter can evolve without trading in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. In all of the core Pokémon games, Haunter is only able to evolve into Gengar by trading it. However, in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, you can evolve Haunter into Gengar by using the Linking Cord item.^{[11]
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- You can get a Gengar in Scarlet and Violet through an in-game trade. An NPC in Levincia is willing to trade their Haunter for a Pincurchin. Once you receive the Haunter from the trade, it evolves into Gengar.^{[12]
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- In Pokémon GO, you can evolve a Haunter into a Gengar by feeding it 100 candies or by trading a Haunter with a friend.

Section 3 of 4:

Can you catch a wild Gengar?

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Wild Gengars have a rare chance of appearing in some games. In most Pokémon games, you have to trade a Haunter in order to get a Gengar. However, it can appear in the wild in some games, though the chances of it appearing are pretty rare. Below are the games and locations where you might just catch a Gengar:^{[13]
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- Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum: Old Chateau (Second Floor, Fifth Room) with a Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, or LeafGreen cartridge inserted in the DS.
- Sun and Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon: S.O.S Battles in the Abandoned Thrifty Megamart.
- Sword and Shield: Giant’s Cap as an overworld encounter and in Max Raid Battles (Giant’s Mirror, South Lake Miloch, Stony Wilderness).
- Scarlet and Violet: 5 and 6 Star Tera Raid Battles.

Section 4 of 4:

Where to Find a Gastly

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Catch or trade for a Gastly if Haunter is too difficult to catch. If you’re having trouble finding and catching a Haunter, it may be easier to catch a Gastly instead. Gastly evolves into Haunter at level 25. Below are all the places you can find Gastly in each game:^{[14]
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- Red, Blue, and Yellow: Pokémon Tower
- Gold, Silver, and Crystal: Sprout Tower (Night), Tin Tower (Night)
- Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald: Trade only (from FR or LG)
- FireRed and LeafGreen: Pokémon Tower, Lost Cave
- Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum: Route 209 (Night), Old Chateau, Lost Tower
- HeartGold and SoulSilver: Sprout Tower (Night), Bell Tower (Night), Safari Zone (Night)
- White: White Forest
- Black, White 2, and Black 2: Trade only (from W)
- X and Y: Breeding only (Breed 2 Haunter at the Day Care center)
- Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire: Trade only (from X or Y)
- Sun and Moon: Hau'oli Cemetery, Memorial Hill
- Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon: Hau'oli Cemetery, Memorial Hill, Route 1 (interact)
- Sword and Shield: Giant’s Seat, Hammerlocke Hills, North Lake Miloch, Watchtower Ruins, Max Raid Battles
- Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl: Route 209 (Night), Old Chateau, Lost Tower, Grand Underground
- Scarlet and Violet: East Province Area Two (Night), East Province Area Three (Night), South Province Area One (Night), South Province Area Three (Night), West Province Area One (Night), 2 Star Tera Raid Battles

Community Q&A

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Question

Where do I go to trade Pokemon with trustworthy people?

Community Answer

There is really no place to trade with trustworthy people. Although, the best way of doing that is to trade with the people you have on your friends' list if you have one.

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Does it have to be traded?

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Yes, it has to be traded.

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Does Haunter need to hold an item while being traded?

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No. Haunter can be traded with or without an item.

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Tips

Check out the moves Haunter and Gengar can learn by leveling up to decide when to evolve Haunter. For instance, check out guides from Bulbapedia or Serebii to find out the moves Haunter and Gengar learn, and when. For the most part, Haunter and Gengar learn the same moves.

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