Catch Rate Calculator
Select a Pokemon above to calculate catch probability.
Try searching for Mewtwo, Garchomp, or any Pokemon you are trying to catch.
Best Pokeball
Pokeball Progression
Poke Ball
First available: Badge 1, Brock
Tries to catch a wild Pokémon.
Sold At
- Viridian City₽200Start
- Pewter City₽200Badge 1
- Cerulean City₽200Badge 2
- Vermilion City₽200Badge 3
Pickup Locations
- FieldViridian ForestAt the end of a grassy dead-end path northwest of the southern entrance
How to Catch Pokemon
In FireRed & LeafGreen, every wild Pokemon has a hidden number called its catch rate. It sits somewhere between 3 and 255. Higher numbers mean the Pokeball is more likely to stay closed when you throw it. Common Pokemon like Caterpie sit at 255. Legendary Pokemon like Mewtwo are stuck at 3, which is why Mewtwo takes so many tries to catch.
Three things change your odds the most: how low the wild Pokemon's HP is, what status condition you put it in, and which Pokeball you throw. Drop HP first, apply Sleep or Freeze for a 2x bonus (Paralysis, Burn, or Poison gives a smaller 1.5x boost if Sleep is not an option), then throw the situational ball. Generation III introduced the modern catch formula and the first wave of situational balls. Quick Ball and Dusk Ball do not exist yet, so your turn-1 plays here are more limited than later games.
How to Increase Your Catch Chance
Multipliers compound. The standard sequence is weaken HP, apply Sleep when available, throw the situational ball. That sequence turns a low base catch rate into a much more reliable catch.
1Weaken HP with False Swipe. Knock the wild Pokemon to 1 HP without knocking it out. False Swipe caps damage at exactly 1 HP when the hit would otherwise faint the target. For Ghost-types (immune to Normal moves), use Night Shade instead and watch the HP bar.
- Power
- 40
- Accuracy
- 100%
- PP
- 40
- Power
- —
- Accuracy
- 100%
- PP
- 15
2Put the target to Sleep for a 2x catch bonus. Sleep is the strongest status multiplier in Generation III. Four primary sleep moves, ordered by accuracy:
- Power
- —
- Accuracy
- 100%
- PP
- 15
- Power
- —
- Accuracy
- 75%
- PP
- 15
- Power
- —
- Accuracy
- 60%
- PP
- 20
- Power
- —
- Accuracy
- 55%
- PP
- 15
3Throw the right ball. The right ball depends on the situation, not on rarity. Walk through the questions below in priority order. Stop at the first YES.
Walk through these questions in order and stop at the first YES — that is your ball. If none of the questions apply, throw an Ultra Ball.
Repeat Ball3x bonus
Net Ball3x bonus
Dive Ball3.5x bonus
Timer Ball~4x bonus
Ultra Ball2x bonus
Great Ball1.5x bonusPoke Ball1x (no bonus)Skipping any step costs you catch odds. The full sequence is weaken HP, apply Sleep when available, then throw the situational ball. With only Gen III balls available, every multiplier you can stack matters more here than in later games.
FireRed and LeafGreen are remakes of the original Red and Blue, but they run on the modern Gen III catch formula. The Kanto lineup is catchable here using these refined mechanics rather than the coarser Gen I system. Use the calculator above to test catch scenarios for any FireRed or LeafGreen encounter, including the legendary trio (Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres) and Mewtwo at Cerulean Cave.