Is Gengar Good in Gold & Silver Playthrough?
Trade evolution, but worth it if you can manage. Gengar is one of the best Pokemon in Gold and Silver. Fast, hits hard, and MoveHypnosis solves fights it can't win outright. Strong against Will and most of Kanto.
Falkner's Pokemon outpace and outclass Gastly here.
Gastly trades roughly evenly with Bugsy's team.
Gastly trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Haunter resists most of Morty's coverage and hits back hard.
Haunter has the type edge here and should clean up Chuck's team.
Jasmine's typing presses Haunter's defenses.
Haunter resists most of Pryce's coverage and hits back hard.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Clair's team.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Gengar resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Gengar resists most of Janine's coverage and hits back hard.
Gengar resists most of Misty's coverage and hits back hard.
Gengar resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Gengar resists most of Will's coverage and hits back hard.
Gengar resists most of Koga's coverage and hits back hard.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Gengar resists most of Lance's coverage and hits back hard.
Catch Gastly
Catch Gastly in Sprout Tower (walking, Lv 3-6, common).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- LV 21GhostNight ShadePower 50Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Morty
- TM30GhostShadow BallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Prize for defeating Morty
- LV 33PsychicDream EaterPower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Jasmine
- TM10NormalHidden PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a fisherman in a house at Lake of Rage
- After Lt. Surge
- TM07ElectricZap CannonPower 100Accuracy 50%PP 5Gift from the Power Plant manager after returning the Machine Part
- TM29PsychicPsychicPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10Saffron City
- TM19GrassGiga DrainPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 5Prize for defeating Erika
Evolve Gastly to Haunter
Gastly evolves into Haunter at Level 25. Your Gastly should hit Level 25 before you reach Morty, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 25)
- LV 25GhostNight ShadePower 50Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Bugsy
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Morty
- TM30GhostShadow BallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Prize for defeating Morty
- After Jasmine
- TM10NormalHidden PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a fisherman in a house at Lake of Rage
- LV 39PsychicDream EaterPower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Lt. Surge
- TM07ElectricZap CannonPower 100Accuracy 50%PP 5Gift from the Power Plant manager after returning the Machine Part
- TM29PsychicPsychicPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10Saffron City
- TM19GrassGiga DrainPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 5Prize for defeating Erika
Evolve Haunter to Gengar
Haunter evolves into Gengar when traded. Most players are ready to trade before reaching Clair.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM48FireFire PunchPower 75Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Department Store
- TM33IceIce PunchPower 75Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Department Store
- After Morty
- TM30GhostShadow BallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Prize for defeating Morty
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Olivine City
- LV 39PsychicDream EaterPower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Lt. Surge
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Celadon Game Corner
- TM29PsychicPsychicPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10Saffron City
How to Get Gengar in Gold & Silver
Nothing wild leads to Gengar. Haunter evolves only when traded to another player, who sends it straight back, so the one thing standing between you and Gengar is a trade partner.
Catch Gastly or Haunter at any of these 3 spots to eventually evolve into Gengar.
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 1
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8How to Obtain Gengar in GS
To get Gengar, start by catching Gastly through walking encounters at Lv. 3-22. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
- Step 3Gengar ✓BREEDINGAvailableLeave a compatible parent at the Goldenrod Pokemon Day Care to receive a Gastly egg.
How to Get Shiny Gengar in Gold & Silver
Gengar rides along from a shiny Haunter, so work Route 8 until one glows, then push it through the trade the evolution demands. Compare Shiny Gengar odds across every game
Gold & Silver Shiny Gengar Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Breed w/ Shiny Parent, about 1 in 64 on each try.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
Breed w/ Shiny Parent: Eggs inherit stats from a shiny parent, so about 1 in 64 hatch shiny. A shiny Ditto helps every egg, and any other shiny parent (the red Gyarados works) helps only eggs of the opposite gender.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 7-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 19-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 45-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 147-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Curious how fast a hunt could go? Work out your Gold & Silver shiny odds for Gengar.
Gengar Weakness
Type-wise, Gengar takes extra damage from Ground, Psychic, Ghost, and Dark. Normal and Fighting moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. At base 110 Speed, Gengar outspeeds most threats and doesn't need to tank what it can outrun.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ground, Psychic, Ghost, Dark |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Poison, Bug |
| 0x (Immune) | Normal, Fighting |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
- Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
What is Gengar Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Gengar
 Marowak Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x106-125%KO Thief 2x17-21% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | B | |
 Tyranitar RockDark | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Tyranitar builds →Earthquake 2x108-128%KO Crunch 2x83-97% | ||
 Donphan Ground | B | |
 Kadabra Psychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Kadabra builds →Future Sight 2x149-175%KO Thief 2x34-40% Shadow Ball 2x31-37% Dig 2x24-28% | ||
 Sandslash Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Sandslash builds →Earthquake 2x126-149%KO Thief 2x16-19% | ||
 Piloswine IceGround | C | |
 Jynx IcePsychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Jynx builds →Dream Eater 2x119-141%KO Thief 2x33-39% Shadow Ball 2x39-46% Mud-Slap 2x11-13% | ||
 Lugia Psychic | S | |
Obtain MethodWhirl Islands Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Lugia builds →Dream Eater 2x98-115%KO Earthquake 2x77-91% Shadow Ball 2x62-74% | ||
 Nidoking PoisonGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Nidoking builds →Earthquake 2x129-152%KO Shadow Ball 2x69-81% Thief 2x25-30% | ||
 Xatu Psychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Xatu builds →Future Sight 2x122-144%KO Thief 2x28-34% | ||
 Slowbro WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Slowbro builds →Dream Eater 2x107-126%KO Earthquake 2x67-79% Shadow Ball 2x54-64% | ||
 Graveler RockGround | B | |
 Nidoqueen PoisonGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Nidoqueen builds →Earthquake 2x118-139%KO Shadow Ball 2x63-75% Thief 2x24-28% | ||
Gengar Evolutions
Getting Gengar requires a trade, not just grinding levels. The chain starts at Gastly. Breed this form to get Gastly eggs (average hatch time). Sp.Def grew the most through evolution (+40 over Gastly), and Gengar peaks at 500 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Gengar to get Gastly eggs easily using 11 partners from the Amorphous egg group. Notable egg moves include Haze, Perish Song, Psywave.
GS Gengar Best Moveset
Normal immunity shuts down the format's most common physical moves, and 130 Sp. Atk fires MoveThunderbolt, MoveIce Punch, and coverage from one of the highest special stats available. MoveHypnosis sleeps whatever switches in. Held ItemLeftovers provides recovery. Untouchable by Normal moves and devastating on the special side.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Ice Punch
- Explosion
- Thunderbolt
- Destiny Bond
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Breeding's the move. Haze and Perish Song give Gengar options it can't learn any other way, and coverage across 8 types already covers a decent range on top of Shadow Ball and Lick. The egg moves push it further.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
22 of 31 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
It steals heat from its surroundings. If you feel a sudden chill, it is certain that a GENGAR appeared.
To steal the life of its target, it slips into the prey’s shadow and silently waits for an opportunity.
Gengar Gold & Silver Guide
Mega Evolution isn't available in Gold & Silver, but Gengar does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Gengar hits 600 BST.
Gengar is obtained by trade-evolving Haunter. Catch or evolve a Haunter first, then trade.
In Gold & Silver, Gengar plays as a sweeper. It outspeeds most threats, so it can pressure opponents before they move.
Gigantamax Gengar is exclusive to Sword & Shield, so it's not usable in Gold & Silver. The form has a unique appearance and a signature G-Max move.
Game Availability
Since debuting in Red & Blue, Gengar has appeared in 22 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 6 and a Gigantamax form in Generation 8, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORASMega
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwShGigantamax
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
Explore
Where to go next after Gengar.
Keep playing · Gold & SilverGold & Silver Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Gold & Silver Tier List