Every evolution stone, which Pokemon they evolve, and how generational differences affect stone evolution.
Evolution stones have been a part of Pokemon since Generation 1. These special items cause instant evolution when used on compatible Pokemon. Unlike level-up evolution, stone evolution can be performed at any time, giving the player control over when their Pokemon evolves. Each stone type is associated with a specific element and can evolve multiple species.
Over nine generations, the number of evolution stones and the Pokemon they affect has expanded significantly. Some stones work on different Pokemon depending on the region. For example, the Leaf Stone evolves Gloom into Vileplume and Weepinbell into Victreebel in Kanto, as well as Exeggcute into Exeggutor and Nuzleaf into Shiftry in Hoenn.
Fire Stone: Evolves Growlithe (Kanto) into Arcanine, Vulpix (Kanto) into Ninetales, Eevee into Flareon, and Pansear into Simisear. Found in various locations including Route 8 in Kanto and the Fire Stone shop in some regions.
Water Stone: Evolves Poliwhirl into Poliwrath, Shellder into Cloyster, Staryu into Starmie, Eevee into Vaporeon, Lombre into Ludicolo, and Panpour into Simipour. Often found near bodies of water or purchased in department stores.
Thunder Stone: Evolves Pikachu into Raichu, Eevee into Jolteon, Magneton into Magnezone (Gen 8+), Eelektrik into Eelektross, and Charjabug into Vikavolt. Commonly found in power plant areas and cities.
Leaf Stone: Evolves Gloom into Vileplume, Weepinbell into Victreebel, Exeggcute into Exeggutor, Eevee into Leafeon, Nuzleaf into Shiftry, and Pansage into Simisage. Found in wooded areas and forests.
Moon Stone: Evolves Nidorina into Nidoqueen, Nidorino into Nidoking, Clefairy into Clefable, Jigglypuff into Wigglytuff, Skitty into Delcatty, and Munna into Musharna. Found in Mt. Moon and other cave systems.
Sun Stone: Evolves Gloom into Bellossom, Sunkern into Sunflora, Cottonee into Whimsicott, Petilil into Lilligant, and Helioptile into Heliolisk. Often found in desert areas or sunny routes.
Shiny Stone: Evolves Togetic into Togekiss, Roselia into Roserade, Minccino into Cinccino, and Floette into Florges. A rare stone with a distinctive glittering appearance.
Dusk Stone: Evolves Murkrow into Honchkrow, Misdreavus into Mismagius, Lampent into Chandelure, and Doublade into Aegislash. Associated with dark locations and night-time.
Dawn Stone: Evolves male Kirlia into Gallade and female Snorunt into Froslass. Unique for having gender-specific evolution conditions.
Ice Stone: Evolves Alolan Sandshrew into Alolan Sandslash, Alolan Vulpix into Alolan Ninetales, Eevee into Glaceon, Crabrawler into Crabominable, and Cetoddle into Cetitan. The newest standard stone type, introduced in Generation 7.
In early generations, evolution stones were one-time-use items that could only be found in specific locations. Generation 5 introduced the ability to purchase stones at certain shops, making them renewable resources. Generation 7 added stone-selling stores on every island of Alola. In Generation 8 and 9, the Wild Area and item shops make stones readily available, though some rare stones still require exploration or specific activities.
The introduction of the Leaf Stone and Ice Stone options for Leafeon and Glaceon in Generation 8 changed their evolution from location-dependent (Mossy Rock and Ice Rock areas) to item-dependent, making them easier to obtain in games without those specific locations.
Evolution stones can be obtained through multiple methods across different generations. In Pokemon Sword and Shield, players can purchase Fire, Water, Thunder, Leaf, and Ice Stones from the Bridge Field vending machine in the Wild Area for 500 Watts each. The Digging Duo in the Wild Area may also unearth rare stones. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet allow players to buy most common stones from Delibird Presents shops in major cities, while specialized stones like the Dusk, Dawn, Shiny, and Sun Stones are available from the auction house in Porto Marinada or as rare drops from specific Pokemon. For a complete farming guide, visit Bulbapedia's evolution stone page.
Tera Raid battles in Generation 9 provide another reliable source for evolution stones. Five-star and six-star raids frequently drop stones of various types. Additionally, the Item Printer in the Indigo Disk DLC can produce evolution stones when fed with Pokemon materials. Players can also use the Pokemon Home app to transfer stones between games, consolidating resources across multiple save files. The Wikipedia article on Pokemon Sword and Shield provides more detail on the Wild Area item economy. For detailed stone evolution data, see the Pokemon Fandom evolution stone guide.
Timing a stone evolution requires careful consideration. Since stone evolutions can be performed at any level, many trainers delay evolution to learn moves that the evolved form would not learn naturally. For example, Pikachu learns Thunderbolt at Level 26, but evolving it into Raichu before that means Raichu misses out on this essential move and must rely on TM compatibility instead. Similarly, Eevee learns Last Resort at Level 45, so evolving it into one of its stone-based forms (Flareon, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Leafeon, or Glaceon) before that level permanently prevents access to that move.
Stone evolutions also affect stat growth. Pokemon that evolve via stone typically stop learning new moves by level-up, but their stats increase immediately. This makes them valuable for early-game power spikes. A Raichu obtained early with a Thunder Stone will have significantly higher Special Attack than a Pikachu at the same level, making it effective for speedrunning or Nuzlocke playthroughs. The tradeoff between immediate power and long-term movepool access is a central strategic decision documented on Bulbapedia's stone evolution section.
Pro Tip: Evolution Stones permanently evolve certain Pokemon and bypass level requirements.