All trade evolution Pokemon and methods, including held item trades and how to evolve without trading.
Trade evolution occurs when a Pokemon is traded from one game to another. The moment the trade completes and the Pokemon arrives in the new game, it attempts to evolve. This mechanic was designed to encourage trading between players and create social interaction. In Generation 1, trade evolutions included Machoke, Graveler, Haunter, and Kadabra, which evolved into Machamp, Golem, Gengar, and Alakazam respectively.
The trade requirement can be problematic for players who do not have a second console or a trading partner. Game Freak has addressed this in various ways across generations. In Generation 7, certain NPCs offer to trade Pokemon that then evolve. Generation 8 introduced in-game trade evolutions through specific NPC trades. Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Generation 9 introduced the Linking Cord, which allows trade evolutions to occur without actual trading.
The following Pokemon evolve by trading without any held item: Machoke into Machamp, Graveler into Golem, Haunter into Gengar, Kadabra into Alakazam, Boldore into Gigalith, Gurdurr into Conkeldurr, Phantump into Trevenant, and Pumpkaboo into Gourgeist. Each of these Pokemon gains significant stat increases upon evolution, and the final forms are competitively viable.
The Karrablast and Shelmet pair has a unique interaction: when they are traded for each other, Karrablast evolves into Escavalier and Shelmet evolves into Accelgor simultaneously. This is the only case where two Pokemon evolve from the same trade. Pokemon HOME and GTS help facilitate these specific trades.
Many Pokemon require a held item to evolve when traded. The held item is consumed during evolution. The full list includes: Poliwhirl with King's Rock to Politoed, Slowpoke with King's Rock to Slowking, Seadra with Dragon Scale to Kingdra, Onix with Metal Coat to Steelix, Scyther with Metal Coat to Scizor, Porygon with Upgrade to Porygon2, Porygon2 with Dubious Disc to Porygon-Z, Rhydon with Protector to Rhyperior, Dusclops with Reaper Cloth to Dusknoir, Electabuzz with Electirizer to Electivire, Magmar with Magmarizer to Magmortar, Feebas with Prism Scale to Milotic, Spritzee with Sachet to Aromatisse, Swirlix with Whipped Dream to Slurpuff, and Happiny with Oval Stone to Chansey (not strictly a trade evolution, but friendship-based).
Pokemon GO handles trade evolutions differently, requiring Candy instead of trading. In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, the Linking Cord item triggers trade evolution without trading. Generation 9 continues this convenience with the Linking Cord available at the auction house in Porto Marinada and through the Poke Portal.
In-game trades offer another path. NPCs in various Pokemon games will trade specific Pokemon, and those traded Pokemon evolve. For example, in Pokemon Sword and Shield, an NPC in Circhester trades a Haunter that then evolves into Gengar upon receipt. Max Raid Dens and Tera Raid battles in Generation 8 and 9 can also yield fully evolved trade Pokemon as rare spawns.
Many trade evolution Pokemon are staples in competitive battling. Gengar is one of the most iconic, with its high Special Attack and Speed making it a formidable special sweeper. Conkeldurr's combination of high Attack and the ability Guts, boosted by a Flame Orb, makes it one of the most dangerous physical attackers in the game. Alakazam's incredible Speed and Special Attack, combined with abilities like Magic Guard or Synchronize, have kept it relevant across multiple generations. Scizor, evolved from Scyther via Metal Coat trade, is a top-tier choice thanks to its Technician-boosted Bullet Punch priority attack. Learn more about competitive trade evolution Pokemon on Bulbapedia's trade evolution page.
Trade evolution Pokemon often have unique stat distributions that make them valuable in specific tiers. Machamp's No Guard ability makes Dynamic Punch a 100% accuracy move that always confuses the target. Gigalith's Sand Stream ability, when combined with a Sand Rush teammate, creates a powerful weather-based core. Slowking's unique typing and ability Regenerator make it an excellent defensive pivot in both singles and doubles formats. The Wikipedia article on Pokemon competitive battling provides an overview of how these Pokemon fit into the metagame. The Pokemon Fandom trade evolution wiki covers every trade evolution Pokemon and their competitive roles.
The Karrablast and Shelmet evolution pair is unique in the Pokemon series. When Karrablast is traded for Shelmet, both evolve simultaneously — Karrablast into Escavalier and Shelmet into Accelgor. This mechanic reflects the biological relationship between the two species, where one uses the other's shed shell for armor. Escavalier gains a powerful Bug/Steel typing with high Defense, while Accelgor becomes one of the fastest non-legendary Pokemon with incredible Speed. This mirror trade is the only instance in Pokemon where two Pokemon evolve from the same trade interaction.
Both Pokemon also have unique movepools that reflect their trade-bond origin. Escavalier learns Megahorn and Iron Head as its primary STAB moves, while Accelgor's movepool focuses on special attacks like Bug Buzz, Focus Blast, and Energy Ball. Despite their linked evolution, they fill entirely different roles in battle. The evolution mechanic is thoroughly documented on Bulbapedia's Karrablast page.
Pro Tip: Trade evolutions include Haunter Machoke Graveler and Kadabra. Some need held items like Metal Coat.