The checklists track the objectives listed here. Trading, events and version-specific extras are explained in each guide.
Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow
A walkthrough for the international Pokémon Red and Blue releases on Game Boy and Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console. Follow the chapters from your starter to the Hall of Fame, Mewtwo and the Pokédex diploma. Pokémon Yellow changes are listed separately. This is one continuous route. Several midgame Gyms can be cleared in a different order.
Pallet Town to Pewter City
Head north from Pallet Town toward Route 1. Professor Oak stops you and takes you to his lab. Choose Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle and battle your rival. Follow Route 1 to the Viridian City Poké Mart, pick up Oak’s Parcel and bring it back to the lab. With the Pokédex, return to Viridian City and take Route 2 through Viridian Forest to Pewter City. Defeat Brock at the Gym. Water and Grass attacks work well against Geodude and Onix. The Boulder Badge also lets you use Flash in the field later.
Mt. Moon, Misty and Bill
Leave Pewter City east along Route 3. Near the end of Mt. Moon, defeat the fossil collector and choose one of his fossils. The Helix Fossil becomes Omanyte and the Dome Fossil becomes Kabuto. Follow Route 4 to Cerulean City. Defeat Misty for the Cascade Badge, which lets you use Cut in the field once you have it. Cross Nugget Bridge, follow Route 24 and head east on Route 25. Use Bill’s PC to help him return to human form. He gives you the S.S. Ticket. Back in Cerulean, you can pass through the burglarized house. Defeat the Rocket Grunt behind the house to get TM Dig.
Vermilion City, S.S. Anne and Cut
Head south from Cerulean through the Underground Path between Routes 5 and 6 to Vermilion City. Show the S.S. Ticket at the harbor. On the S.S. Anne, battle your rival and help the captain in his cabin for HM01 Cut. Use it with the Cascade Badge on the bush outside Lt. Surge’s Gym. The Gym puzzle hides two switches in adjacent trash cans. After finding the first switch, check a can right beside it. Lt. Surge’s Thunder Badge enables Fly later. For the dark Rock Tunnel, you can take Diglett’s Cave east of Vermilion to Route 2. Find Oak’s aide beyond a bush for HM05 Flash after catching 10 different species. For an optional bicycle, get the Bike Voucher from the Pokémon Fan Club chairman and redeem it in Cerulean.
Rock Tunnel, Celadon and the Silph Scope
Return to Cerulean and cut the bush on its east side to reach Route 9. Route 10 and Rock Tunnel lead to Lavender Town. Flash lights the cave. Head west through the Underground Path from Route 8 to Route 7 and continue to Celadon City. At the Game Corner, defeat the Rocket Grunt by the poster and inspect the poster to open the hideout. Work through the spin tiles to B4F. Speak again to the defeated grunt in the northwest and pick up the Lift Key he drops. Ride the lift to the closed section of B4F, beat the guards and Giovanni, and pick up the Silph Scope. Defeat Erika for the Rainbow Badge, which enables Strength in the field. Buy a drink from the department store rooftop for a later checkpoint. For optional HM02 Fly, cut the bush on Route 16 west of Celadon and reach the house to the north.
Pokémon Tower and Saffron City
Take the Silph Scope to Lavender Town’s Pokémon Tower. On the way up, defeat your rival and the ghost Marowak before the top floor. Rescue Mr. Fuji from Team Rocket, then collect the Poké Flute at his house. Use it to wake Snorlax on Route 12 or 16. Save before the encounter if you want to catch it. Give a gate guard Fresh Water, Soda Pop or Lemonade from Celadon’s department store rooftop to enter Saffron. In Silph Co., go to 5F. Find the warp tile in the south hallway beside a Rocket Grunt. Step on it and immediately warp back. The Card Key is east of the tile. On 3F, open the central room and use its warp to the rival on 7F. You can accept Lapras there with space in your party. The next warp leads to the final section on 11F. Defeat Giovanni and collect the Master Ball from the president. Sabrina’s Gym is now accessible. Take the entrance warp, then the northwest, southwest and southwest tiles in the next three rooms to reach Sabrina. At the Fighting Dojo next door, choose Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan after winning its battles.
Fuchsia City, Safari Zone and Surf
From Lavender, take Routes 12 through 15 to Fuchsia City. Alternatively, ride your bicycle from Celadon through Route 16 and Cycling Road. Beat Koga for the Soul Badge, which enables Surf in the field. In the Safari Zone, follow the path from the entrance to the east, then north and into the west area. Collect the Gold Teeth there and get HM03 Surf from the official in the Secret House. Return the teeth to the warden at the southeast house in Fuchsia for HM04 Strength. Erika’s Rainbow Badge lets you use it on boulders. Prioritize Surf and the Gold Teeth on your first safari. You can return for rare catches later.
Cinnabar Island and the eighth badge
Surf south from Pallet Town along Route 21 to Cinnabar Island. The alternative route through Seafoam Islands is useful when going after Articuno. Cinnabar Gym requires the Secret Key from the Pokémon Mansion. Flip the statue switches to change the doors, go to 3F and jump off the larger left balcony near the Scientist. In the newly accessible part of 1F, take the stairs to the basement. Use the basement statue switch to reach the Secret Key in the western room. Defeat Blaine for the Volcano Badge. At the island lab you can also revive your fossil and the Old Amber from the back entrance of the Pewter Museum. With seven badges, Viridian Gym opens. Defeat Giovanni and his Ground Pokémon for the Earth Badge.
Victory Road, the Elite Four and Hall of Fame
Head west from Viridian City on Route 22 and battle your rival. Route 23 checks all eight badges. Bring Surf for the water and Strength for Victory Road. Push boulders onto the round floor switches to clear barriers. On 3F, push a boulder down a hole and follow it to the next switch. At the League, defeat Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, Lance and your rival as Champion. Bring healing items and Revives for the five consecutive battles. Winning enters your team in the Hall of Fame.
Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres
Level 50 Articuno is deep in Seafoam Islands. Use Strength to push two boulders through holes into the water, stopping the current so you can Surf to its island. Level 50 Zapdos is in the Power Plant. Surf down the river from Route 10 north of Rock Tunnel, then follow the building to its back room. Level 50 Moltres waits on a separate ledge of Victory Road. In the northwest of 3F, take the ladder down to 2F. Save in front of each bird. Lower its HP without knocking it out, inflict sleep or paralysis and bring plenty of Ultra Balls.
After the credits and Mewtwo
Cerulean Cave opens after you enter the Hall of Fame. From Cerulean City, cross Nugget Bridge north to Route 24. Surf south from the west bank to the cave entrance. Follow the ladders and waterways to the basement, where level 70 Mewtwo waits on an island. Save before the encounter. Keep the Silph Co. Master Ball for this battle or use status moves and Ultra Balls. You can challenge the League again. Mewtwo counts toward the Pokédex diploma.
Pokédex diploma and trading plan
The regular diploma requires all 150 species from Bulbasaur through Mewtwo registered as owned. Seeing a species does not count. Take the completed Pokédex to Game Freak in Celadon Mansion. Plan trades for the missing starters, the other Mt. Moon fossil line, version-exclusive Pokémon the other two Eevee evolutions and whichever of Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan you did not choose at the Dojo. Find Eevee on the top floor of Celadon Mansion through the rear entrance. Red exclusives include Growlithe, Scyther and Electabuzz. Blue exclusives include Vulpix, Pinsir and Magmar. Kadabra, Machoke, Graveler and Haunter evolve when traded into Alakazam, Machamp, Golem and Gengar. You only need to have owned a Pokémon once for its entry. A living dex with every species held at the same time is an extra goal. Mew is historical event entry 151 and is outside the regular 150-species requirement. Game Boy cartridges trade with a compatible link cable. Existing 3DS Virtual Console copies use local wireless trading between compatible copies on two 3DS systems.
Pokémon Yellow version differences
In Yellow, Pikachu follows you from the start and your rival receives Eevee. Your starter Pikachu refuses a Thunder Stone in its original game. In Cerulean, a girl in the house beside the Pokémon Center gives you Bulbasaur if Pikachu trusts you enough. A Trainer on Route 24 gives you Charmander. After earning Lt. Surge’s Thunder Badge, the officer in Vermilion gives you Squirtle. At the north end of the Underground Path on Route 5, you can trade Cubone for a Machoke that evolves into Machamp. Jessie and James appear in Team Rocket sections. Gym teams and wild encounters change, while the towns and main key items still guide progression.
What this completion checklist covers
The checklist covers all eight badges, the main story through the Hall of Fame, the four regular legendary catches and the 150-species Pokédex diploma. For one-time fossils and gifts, confirm the dex entry before using, evolving or trading them. Every Trainer, every hidden item, a living dex and historical events are additional goals outside this count. FireRed, LeafGreen and Let’s Go have their own routes. Checkmarks record your progress in this guide on this device.
Step-by-step route for Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version. The story and core routes apply to Game Boy Advance and the digital Switch port. Version-specific tickets, trading, Pokémon HOME and glitches are labelled at their relevant checkpoints. Checked November 12, 2026.
Game Boy Advance and Switch
The original cartridges launched in 2004. FireRed and LeafGreen arrived on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 as individual digital releases on February 27, 2026. GBA trading requires compatible hardware with a Link Cable or Wireless Adapter. The port trades locally between Switch systems. Pokémon HOME supports the Switch port from October 7, 2026, with transfers only going into HOME.
Pallet Town to Pewter City · Boulder Badge
Choose Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle at Professor Oak's lab. Squirtle and Bulbasaur have a type advantage in the first Gym. If you pick Charmander, Mankey from Route 22 can help with a Fighting move.
Mt. Moon, Cerulean City and Bill · Cascade Badge
Route 3 takes you to Mt. Moon. Choose the Helix Fossil or Dome Fossil. The first revives into Omanyte and the second into Kabuto. Misty's Starmie is quicker and stronger than her Staryu. Grass or Electric types help.
Vermilion City and the S.S. Anne · Thunder Badge
The S.S. Anne is the required route to HM01 Cut. Explore any cabins you want before the ship departs. Lt. Surge's Gym switches reset if you choose the wrong bin after finding the first switch.
Rock Tunnel, Celadon and Rocket Hideout · Rainbow Badge
From Cerulean City, head east over Routes 9 and 10 into Rock Tunnel. Lavender Town is beyond it. You need the Silph Scope from Celadon City to finish Pokémon Tower.
Pokémon Tower and Silph Co. · Marsh Badge
The Silph Scope identifies the Marowak ghost in Pokémon Tower. It is a mandatory battle and cannot be caught. The Poké Flute opens the routes blocked by sleeping Snorlax on Routes 12 and 16. Obtain Tea for Saffron's guards in the Celadon building.
Fuchsia City and Safari Zone · Soul Badge
Reach Fuchsia from Lavender via Routes 12–15, or from Celadon via Routes 16–18 on Cycling Road if you have the bicycle. Save before Snorlax if you want to catch it. Surf and the Gold Teeth are key Safari Zone objectives.
Cinnabar Island, Pokémon Mansion and Blaine · Volcano Badge
With Surf, reach the island from Pallet Town via Route 21 or from Fuchsia via Routes 19 and 20. The second route passes through Seafoam Islands. The lab revives fossils and the Old Amber from the rear entrance of the Pewter museum.
First Sevii trip · One through Three Island
Bill first offers the Sevii trip after Blaine. If you decline, speak to him later in the Cinnabar Island Pokémon Center. The Tri-Pass opens One through Three Island.
Earth Badge, Victory Road and the first Pokémon League
Giovanni is the eighth Gym Leader. Route 23 then checks all eight badges. In Victory Road, use Strength to push boulders onto floor switches. The League is Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, Lance and your rival. Plan healing, PP and move coverage before the first battle.
National Pokédex, Ruby and Rainbow Pass
The National Pokédex requires entry in the Hall of Fame and at least 60 species marked as caught in the Kanto Dex. Evolutions count as distinct species. Giving the Ruby to Celio upgrades the Tri-Pass to the Rainbow Pass for Islands Four through Seven.
Waterfall, Sapphire and Rocket Warehouse
For the second gemstone, first help Lorelei on Four Island, then visit the Braille cave on Six Island and the warehouse on Five Island. Trying to pick up the Sapphire triggers the scene that gives you the second password.
Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres and Mewtwo
The three birds are level 50. Mewtwo is level 70, deep in Cerulean Cave. Save before each static encounter and take plenty of Ultra Balls and a Pokémon that can inflict sleep or paralysis.
Raikou, Entei or Suicune · Roamer hunt
After giving the Sapphire to Celio, one of the three Pokémon starts roaming Kanto: Squirtle gives Raikou, Bulbasaur gives Entei, and Charmander gives Suicune. It is level 50. On western GBA cartridges, a successful Roar from Raikou or Entei can remove it permanently. Serebii reports that the Switch port fixes the issue. Roaming Suicune does not know Roar.
MysticTicket and AuroraTicket · Lugia, Ho-Oh and Deoxys
On Switch, both tickets are automatically placed in Key Items after entering the Hall of Fame. If they are missing, bring a party member without a previous Champion Ribbon and win again. On GBA, tickets came from historical distributions. Both ticket ferries also require the Rainbow Pass. Depart from Vermilion City.
Kanto Dex, version trading and National Dex
The Kanto diploma requires the 150 species excluding Mew. One save alone cannot complete the collection because of starters, fossils, version exclusives and trade evolutions. The original GBA National diploma uses 380 of the 386 species as its target. The full original-generation collection requires further compatible games. The Switch port does not import Pokémon from HOME.
Shiny hunting and version-specific glitches
The normal base shiny odds are 1 in 8,192. This game has no Shiny Charm. Unown forms can have unusual odds depending on the Trainer ID and hidden ID. GBA soft resets use A + B + Start + Select. The documented Switch shortcut is A + B + X + Y.
Seven Island, Trainer Tower and the completion lap
After Celio's quest, work the Sevii areas into your completion lap. The Tanoby Ruins and Trainer Tower are separate objectives. The League rematch fields stronger teams than the first round. Regional and National Pokédex goals are separate.
From your first badge to Pecharunt, this route covers the three story paths, Area Zero, Paldea’s postgame, both DLC expansions and the epilogue. It covers all three regional Dex completion milestones and explains which catches need a trade, Union Circle or an event. Expect story spoilers and a selection of optional activities and collectibles.
Getting started and building a team
Enroll at Naranja Academy in Scarlet or Uva Academy in Violet in Mesagoza. Play the introduction until Director Clavell announces the Treasure Hunt. You can now take on Gyms, Titans and Team Star on the same journey. Opponent levels are fixed. Use the strongest opponent in each fight as a benchmark and pick your next stop based on the types your team can cover. Gym Badges raise the level threshold at which newly obtained Pokémon reliably obey.
All 18 story objectives in one route
This route combines all three paths and orders their main objectives by approximate opponent strength. The numbers show the highest opposing level or the Titan’s level. The battles that close out each path are in the next section. The climbing ability from the final Titan can make the trip to the Fighting crew easier, even though that Titan is a level higher.
Finish all three story paths
Eight Gym Badges, five Titan victories and five Team Star wins open their respective finales. At a Team Star base, use the first three Pokémon in your party for Auto Battles. Defeat 30 opponents within ten minutes, then face the boss and the Starmobile. During the League interview, give matching answers for the Gym, its leader and its type. Choose the correct academy and starter category, and repeat your previous answer when asked about your goal as Champion.
Area Zero and the credits
The Way Home begins after all three paths. The entrance to Area Zero is southeast of Medali. Bring a team ready for battles in the low to mid 60s and some healing items. Your version determines which Paradox Pokémon you face during the finale.
Paldea postgame
Standard 5-star raids appear after the credits. To open the black 6-star crystals, win the first Academy Ace Tournament and complete Jacq’s raid assignment. The tournament is repeatable. Its opponents can get stronger after the Blueberry Academy story.
Paldea Pokédex · 400 entries and the Shiny Charm
The Paldea Dex counts species you own or have owned. Seeing a species alone does not fill its caught entry. Evolutions, trades and compatible Pokémon HOME transfers can fill gaps. Jacq awards the Shiny Charm in the Biology Lab after 400 species are registered. The two DLC Dexes have separate counters and rewards.
DLC 1 · The Teal Mask
The version-matched expansion pass and the start of the Treasure Hunt are enough to travel to Kitakami. Completing Paldea’s story changes Kitakami’s opponent levels. For a continuous completion route, visiting after the credits makes it easy to proceed directly to DLC 2.
DLC 2 · The Indigo Disk
The second DLC starts after the Paldea credits and the completion of The Teal Mask. Blueberry Academy’s story battles are Double Battles. Train a pair that can protect each other or apply pressure in the same turn. The Elite Four are around levels 77–80 and Kieran’s ace is level 82.
Blueberry Pokédex and bonus Legendary encounters
The first 240 Blueberry Dex entries count toward the Mark Charm. The three extra entries for Walking Wake, Iron Leaves and Pecharunt are optional for this reward. The starter upgrade costs 3,000 BP per biome. Union Circle quests speed up BP collection and unlock extra treats for Legendary encounters.
Mochi Mayhem epilogue · Pecharunt
For the epilogue, you need the matching expansion pass, the base-game credits, both DLC stories completed, a first Academy Ace Tournament win and a Mythical Pecha Berry. The official notice lists January 11, 2024 as the start and gives no end date. Claiming the gift requires internet access and a Nintendo Account linked to your user profile. A paid Nintendo Switch Online membership is not required for the gift.
Versions, multiplayer and limited-time events
Local Link Trade and local Union Circle require nearby players. Online Link Trade, online Union Circle and joining internet raids require Nintendo Switch Online. Move Pokémon into the game with the Switch version of HOME and check each species’ compatibility. HOME trading features are on mobile. Moving a Pokémon through HOME does not trigger a trade evolution. Use an already evolved Pokémon to fill such a gap through HOME.
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