Pokémon not evolving in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet – Explained

Some players are having difficulties when evolving their Pokémon. It isn’t always clear why your Pokémon won’t evolve, and it can be easy to overlook something given how complicated some evolutions get. Here’s our guide on why your Pokémon is not evolving in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Note: For more information about the game, check out our Pokemon Scarlet and Violet guides and features hub.

Why your Pokémon are not evolving in Scarlet and Violet

A common reason why Pokémon don’t evolve is that their evolution process is misunderstood. While most Pokémon evolve by reaching a certain level, that is not the case with all Pokémon. Different types of Pokémon have different requirements to evolve with some of these requirements being unexpectedly complicated.

For example, to evolve Bisharp you need to defeat three other Bisharp that lead a pack of Pawniard. This requires you to find a Bisharp pack in the overworld and defeat three in a row using your Bisharp. Another example is Finizen that only evolves into Palafin at level 38 while you are in a multiplayer session with another player. Bizarre evolutions like this are quite common, so make sure that you aren’t missing anything when trying to evolve your Pokémon.

Screenshot by PC Invasion.

There is another reason your Pokémon may not be evolving in Scarlet and Violet. When using the new auto-battle feature, your Pokémon will not evolve even if they meet all of the requirements. For example, if you used auto-battle to get Sprigatito to level 16, it will not evolve into Floragato as usual.

It is unclear if this is a bug or an intended mechanic, but regardless it’s something to be aware of. If your Pokémon is close to evolving, it’s best to avoid using the auto-battle feature in Scarlet and Violet. Hopefully, if it is a bug, then Game Freak will patch it soon. It would be a shame to see such a great quality-of-life addition to the franchise have this issue.