How to Get Gengar in Pokemon GO (April 2026)

Gengar is one of the most popular Ghost/Poison-type Pokemon in Pokemon GO, and for good reason. With an Attack stat of 261 and access to powerful moves like Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball, Gengar is a top-tier raider and a fan favorite. If you are wondering how to get Gengar in Pokemon GO, there are three main paths: evolution, trading, and raid battles. The fastest way is trading a Haunter with a friend, which costs zero candies. But if you want to earn one from scratch, I will walk you through every method step by step. And if you love all things Gengar beyond the game, check out these Gengar gaming accessories for your setup.

How to Get Gengar in Pokemon GO Through Evolution

The most straightforward way to get Gengar is by evolving the Gastly line. You start by catching Gastly in the wild, evolving it into Haunter with 25 Gastly candies, and then evolving Haunter into Gengar with 100 Gastly candies. That brings the total cost to 125 Gastly candies from start to finish.

Step 1: Catch Gastly

Gastly is a Ghost/Poison-type Pokemon that spawns more frequently at night and during fog weather. It is considered a relatively common spawn in most areas, especially during nighttime hours between 8 PM and 8 AM local time. During Halloween events, Gastly spawns skyrocket, making October the best month to stock up on candies.

Always use a Pinap Berry before catching Gastly. This doubles the candy you receive per catch, turning a standard 3-candy catch into 6 candies. With a Pinap Berry and a Great Throw, you can earn up to 12 candies from a single Gastly catch.

Step 2: Evolve Gastly Into Haunter

Once you have collected 25 Gastly candies, open your Pokemon storage, select your best Gastly (check for high IVs using an appraisal), and tap evolve. This turns Gastly into Haunter instantly. The evolution animation takes a few seconds, and you will see the Haunter model appear in your collection.

Step 3: Evolve Haunter Into Gengar

This is where things get serious. You need 100 Gastly candies to evolve Haunter into Gengar. If you have been using Pinap Berries consistently, you may already have enough. If not, keep catching Gastly, walking a Gastly or Haunter as your buddy Pokemon (1 candy per 3km walked), or using Rare Candies to close the gap.

Once you hit 100 candies, select Haunter and tap evolve. The result is a full Gengar ready for raids and battles. The whole evolution line from Gastly to Gengar costs 125 candies total: 25 for the first evolution and 100 for the second.

Getting Gengar Through Trading (Zero Candies)

Here is the trick most new players do not know: trading a Haunter to another player triggers an instant evolution into Gengar. The receiver gets a Gengar, and it costs zero candies. This makes trading the cheapest and fastest way to get Gengar in Pokemon GO if you have a friend who can help.

How the Trade Evolution Works

Find a friend who has a Haunter, or catch one yourself and ask a friend to trade it back to you. When the Haunter is traded, it automatically evolves into Gengar. The person receiving the Haunter will see it transform during the trade screen. This mirrors the trade evolution mechanic from the main series Pokemon games.

Trading Costs by Friendship Level

Trading a Haunter does require Stardust, and the cost depends on your friendship level with the other player. Here is the breakdown:

• Good Friends (1 day): 20,000 Stardust
• Great Friends (7 days): 16,000 Stardust
• Ultra Friends (30 days): 1,600 Stardust
• Best Friends (90 days): 800 Stardust

If you are Best Friends with someone, the trade costs only 800 Stardust, which is extremely affordable. I recommend building up friendship levels with at least a few active players to make trade evolutions cheap and easy.

Lucky Friends Mechanics

Once you reach Best Friends status, every interaction you have with that friend has a small chance to trigger Lucky Friends. When this happens, your next guaranteed trade will produce a Lucky Pokemon. Lucky Pokemon cost 50% less Stardust to power up and have guaranteed high IVs (minimum 12/12/12). Getting a Lucky Gengar is the ideal outcome, so try to trade with Lucky Friends whenever possible.

Catching Gengar Directly From Raid Battles

Gengar appears as a Tier 3 raid boss in Pokemon GO. This means you can catch Gengar directly without evolving anything. Tier 3 raids can be soloed by a prepared trainer with strong counters, making this a viable option if you do not want to grind candies.

Best Counters for Gengar Raids

Gengar is weak to Dark, Ghost, Ground, and Psychic-type moves. The best counters include:

• Mewtwo with Confusion and Psystrike
• Tyranitar with Bite and Crunch
• Garchomp with Mud Shot and Earth Power
• Chandelure with Hex and Shadow Ball
• Darkrai with Snarl and Shadow Ball

With a team of six strong counters, you can solo a Tier 3 Gengar raid. The catch CP for Gengar from raids ranges from about 1674 to 1756 at Level 20, and higher if weather-boosted by fog.

When Do Gengar Raids Appear?

Gengar raids rotate in and out of the raid pool. They are most common during Halloween events, Pokemon GO Fest, and special Ghost-type themed events. Niantic frequently features Gengar in raid hours and raid days, so keep an eye on the in-game news and event announcements for upcoming opportunities.

Fastest Ways to Farm Gastly Candies

If you are going the evolution route, candy farming is the name of the game. Here are the most efficient methods to stock up on Gastly candies, ranked by speed:

Pinap Berry Every Catch

This is the single most effective strategy. Use a Pinap Berry on every Gastly you encounter. With a base catch reward of 3-5 candies and the Pinap doubling that to 6-10, you will reach 125 candies much faster. Combine Pinap Berries with Nice, Great, or Excellent throws for bonus candies.

Walk Gastly or Haunter as Your Buddy

Gastly and Haunter earn 1 candy per 3km walked as your buddy Pokemon. This is a slow but steady method that works passively while you play. If you walk 10km per day, that is roughly 3 candies daily just from walking.

Use Rare Candies

Rare Candies can be converted into Gastly candies. You earn Rare Candies from raids, research breakthroughs, and special research tasks. If you are not saving Rare Candies for legendaries, dumping them into Gastly candies can speed up the process significantly.

Take Advantage of Events

Halloween events in Pokemon GO are the best time to farm Gastly candies. Ghost-type spawns increase dramatically, and Gastly is one of the most common wild spawns during these events. Community Days and special research events also sometimes feature the Gastly line with boosted spawn rates and bonus candies.

Where and When to Find Gastly in Pokemon GO

Gastly has specific spawn conditions that make it easier to find once you understand the patterns. Knowing when and where to look can save you hours of searching.

Weather Boost Conditions

Fog weather in Pokemon GO significantly boosts Ghost-type spawns, including Gastly. Fog is unfortunately one of the rarer weather conditions in the game, but when it appears, you should drop everything and go hunting. Cloudy weather can also boost Poison-type spawns, giving you a secondary window to find Gastly.

Time of Day

Ghost-type Pokemon, including Gastly, have dramatically higher spawn rates during nighttime. The nighttime window in Pokemon GO runs from 8 PM to 8 AM local time. I have found that the hours between 10 PM and 2 AM tend to have the highest Gastly density in most areas.

Event Spawns

Beyond Halloween, look out for events like Pokemon GO Fest, Dia de Muertos, and Ghost-type themed events. These often feature Gastly as a common wild spawn, sometimes with increased shiny rates. During the Halloween event in 2026, for example, Gastly was one of the most abundant wild spawns in the game.

Shiny Gengar, Mega Gengar, and Gigantamax Gengar

Beyond the standard Gengar, there are special variants that collectors and battlers alike will want to pursue.

Shiny Gengar

Shiny Gengar is available in Pokemon GO. The shiny version has a noticeably lighter purple color compared to the standard dark purple. Your best chance to find a shiny Gastly is during events with boosted Gastly spawns, particularly Halloween Community Days or raid events where shiny rates are increased. The standard wild encounter shiny rate is approximately 1 in 512, but event bonuses can bring this down to 1 in 128 or better.

Mega Gengar

Mega Gengar is one of the strongest Ghost-type attackers in the entire game. To get Mega Gengar, you need to collect Mega Energy by defeating Mega Gengar in Mega Raid battles. The initial Mega Evolution costs 200 Mega Energy, and subsequent evolutions cost 40 Mega Energy. Once you have Mega Evolved Gengar once, you can walk your Gengar as a buddy to earn 5 Mega Energy per kilometer.

Mega Gengar with Lick and Shadow Ball is an absolute powerhouse in raids, dealing massive damage to Psychic, Ghost, and other types weak to its attacks. It also boosts the attack power of other Ghost and Poison-type Pokemon on the field by 10% (or 30% for same-type attacks).

Gigantamax Gengar

Gigantamax Gengar is available through Max Battles in Pokemon GO. These are special battles at Power Spots where you face a giant form of Gengar. Gigantamax Gengar has access to the exclusive G-Max move G-Max Terror, which prevents opponents from switching out. Check the in-game news for when Gigantamax Gengar is featured in Max Battles, as these events are time-limited.

Gengar Best Moveset and Base Stats in Pokemon GO

Once you have your Gengar, you want to make sure it has the right moves for raids and battles.

Best Moveset for Raids

The optimal moveset for Gengar in PvE (raids) is Shadow Claw as the fast move and Shadow Ball as the charged move. Shadow Claw generates energy quickly while dealing solid damage, and Shadow Ball is one of the highest damage-per-energy charged moves in the game.

For a secondary charged move, Sludge Bomb gives Gengar coverage against Fairy and Grass-type opponents. Using a Charged TM or spending Stardust and Candy to unlock a second charged move lets you run both Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb on the same Gengar.

Gengar Base Stats

• Attack: 261
• Defense: 149
• Stamina: 155
• Max CP (Level 50): 3254

Gengar’s high Attack stat makes it one of the best non-legendary Ghost-type attackers in the game. Its relatively low Defense and Stamina mean it is a glass cannon, dealing massive damage but fainting quickly. This makes dodge timing important in raids if you want Gengar to last through the full battle.

FAQ

Getting Your Gengar in Pokemon GO

Learning how to get Gengar in Pokemon GO opens up a strong Ghost/Poison-type attacker for your raid team and adds a classic Pokemon to your collection. Whether you grind 125 Gastly candies through evolution, trade a Haunter with a friend for free, or catch one from a Tier 3 raid, the path to Gengar is achievable for every player. Focus on nighttime Gastly hunting with Pinap Berries, build friendships for cheap trade evolutions, and watch for Halloween events for the best spawn rates. Once you have your Gengar, power it up with Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball for maximum raid damage. And if you want to show off your love for the character outside the game, browse some fun Pokemon merchandise featuring your favorite Ghost-type.