How to evolve Haunter into Gengar in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet

Ghastly is a Ghost/Poison-type Pokemon that has been a staple part of many teams since Kanto. Naturally, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet didn’t forget to include it. Evolving Ghastly into Haunter is easy, but if you’re wondering why it’s taking forever to evolve it into Gengar, this guide can help.

Why isn’t my Haunter evolving in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet?

Haunter doesn’t evolve into Gengar by leveling up, it evolves by trading. This means that you need either a second copy of the game or a trusted friend who will return your evolved Gengar back after you trade with them. If you want to trade online, you need a Nintendo Switch Online Membership. But you can always trade locally with no subscription. That’s why some trainers like to buy both copies of duo Pokémon titles!

Related: Best Nature for Riolu & Lucario in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet

Haunter and Gengar share the same movesets, the only difference is the raise in stats. So, if you can’t find another trainer to trade with, you can continue to level up Haunter until you find a way to trade it.

Is there any other way to evolve Haunter without trading?

In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, there used to be an item called a Linking Cord, which allowed trainers to evolve Pokémon that needed to be traded. Unfortunately, this item is not present in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Mainline titles with two games, like Sword/Shield, heavily encourage trading.

Then again, this might be because completing the Pokédex is an integral part of the Pokémon Legends: Arceus experience. And Pokémon such as Gengar and Machamp can’t evolve without trading.

For more help with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, take a look at How many Vivillon forms are there in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet? and Can you use Koraidon and Miraidon in battle in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet? here at Pro Game Guides.