How to Get Gengar in Pokemon GO (June 2026) Complete Guide

If you want to know how to get Gengar in Pokemon GO, you are in the right place. Gengar is one of the strongest Ghost-type attackers in the game, and it has been a fan favorite since Generation 1. Whether you are trying to complete your Kanto Pokedex, build a powerful raid team, or just really like the creepy purple ghost, this guide covers every method available in 2026.

In Short: You can get Gengar three ways: evolve a Haunter using 100 Gastly Candy (plus 25 for the initial Gastly-to-Haunter evolution), trade a Haunter with a friend for zero candy cost, or catch Gengar directly from Tier 3 Raid Battles. Trading is the most candy-efficient method, while raids give you the best chance at a Shiny Gengar.

Our team has spent hundreds of hours in Pokemon GO, and we have put together this guide based on real experience and the latest game data for 2026. We also cover event-specific spawn boosts in our Pokemon GO event guides, so check those out for time-limited opportunities to find Gastly and Gengar.

How to Get Gengar in Pokemon GO: All Methods Explained

There are three primary ways to add Gengar to your collection in Pokemon GO. Each method has different requirements and benefits, so the best choice depends on your resources and goals.

The three methods are evolution, trading, and raid battles. Evolution requires the most candy but guarantees you control the IVs of your final Gengar. Trading saves all your candy but depends on having a willing friend. Raids let you catch Gengar directly but require raid passes and a group of trainers.

Method 1: Evolve Haunter Into Gengar (Standard Evolution)

The standard way to get Gengar is through the full evolution chain. It starts with catching Gastly in the wild, evolving it into Haunter, and then evolving Haunter into Gengar. This method takes the most candy but gives you full control over which Pokemon you evolve.

Here is the complete evolution path with candy costs:

• Gastly to Haunter: 25 Gastly Candy
• Haunter to Gengar: 100 Gastly Candy
• Total candy needed: 125 Gastly Candy

That is a significant candy investment, which is why many players prefer the trading method. However, evolving yourself means you can pick your best Gastly or Haunter with the highest IVs before committing those 100 candies. If you have a Gastly with perfect or near-perfect IVs, evolving it yourself is worth the candy cost.

To get the 125 Gastly Candy you need, focus on catching every Gastly you see. Use Pinap Berries on Gastly encounters to double your candy earned per catch. Each Gastly caught with a Pinap Berry gives you 6 candies instead of 3. That cuts your total number of Gastly catches roughly in half.

You can also walk a Gastly or Haunter as your buddy Pokemon. Gastly earns 1 candy per 3 km walked, which adds up over time. If you walk 10 km per day with a Gastly buddy, that is roughly 3 to 4 extra candies daily. Over a month, that adds up to 90 to 120 candies from walking alone.

Method 2: Trade a Haunter to Get Gengar (Zero Candy Method)

Trading is the most efficient way to get Gengar in Pokemon GO because it completely bypasses the 100 candy cost for the Haunter-to-Gengar evolution. When you receive a Haunter through a trade, it automatically evolves into Gengar without spending any candy.

Here is how the trading method works step by step:

1. Find a friend who has a Haunter (or catch one yourself)
2. Initiate a trade with that friend
3. One of you trades a Haunter to the other
4. The received Haunter automatically evolves into Gengar at zero candy cost

The trade itself does cost Stardust, and the amount depends on your friendship level with the other player. Here is the trading cost breakdown:

• Good Friends (0 hearts): 100 Stardust
• Great Friends (1 heart): 80 Stardust
• Ultra Friends (2 hearts): 8 Stardust
• Best Friends (3 hearts): 4 Stardust

At Best Friend level, you are essentially getting a Gengar for 4 Stardust. That is an incredible deal compared to spending 125 Gastly Candy. If you play regularly with someone, reaching Best Friends is just a matter of time and daily interactions.

Lucky trades are especially valuable for getting Gengar. When a trade becomes Lucky, the received Pokemon gets boosted IVs (minimum 12/12/12), and it still evolves for free. You become Lucky Friends randomly after interacting with a Best Friend, and your next trade is guaranteed to be Lucky. For more on raid strategies and friend mechanics, check our guide to Pokemon GO raid battle strategies.

The main downside of trading is that the Gengar’s IVs get rerolled during the trade. You cannot control what stats you receive. But if you are doing a Lucky Trade, the minimum IV floor of 12/12/12 means you will still get a strong Pokemon.

Method 3: Catch Gengar in Raid Battles

Gengar appears as a Tier 3 Raid Boss in Pokemon GO, which means you can catch one directly without needing candy or a trade partner. A Tier 3 raid is soloable for a well-prepared trainer with strong counters, making this a solid option if you see Gengar at a nearby gym.

To beat a Gengar raid, bring strong Dark, Ghost, Ground, or Psychic-type Pokemon. The best counters include:

• Mewtwo with Psystrike
• Tyranitar with Crunch
• Darkrai with Dark Pulse
• Hydreigon with Brutal Swing
• Chandelure with Shadow Ball

Gengar is weak to Dark, Ghost, Ground, and Psychic-type moves. It resists Grass, Fairy, Normal, Fighting, Poison, and Bug-type attacks. Plan your team accordingly.

When you defeat Gengar in a raid, the Gengar you catch will have a CP range based on the weather conditions. In foggy weather, Gengar gets a weather boost, which raises its CP and IV floor. The catch rate for Gengar from raids is approximately 16.74%, so use Golden Razz Berries and aim for Excellent throws to maximize your chances.

Raids are also your best bet for finding a Shiny Gengar. The shiny rate from raids is approximately 1 in 20 encounters, which is dramatically better than the estimated 1 in 500 chance from wild encounters.

Finding Gastly in the Wild: Spawn Tips and Tricks

If you plan to evolve Gengar yourself, you need Gastly Candy. That means finding Gastly in the wild, which requires knowing when and where to look. Gastly spawns are influenced by time of day, weather conditions, and current in-game events.

Time of day matters. Gastly is a Ghost-type Pokemon, which means it spawns much more frequently at night. The game defines nighttime as roughly 8 PM to 8 AM local time. If you are hunting for Gastly, going out during these hours dramatically increases your chances.

Weather boosts make a big difference. Fog weather is the primary weather boost for Ghost-type Pokemon. During foggy conditions, Gastly spawns more often and appears at a higher CP level. Unfortunately, fog is one of the rarer weather conditions in the game. If you live in an area that gets frequent fog, take advantage of it whenever possible.

Events are your best friend. Pokemon GO frequently runs events that boost Ghost-type spawns. Halloween events are the biggest opportunity, with Gastly spawning everywhere. Other events throughout the year may also feature increased Ghost-type encounters. Keep an eye on current event announcements for spawn boosts.

Use Incense and Lure Modules. During nighttime or foggy weather, pop an Incense to attract Ghost-type spawns to your location. Mossy Lure and Glacial Lure Modules can also help depending on the event. Daily Adventure Incense is particularly useful because it spawns Pokemon that are not normally in your biome, including Ghost types.

Habitat biomes. Gastly tends to spawn more frequently near churches, cemeteries, and residential areas at night. While Niantic has not published official spawn rates, player reports consistently show higher Gastly activity in these locations during nighttime hours.

How to Get Shiny Gengar in Pokemon GO?

Shiny Gengar is available in Pokemon GO, and it looks incredible. Instead of the classic purple color, Shiny Gengar turns a pale lavender with a slightly different shade. Shiny Mega Gengar takes it a step further, becoming almost entirely white, making it one of the most striking shiny variants in the game.

You can get a Shiny Gengar through several methods, each with different odds:

• Raid encounters: Approximately 1 in 20 chance of Shiny Gengar
• Wild encounters: Approximately 1 in 500 chance of Shiny Gastly
• Research breakthroughs: Varies by event, but boosted compared to wild
• Community Day: Approximately 1 in 25 chance (when Gastly is featured)

Raids are by far the best method for hunting Shiny Gengar. Each Gengar raid you complete gives you a 1-in-20 shot at the shiny version. During events with Gengar raids, grind as many as you can. Even if you do not get the shiny, you earn Gastly Candy and a potentially strong Gengar for your collection.

If you catch a Shiny Gastly, it will remain shiny through the entire evolution chain. So a Shiny Gastly evolved into Haunter and then Gengar will keep its shiny coloring at every stage. This means you can also hunt Shiny Gastly in the wild and evolve it, though the odds are much lower at 1 in 500.

Mega Gengar and Gigantamax Gengar in Pokemon GO

Beyond the standard Gengar, there are two special forms you can unlock: Mega Gengar and Gigantamax Gengar. Both forms offer significant power boosts and look amazing, but they require different methods to obtain.

How to Get Mega Gengar

Mega Gengar requires Mega Energy, which you earn primarily through Mega Raid Battles. When Gengar appears as a Mega Raid Boss, defeating it earns you Mega Gengar Energy. You need 200 Mega Energy for your first Mega Evolution, and subsequent evolutions cost less (typically 40 energy).

Once you have Mega Evolved Gengar once, you can also earn Mega Energy by walking a Gengar as your buddy Pokemon. You earn approximately 5 to 15 Mega Energy per walk, depending on how far you go. This gives you a passive way to farm Mega Energy without doing raids.

Mega Gengar gains a significant stat boost, reaching a max CP of 4,302. It also boosts the attack power of other Ghost and Poison-type Pokemon on your team during raids by 10% (or 30% if they share the same type). This makes Mega Gengar an outstanding team supporter in group raids.

How to Get Gigantamax Gengar

Gigantamax Gengar is a newer addition to Pokemon GO, introduced through Max Battle events. Unlike Mega Evolution, Gigantamax forms require you to catch a specific Gigantamax-capable Gastly through Max Battles and then evolve it through the standard evolution chain.

Gigantamax Gengar has the exclusive G-Max Terror move, which prevents opponents from fleeing in battle. To find Gigantamax Gengar Max Battles, watch for special event announcements from Niantic. These battles require multiple trainers working together and use Max Particles instead of raid passes.

Gengar Stats and Best Moveset in Pokemon GO

Understanding Gengar’s stats and moveset helps you decide whether it is worth the investment. Here are the key numbers for a standard Gengar at Level 50:

• Max CP: 2,878 (without Mega Evolution)
• Attack: 261
• Defense: 149
• Stamina: 155

Gengar hits hard but is fragile. Its high Attack stat makes it an excellent glass cannon for raid battles, where you deal massive damage before fainting and switch to the next attacker. It is less effective in gym defense because of its low Defense and Stamina.

Best offensive moveset for raids:

• Fast Move: Shadow Claw (Ghost-type, 9.0 DPS) or Lick (Ghost-type, 8.0 DPS)
• Charged Move: Shadow Ball (Ghost-type, 40.0 DPE)

Shadow Claw paired with Shadow Ball is the gold standard moveset for Gengar. If Shadow Claw is not available, Hex works as a decent alternative fast move, though it performs better in PvP than raids. For a secondary charged move, Sludge Bomb gives you Poison-type coverage, which is useful against Fairy and Grass-type raid bosses.

Gengar ranks as a top-tier Ghost-type attacker, sitting just behind Shadow Tyranitar and Origin Forme Giratina in overall DPS. It remains relevant in 2026 for raid battles against Psychic, Ghost, and certain other type matchups.

Candy Farming Strategies for Gengar Evolution

The biggest hurdle to evolving Gengar is the candy requirement. Players on Reddit and The Silph Road consistently report candy shortage as their number one frustration. Here are proven strategies to maximize your Gastly Candy income.

Always use Pinap Berries on Gastly. This is the single most impactful thing you can do. A Pinap Berry doubles your candy from a catch, turning a standard 3-candy Gastly into a 6-candy catch. Over the course of evolving a Gengar, using Pinap Berries on every Gastly saves you from catching roughly 20 additional Gastly.

Walk Gastly or Haunter as your buddy. Gastly has a buddy distance of 3 km per candy, which is on the shorter end for Pokemon GO. If you walk 10 km per day, you earn roughly 3 candies daily from your buddy alone. Keep a Gastly or Haunter as your buddy whenever you are not actively walking something else.

Save Rare Candy for Gengar. Rare Candy can be converted into candy for any Pokemon. If Gengar is a priority for your account, converting Rare Candy into Gastly Candy speeds up the process significantly. Each Rare Candy becomes 1 Gastly Candy. You earn Rare Candy from raid battles, research breakthroughs, and special research tasks.

Take advantage of double candy events. Pokemon GO regularly runs events with bonus catch candy. During these events, every Gastly you catch earns double the normal amount. Combined with Pinap Berries, you can earn 12 candies per Gastly catch during these bonus windows. Plan your Gastly grinding around these events whenever possible.

Transfer duplicate Gastly and Haunter. Each transferred Pokemon gives you 1 candy. While this is not a lot per transfer, it adds up if you have been catching Gastly for a while. Transfer all your low-IV Gastly and keep only the ones worth evolving. The Professor Willow transfer candy plus catch candy together moves you closer to your goal.

FAQs

Conclusion

Learning how to get Gengar in Pokemon GO opens up a powerful Ghost-type attacker for your team. The most candy-efficient method is trading a Haunter with a friend, which evolves it into Gengar at zero candy cost. If you prefer to go solo, the evolution path costs 125 total Gastly Candy (25 for Gastly to Haunter, then 100 for Haunter to Gengar). Raids give you a direct path to Gengar and the best Shiny odds at 1 in 20.

Focus on hunting Gastly at night and during foggy weather. Use Pinap Berries on every catch. Walk Gastly as your buddy. And watch for Ghost-type events like Halloween for boosted spawn rates. With patience and the right strategy, you will have your own Gengar in no time.

For more Pokemon GO tips and event coverage, check out our Pokemon GO event guides to stay up to date on all the latest spawn boosts and special research tasks that could help you on your Gengar journey.