Pokémon Go Eevee evolution guide

Know how to evolve Eevee into your favorite Eeveelution.

Eevee, a Pokemon sitting down on a wooden floor.
Image via The Pokémon Company

Whether it’s in the main Pokémon titles, the classic anime, or side games like Pokémon Go, Eevee remains one of the most popular species among casual and hardcore fans alike. It has eight different evolutions too, which means it can be a pain to train with Pokémon Go’s evolution mechanic.

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Eevee originally started with three possible evolutions in Gen I and steadily gained five more over the years: two in Generation II, two in Generation IV, and one in Generation VI. As of Generation IX, its evolutionary line covers nine of the 18 possible Pokémon types, with the only missing options being Flying, Fighting, Poison, Ground, Rock, Bug, Ghost, Steel, and Dragon forms—not counting the new Stellar-type in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

With so many possible paths to choose from, Pokémon developers had to get creative when it comes to Eevee’s evolutions—popularly known as “Eeveelutions.” Niantic’s method for handling Pokémon with multiple evolutions is a bit lacking in some instances, but for Eevee, there is at least one trick to get around some of the special requirements.

If you need a quick guide to know how to evolve Eevee into your favorite Eeveelution in Pokémon Go, this is it. There is more than one way to evolve Eevee, but the easiest method is limited use.

How to use the Eevee name trick in Pokémon Go: Full Eeveelution guide

In Pokémon Go, there is a sort of shortcut to choose which form your Eevee will evolve into. You can do that by using certain nicknames that represent the possible evolutions. There are eight of them, one for each Eeveelution, but their use is extremely limited: you can only evolve each possible form once with this method, occasionally called the “Eevee naming trick.”

To evolve Eevee using nicknames, you must first pick which Eeveelution you want it to evolve into and collect 25 Eevee Candy. You will need the same amount of Candy for each Eevee evolution, so stock up.

The next step is changing your Eevee’s name by opening your Pokémon Storage, selecting the Eevee you wish to evolve, and tapping the pencil icon next to its name. Then, enter the nickname related to the evolution you’re looking for, based on the table below, and confirm the change.

All Eevee evolution nicknames

EvolutionTypeNickname
VaporeonWaterRainer
JolteonElectricSparky
FlareonFirePyro
EspeonPsychicSakura
UmbreonDarkTamao
LeafeonGrassLinnea
GlaceonIceRea
SylveonFairyKira
Images via The Pokémon Company and Bulbagarden Archives

After changing your Eevee’s name to the one you want, the silhouette for the Eeveelution you want should appear inside the Evolve button. Check if the silhouette is correct, and then all you need to do is tap the button to proceed with the evolution.

If you were wondering where these special nicknames come from, they are inspired by Eevee trainers from the main series games and the anime who obtained these specific evolutions.

  • Rainer, Sparky, and Pyro are known as the Eevee brothers and appeared in episode 40 of the original anime. Rainer’s signature Pokémon is Vaporeon, Sparky’s is Jolteon, and Pyro’s is Flareon.
  • Sakura and Tamao, also known respectively as Sayo and Zuki, are two of the Kimono Girls from the Generation II games. Sakura owns an Espeon and Tamao owns an Umbreon.
  • Linnea, Rea, and Kira are three of the Eevee users from Alola in the Generation VII games. Kira takes care of the Sylveon who was once her grandmother’s, while Linnea trains a Leafeon and Rea trains a Glaceon.

How to evolve Eevee into Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon in Pokémon Go

Flareon, Vaporeon, and Jolteon sitting in the Pokémon anime.
The classic trio can be obtained at random. Image via The Pokémon Company

The three classic Eeveelutions—Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon—are simultaneously the simplest and hardest to get in Pokémon Go.

After acquiring 25 Eevee Candy, your Eevee is ready to evolve. And if the evolution you are looking for is either Flareon, Jolteon, or Vaporeon, you do not need to meet any special requirements. All you need to do is click the Evolve button. But there is a catch.

If you don’t meet all of the requirements for evolving Eevee into Espeon, Umbreon, Glaceon, Leafeon, or Sylveon, a question mark should appear inside the Evolve button instead of a specific silhouette. Clicking the Evolve button, in that case, will randomly evolve your Eevee into a Flareon, Jolteon, or Vaporeon. There is no way to influence this if you have already used the nickname trick.

How to evolve Eevee into Espeon and Umbreon in Pokémon Go

Espeon and Umbreon looking up in the Pokémon anime.
This Johto duo is the easiest Eeveelutions to obtain without items. Image via The Pokémon Company

To acquire Espeon and Umbreon without using the name trick, you must first pick the Eevee you wish to evolve and make it your Buddy Pokémon. With the Eevee as your Buddy, you then need to walk 10 kilometers to unlock both of the evolutions.

After walking 10 kilometers with the Eevee, the difference between evolving it into an Espeon or an Umbreon is simply when you evolve it. During the daytime, the Evolve button should show Espeon’s silhouette, meaning your Eevee will evolve into Espeon. At night, it should evolve into Umbreon. You still need 25 Eevee Candy for each evolution.

How to evolve Eevee into Glaceon and Leafeon in Pokémon Go

Glaceon and Leafeon frowning in the Pokémon anime.
You will need access to a PokéStop to get Glaceon or Leafeon. Image via The Pokémon Company

Glaceon and Leafeon are simple Eeveelutions to obtain without using the name trick, but you need specific items or a lot of luck to complete the process.

In Pokémon Go, a Lure Module is an item you attach to a PokéStop. While active, it will attract wild Pokémon to the area around that PokéStop for 30 minutes. Until May 2019, there was only one type of Lure Module, a more general one, but then Professor Willow came up with a few upgrades that attract specific types: the Magnetic, Mossy, Glacial, and Rainy Lure Modules. For these evolutions, you need two of them.

Besides attracting Bug, Grass, and Poison-type Pokémon, the Mossy Lure Module is also a requirement to evolve Eevee into Leafeon. It is a nod to the main series item Moss Rock, which is required for that evolution in those games. In Pokémon Go, all you need to do is gather 25 Eevee Candy and be around a PokéStop with a Mossy Lure Module activated. Leafeon’s silhouette should appear in the Evolve button when the requirements are met, which helps you check if the process is correct.

For Glaceon, the process is similar, but with a Glacial Lure Module instead. This module attracts Ice-type and some Water-type Pokémon to a PokéStop for 30 minutes. To evolve Eevee into Glaceon in Pokémon Go, you need to gather 25 Eevee Candy and be near a PokéStop with a Glacial Lure Module activated. When its silhouette appears in the Evolve button, just tap the button to complete the process.

Both the Mossy Lure Module and the Glacial Lure Module can be acquired in the in-game Shop, but you can complete the process even if you were not one to activate the module.

How to evolve Eevee into Sylveon in Pokémon Go

Eevee and Sylveon smiling together in the Pokémon anime.
Sylveon’s evolution method is the one that takes the longest. Image via The Pokémon Company

To evolve your Eevee into a Sylveon in Pokémon Go without using the name trick, the beginning steps are the same as the ones you use for Espeon and Umbreon. First, start by picking the Eevee you wish to evolve and making it your Buddy Pokémon.

In the main series games, the requirements to evolve Eevee into Sylveon include high friendship or high levels of affection. In Pokémon Go, this was adapted to earning Hearts with Eevee as your Buddy Pokémon: you need to earn a total of 70 Hearts after making it your Buddy.

When you’ve earned 70 Hearts and the necessary 25 Eevee Candy, the Evolve button will show Sylveon’s silhouette. Tap the Evolve button to confirm the evolution.

How to evolve Eevee in Pokémon Go: All evolution methods, tricks, and requirements

EvolutionTypeName TrickRegular Evolution
VaporeonWaterRainerSimply click the Evolve button. It should show a “?” beside the word “Evolve.” The evolution is chosen randomly between Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon.
Cost: 25 Eevee Candy
JolteonElectricSparkySimply click the Evolve button. It should show a “?” beside the word “Evolve.” The evolution is chosen randomly between Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon.
Cost: 25 Eevee Candy
FlareonFirePyroSimply click the Evolve button. It should show a “?” beside the word “Evolve.” The evolution is chosen randomly between Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon.
Cost: 25 Eevee Candy
EspeonPsychicSakuraMake the chosen Eevee your Buddy Pokémon and walk 10 kilometers with it.
After walking, evolve it during the daytime to obtain Espeon.
Cost: 25 Eevee Candy
UmbreonDarkTamaoMake the chosen Eevee your Buddy Pokémon and walk 10 kilometers with it.
After walking, evolve it during the nighttime to obtain Umbreon.
Cost: 25 Eevee Candy
LeafeonGrassLinneaClick the Evolve button while near a PokéStop with an active Mossy Lure Module.
Cost: 25 Eevee Candy
GlaceonIceReaClick the Evolve button while near a PokéStop with an active Glacial Lure Module.
Cost: 25 Eevee Candy
SylveonFairyKiraMake the chosen Eevee your Buddy Pokémon and earn 70 Hearts with it.
After earning the 70 Hearts, evolve it normally to obtain Sylveon.
Cost: 25 Eevee Candy
Images via The Pokémon Company and Bulbagarden Archives
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Jéssica Gubert
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