Where to catch Riolu in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Riolu might be hard to find.

Image via Nintendo

In the Pokémon universe, Riolu and its evolutions are some of the most sought-after in the game—and that is no different for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Because of its strong final form and its sleek design, this Fighting-type Pokémon will be one of the first that people hunt if they’re looking to form a strong team for the end of the game.

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Luckily, Riolu isn’t hard to find. It lives in the southwest region of Paldea and is often found on or near the mountain to the south of Mesagoza. This is the only area where players can find the Pokémon, and it seems to be a rare spawn, especially since the description under the Pokémon’s habitat says that it is rarely seen.

Players might have some luck on top of the mountain, but there’s a pretty wide area where they can find the Pokémon if they wander around it for a little while. It can appear in any of the highlighted yellow areas below on the map, but some have had increased luck by climbing to the top of the mountain and looking there.

Screengrab via The Pokémon Company

If the top of the mountain doesn’t work for you, hanging around in that area will eventually get you a Riolu spawn. But it might take some time since the chance of it spawning seems to be pretty low. Because of the low spawn rate, it also might be pretty difficult to get a Shiny one. Once you’ve got a Riolu, you can evolve it into a Lucario, which is a great addition for Fighting moves on the team.

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Image of Jessica Scharnagle
Jessica Scharnagle
Jessica has been an esports and gaming journalist for just over five years. She also teaches esports journalism at Rowan University. Follow her for all things gaming, @JessScharnagle on Twitter.