Can Pokemon Evolve in Daycare? A Comprehensive Guide

For trainers looking to level up their Pokémon efficiently, the daycare is a convenient feature in many Pokémon games. “Can Pokemon Evolve in Daycare?” In this article, we’ll explore the mechanics of the daycare system, how it affects your Pokémon’s evolution, and what you need to know to make the most of this feature.

Understanding the Daycare System

The daycare is a facility available in various Pokémon games where trainers can leave their Pokémon to gain experience over time. The Pokémon will earn experience points (EXP) as you walk or cycle around the game world, making it an easy way to level up your team without actively battling. This feature is especially useful for hatching eggs and for training Pokémon that may require many experience points to evolve.

Can Pokemon Evolve in Daycare?

The short answer is no—Pokémon cannot evolve in daycare simply by gaining experience points. While Pokémon left in the daycare can level up over time, the evolution process does not automatically occur as a result of this. Evolution in Pokémon games typically requires specific conditions to be met, and the daycare system does not cater to these unique triggers. When a Pokémon evolves by reaching a certain level, such as Charmander evolving into Charmeleon at level 16, it won’t evolve in the daycare even if it hits the required level. You would need to retrieve your Pokémon from daycare and manually level it up in battle or through experience gain outside the daycare to trigger the evolution. This means that while your Pokémon may reach the necessary level for evolution while in daycare, it will still require an additional push from you to actually evolve.

Furthermore, non-level-based evolutions—those that rely on special conditions like friendship, specific items, or trades—cannot occur in the daycare either. For example, Eevee’s evolution into Espeon or Umbreon is dependent on high friendship during the correct time of day. Since the daycare only increases your Pokémon’s level and does not affect friendship or other specific conditions, Eevee will not evolve into either form while left in the daycare. Similarly, if a Pokémon requires an evolutionary item like a Fire Stone or Water Stone, or needs to be traded to trigger evolution, these methods will also not function within the daycare system. Additionally, while your Pokémon gains levels in daycare, it may miss out on learning new moves. If your Pokémon reaches a level where it’s supposed to learn a new move, that move will be skipped unless you retrieve the Pokémon and manually teach it the move using a Move Reminder NPC. This is particularly important to monitor if your Pokémon has a limited or valuable movepool, as leaving them in daycare for too long could cause them to miss out on key moves.

Strategies for Using Daycare to Evolve Pokémon

Despite the limitations of the daycare system, there are still useful strategies to maximize its benefits, particularly when evolving Pokémon. If your Pokémon has a simple level-up evolution, the daycare can be a helpful tool to quickly raise its level, especially for Pokémon that require a significant amount of experience to evolve. For example, Dragonair evolves into Dragonite at level 55, which is a considerable amount of leveling for a single Pokémon. Using the daycare to bring Dragonair close to that level, then manually advancing it by one level outside of daycare, can be an efficient way to achieve this evolution without the grind of constant battles. However, always remember that the final level-up must happen outside of daycare to trigger the actual evolution.

To further optimize your daycare usage, keep an eye on the moves your Pokémon may learn at higher levels. Pokémon in daycare will automatically forget their oldest move as they level up, meaning they can lose important moves if left unattended for too long. To avoid this, it’s a good idea to retrieve your Pokémon at critical points in its leveling process, particularly if it’s supposed to learn a powerful or signature move. This way, you can manually teach the move and ensure your Pokémon maintains an optimal moveset. Another strategy is to combine daycare use with egg hatching if you’re breeding Pokémon. The daycare can serve a dual purpose: not only will it help you level up and evolve certain Pokémon, but it will also assist in hatching eggs. This is particularly useful if you’re working on multiple tasks at once, such as breeding for specific traits or IVs while also evolving Pokémon that require extensive leveling. By managing these activities simultaneously, you can save time and make the most of your Pokémon training efforts.