How much friendship do happiness evolutions need in Pokemon Gold and Silver?

Every friendship evolution needs 220 or more friendship out of 255, then one level-up. Friendship alone never evolves the Pokémon.

Where is the friendship checker in Goldenrod City?

The Happiness Rater is a teacher in a house on the east side of Goldenrod City. She rates only the lead Pokémon in your party.

How do I evolve Golbat into Crobat in Gold and Silver?

Raise Golbat to 220+ friendship, then level it up at any time of day with no Everstone. Zubat evolves into Golbat at level 22 first.

When are the Haircut Brothers available?

In Goldenrod Underground the younger brother works Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday; the older brother works Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The event allows one paid haircut total per RTC day, not one haircut for every Pokémon.

Does a Friend Ball help happiness evolutions?

Yes. A wild Pokémon caught in a Friend Ball starts at 200 friendship instead of 70, so it is only 20 points short of the 220 evolution threshold.

Happiness Evolutions & Friendship Checker - Pokemon Gold and Silver

Friendship evolutions · Original GBC · Not HGSS

Happiness evolutions & friendship checker

In original Pokemon Gold and Silver, seven species evolve by friendship: Golbat → Crobat, Chansey → Blissey, Eevee → Espeon / Umbreon, Togepi → Togetic, and the baby lines Pichu / Cleffa / Igglybuff. Raise friendship to 220+, confirm the band at the Goldenrod Happiness Rater, then level up once. This page is a full checklist and live simulator linked to the site’s Mechanics Lab, maps, and related guides.

Threshold: 220 / 255 Trigger: Level-up Range: 0–255 Checker: Goldenrod Haircuts: Underground Friend Ball: starts 200

Crobat · Blissey · Espeon / Umbreon · Togetic · baby lines — all need 220+ then a level-up

Fast answer

220+ friendship, then one level-up

Friendship never evolves a mon by itself. The game checks the evolution table when the Pokémon gains a level. At that moment friendship must be ≥ 220, and the mon must not hold an Everstone.

Wild, gift, and link-traded Pokémon start at 70. Eggs hatch at 120. A Friend Ball catch starts at 200 — only 20 points short of evolution.

Eevee only: same 220 threshold, but time of day picks the branch. Level between 04:00–17:59 for Espeon, or 18:00–03:59 for Umbreon. Full walkthrough: Eevee day/night guide.

Everyone else (Crobat, Blissey, Togetic, Pikachu, Clefairy, Jigglypuff) evolves any time of day.

Evolution list

Every happiness evolution in Gold & Silver

Filter the set, then open Pokédex and map links for the base form. Sprites follow your saved Gold/Silver version preference.

Golbat → Crobat

Any time · 220+ · level-up. Evolve Zubat at 22 first. Wild Golbat appears later in Dark Cave (Blackthorn side) and other caves.

Golbat dex Crobat dex Dark Cave map Team Planner

Chansey → Blissey

Any time · 220+ · level-up. Rare Kanto grass on Route 13 and nearby routes after the S.S. Aqua opens.

Chansey dex Blissey dex Route 13 map Kanto access

Eevee → Espeon

Morning/day (04:00–17:59) · 220+ · level-up. Free Lv.20 gift at Bill’s family house in Goldenrod after meeting Bill in Ecruteak.

Espeon dex Bill’s house Full Eevee guide

Eevee → Umbreon

Night (18:00–03:59) · 220+ · level-up. Same Bill gift; wrong window yields Espeon instead.

Umbreon dex RTC / day-night Full Eevee guide

Togepi → Togetic

Any time · 220+ · level-up. Mystery Egg hatches into Togepi after the Violet Center delivery; hatched eggs start at 120 friendship.

Togepi dex Togetic dex Violet Center Breeding notes

Pichu → Pikachu

Any time · 220+ · level-up. Breed Pikachu/Raichu at the Day Care; wild Pikachu is also on Route 2 in Kanto.

Pichu dex Day Care Route 34 Breeding guide

Cleffa → Clefairy

Any time · 220+ · level-up. Breed Clefairy/Clefable; wild Clefairy appears in Mt. Moon after Kanto opens.

Cleffa dex Mt. Moon map Breeding guide

Igglybuff → Jigglypuff

Any time · 220+ · level-up. Breed Jigglypuff/Wigglytuff; wild Jigglypuff can show early on Route 46.

Igglybuff dex Route 46 map Breeding guide

Live simulator

Friendship simulator & rater planner

Deltas match original Gold/Silver friendship rules and shrink past 100 and 200. Progress saves in this browser; the Mechanics Lab has the same live tools.

Friendship70

To 220150

Rater bandQuite cute

Band range: 100–149

Level-up window: Any time · Crobat / Blissey / Togetic / babies ignore day-night

Starting friendship Slider

Apply actions

Buttons use the three happiness bands (<100 / 100–199 / 200+). Haircut buttons are single outcomes; real cuts roll the probability table once per day.

Goldenrod checker

Happiness Rater message bands

Put the target in party slot one, then talk to the teacher in the Happiness Rater house on the east side of Goldenrod. Dialogue maps to these hidden ranges:

250–255 · It must love you a lotSafe green light for every happiness evolution.

200–249 · It really trusts youMay still be under 220 — one failed level-up means grind a little more.

150–199 · Sort of happyFriendly, not evolution-ready. Also the Return TM floor (150+).

100–149 · It’s quite cuteKeep walking, haircuts, and safe levels.

50–99 · Not used to youAvoid bitter herbs and avoidable fainting.

0–49 · It looks meanAlso unlocks TM21 Frustration at the Dept. Store 5F desk.

Open rater map Dept. Store 5F · Return / Frustration Items catalog

Raise & protect friendship

Actions from the Gen 2 engine tables

Each action lists the three deltas for friendship <100, 100–199, and 200+ on original Gold and Silver.

Action	<100	100–199	200+	Notes
Gain a level	+5	+3	+2	Also the evolution trigger
Vitamin (HP Up, Protein…)	+5	+3	+2	Dept. Store stock
Gym Leader battle	+3	+2	+1	Per leader fight
X item / learn a move	+1	+1	+0	Tiny mid-band help
Walk / bike	+1	+1	+1	~512 steps per point
Younger haircut · great (10%)	+10	+10	+4	Sun / Wed / Fri · ¥300
Older haircut · great (20%)	+5	+5	+2	Tue / Thu / Sat · ¥500
Daisy grooming	+3	+3	+1	Pallet Town · 15:00–15:59 · succeeds 255/256
Faint in battle	−1	−1	−1	Every faint hurts
Poison faint / strong foe	−5	−5	−10	Large late-band penalty
Heal Powder / Energypowder	−5	−5	−10	Bitter medicine
Energy Root	−10	−10	−15	Bitter medicine
Revival Herb	−15	−15	−20	Worst bitter hit

Daily boosts

Haircut Brothers schedule

Younger brother · ¥300

Sun / Wed / Fri in Goldenrod Underground. Outcome table: 60% okay (+1), 30% good (+3), 10% great (+10 / +4 at 200+). High-risk high-reward when you are close to 220.

Older brother · ¥500

Tue / Thu / Sat same tunnel. 30% okay (+1), 50% good (+3), 20% great (+5 / +2 at 200+). Steadier average while grinding Crobat or Togetic.

The Underground appointment is global: only one Pokémon total can receive a paid cut per RTC day. Pair it with the days of the week calendar and the live Mechanics Lab week panel.

Check

Goldenrod Happiness Rater

Lead-slot only. Top love message is the cleanest signal before spending a Rare Candy.

Open map

Boost

Goldenrod Underground

Haircut Brothers and the weekday bargain shop share this tunnel. Use the version toggle on the atlas for Silver pins.

Open map

Daisy's house in Pallet Town for grooming

Kanto

Daisy’s grooming

After the S.S. Aqua opens Kanto, Daisy in Pallet Town offers grooming only from 15:00 through 15:59, once per day. The friendship gain succeeds on 255 of 256 rolls, so it is not mathematically guaranteed.

Open map Reach Kanto

Eevee gift

Bill’s family house

Lv.20 Eevee after meeting Bill in Ecruteak. Starts at 70 friendship like other gifts.

Open map Espeon / Umbreon

Fast start

Friend Ball shortcut

Kurt in Azalea turns a Red Apricorn into a Friend Ball. Wild catches start at 200 friendship — perfect for Zubat/Golbat routes when you want Crobat with minimal grinding. Full tree map and ball recipes: Apricorns & Kurt special balls. Item entry: Friend Ball.

Saved checklist

Before you force a level-up

Target is in the active partyWalking and battles only raise friendship for party members. Lead slot for the raterGoldenrod checks party position one only. Rater shows love or high trustTop band is safest; trust may still be under 220. No Everstone heldRemoves the evolution check entirely. Eevee time window matches the branchSkip for Crobat / Blissey / Togetic / babies. No recent bitter herbs or avoidable faintsThey can drop a ready mon back below 220. Ready for one real level-upBattle or Rare Candy — friendship alone is not enough.

0 of 7 checked

Checks save in localStorage. Mirror milestones in Run Progress and catch flags in the Catch Checklist.

At a glance

Friendship families

Golbat

→

Crobat

Chansey

→

Blissey

Eevee

→

Espeon

Eevee

→

Umbreon

Togepi

→

Togetic

Pichu

→

Pikachu

Cleffa

→

Clefairy

Igglybuff

→

Jigglypuff

FAQ

Common friendship questions

Why didn’t it evolve at “really trusts you”?

That band is 200–249. Evolution needs 220+, so a mon at 205 still fails. Keep walking or take one more haircut, then try again.

Do traded Pokémon lose friendship?

Trades reset friendship to the gift/catch baseline (70) on the receiving cart. Plan Crobat/Togetic after the mon is home for good.

Is this the same as HeartGold / SoulSilver?

No. This page is original Game Boy Color Gold and Silver. Remakes share the 220 idea but differ on locations, items, and some QoL systems.

Where do I track progress site-wide?

Use Catch Checklist for species flags, Run Progress for story gates, and Mechanics Lab for the live friendship tool.

Keep going