If you are browsing through your Pokemon storage in Pokemon GO and notice that the Evolve button on certain Pokemon is locked behind a strange prompt "Adventure together to evolve", you are not alone.
Unlike standard evolutions that only require a handful of Candies, a growing roster of unique Pokemon require you to complete specific challenges alongside them. Niantic implemented this mechanic to reflect the deep bonds trainers from with their partners in the mainline games. However, because the game doesn’t always spell out the rules clearly, players frequently run into roadblocks.
This comprehensive guide will break down exactly how the "Adventure Together" mechanic works, provide a complete master list of every Pokemon that requires this special step, and answer your most pressing questions about Adventure Together. If you are encountering the same question, go on reading this guide to find the answer.
- Part 1. What Does Adventure Together to Evolve Mean in Pokemon GO?
- Part 2. Which Pokemon Needs to Adventure Together to Evolve?
- Part 3. How to Speed up Adventure Together Evolution in Pokemon GO
- Part 4. FAQs about Adventure Together to Evolve in Pokemon GO
- Part 5. Conclusion
Part 1. What Does Adventure Together to Evolve Mean in Pokemon GO?
In Pokemon GO, the prompt "Adventure together to evolve" means that a Pokemon cannot be evolved using Candy alone. Instead, you must first assign that specific Pokemon as your active Buddy and complete a unique gameplay challenge alongside it.
How to Evolve a Pokemon That Says Adventure Together
The tasks vary significantly depending on the Pokemon species. To begin progressing toward a special evolution, you can perform the following steps.
Step 1 Make the Pokemon your active Buddy
The game will not track any progress toward the evolution requirement unless the Pokemon is actively assigned as your partner.
Step 2 Check the specific requirement
Every Pokemon has a different requirement. But you can check your specific objective and a real-time progress bar of each Pokemon.
Step 3 Complete the Requirement
Keep the Pokemon as your buddy while you complete its specific goal. These goals generally fall into four categories as follows.
- Walking Distance: Walk a certain amount of kilometers with them.
- Combat Tasks: Win a set number of raids or defeat specific types of Pokemon.
- Catching/Throwing Tasks: Catch specific types of wild spawns or hit certain throwing tiers.
- Interactions/Items: Feed them a certain amount of berries or activate items.
Step 4 Trigger the Evolution
Once the progress bar hits 100%, the evolution button will light up.
📌The Golden Rule:
You must keep the Pokemon as your active Buddy at the exact moment you press Evolve. If you finish the quest, swap to a different buddy, and try to evolve the original Pokemon straight from your storage screen, the button will look locked again. Re-equip them as your buddy to solve this.
Part 2. Which Pokemon Needs to Adventure Together to Evolve?
In Pokemon GO, several Pokemon require you to set them as your active Buddy and complete a specific challenge under the "Adventure together to evolve" prompt before they can be evolved. The full list of Pokemon that require this mechanic, grouped by their specific requirements.
1. Walking Distance Requirements
For these Pokemon, you simply need to have them set as your buddy while you log distance via active gameplay or Adventure Sync. Note that the buddy does not need to be fed or actively on the map screen for these kilometer to count.
| Pokemon | Evolves Into | Distance Required | Candy Cost | Additional Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feebas | Milotic | 20 km | 100 Candy | |
| Eevee | Espeon | 10 km | 25 Candy | Evolve during the Daytime. |
| Eevee | Umbreon | 10 km | 25 Candy | Evolve during the Nighttime. |
| Mime Jr. | Mr. Mime | 15 km | 50 Candy | |
| Bonsly | Sudowoodo | 15 km | 50 Candy | |
| Happiny | Chansey | 15 km | 25 Candy | |
| Woobat | Swoobat | 1 km | 50 Candy | |
| Pawmi | Pawmo | 25 km | 50 Candy | Walk the full distance. |
| Hisuian Sneasel | Sneasler | 7 km | 100 Candy | Evolve during the Daytime. |
2. Battle & Raid Tasks
To complete these challenges, your buddy must be equipped while participate in battles. The buddy doesn't actually have to participate in the battle or survive. It simply must be set as your active buddy while you complete the activity.
- Primeape → Annihilape: Defeat 30 Ghost-type or Psychic-type Pokemon.
- Charcadet → Armarouge: Defeat 30 Psychic-type Pokemon.
- Charcadet → Ceruledge: Defeat 30 Ghost-type Pokemon.
- Galarian Yamask → Runerigus: Win 10 Raids.
- Hisuian Qwilfish → Overqwil: Win 10 Raids.
- Bisharp → Kingambit (Single Strike Style): Defeat 15 Dark-type or Steel-type Pokémon in raids.
- Kubfu → Urshifu (Rapid Strike Style): Defeat 30 Dark-type Pokémon in raids or Max Battles.
3. Catching & Throwing Tasks
These tasks test your mechanical skills or require you to target specific wild spawns while roaming the map.
- Galarian Farfetch'd → Sirfetch'd: Make 10 Excellent Throws.
- Pancham → Pangoro: Catch 32 Dark-type Pokémon.
- Galarian Slowpoke → Galarian Slowbro: Catch 30 Poison-type Pokémon.
- Galarian Slowpoke → Galarian Slowking: Catch 30 Psychic-type Pokémon.
- Poipole → Naganadel: Catch 20 Dragon-type Pokémon.
4. Interacting, Feeding, & Item Tasks
Some Pokemon require unique care or the activation of specific items while they are out on the map with you.
- Eevee → Sylveon: Earn 70 Buddy Hearts.
- Swirlix → Slurpuff: Feed your buddy 25 treats
- Spritzee → Aromatisse: Use 1 Incense or Daily Adventure Incense.
- Floette → Florges: Earn 20 Buddy Hearts.
Part 3. How to Speed up Adventure Together Evolution in Pokemon GO
To speed up the "Adventure Together to Evolve" process in Pokemon GO, you need to target the specific type of challenge your buddy requires. Because these tasks are separated into unique categories, optimizing your gameplay strategy can bypass the traditional grind. Here are the fastest, most effective methods to clear each requirement quickly.
1. Speed up Battle & Raid Tasks
Applicable PokEmon: Primeape, Charcadet, and Galarian Yamask.
Instead of waiting for specific wild spawns, random Team GO Rocket Grunts, or expensive Raids, use the Trainer Battle method.
Ask a friend or use a secondary account to challenge you to a direct PvP Battle via QR code.
Have your friend select a team composed entirely of the low-CP versions of the types you need to defeat.
Ensure your target Pokemon is your active Buddy in the background. It does not need to enter the battle or fight.
Defeat your friend's team quickly. You can repeat this process as many times as necessary to finish the 30-defeat milestone in just a few minutes.
If a friend is unavailable, enter the Master League Training bouts against the team leaders at the bottom of the Battle menu. It takes longer but counts toward your progression.
2. Speed up Walking Distance Tasks
Applicable PokEmon: Pawmo, Feebas, Eevee, Happiny, Bonsly, and Mime Jr.
Logging up to 25 kilometers can take days of normal walking. You can optimize tracking or leverage external assistance to complete this faster.
Activate Adventure Sync: Ensure Adventure Sync is turned on in your game settings. This allows Pokemon GO to track your distance using your phone's internal fitness app like Apple Health or Google Fit even when the game is completely closed. This captures passive distance from running daily errands indoors.
The Poffin / Excited Mood System: While Poffins primarily halve the distance required to earn a Candy, they do not directly alter the base requirement on the evolution progress bar itself. However, keeping your buddy active on the map by feeding it berries ensures that active map tracking is optimized during manual sessions.
Simulate Movement from Home: If bad weather, physical constraints, or limited time prevent you from logging miles outside, tools like MagFone Location Changer can bridge the gap. By connecting your mobile device to a computer, you can use features like multi-spot routing or joystick control to simulate real-world walking paths at realistic speeds. This allows your device's built-in GPS to safely accumulate the required evolution distance from the comfort of your room.
3. Speed up Catching & Throwing Tasks
Applicable PokEmon: Galarian Farfetch'd, Pancham, and Galarian Slowpoke.
For Excellent Throws (Farfetch'd): Do not waste time trying to hit small, erratic wild Pokemon Instead, head to Legendary Raids or look for massive wild spawns like Wailmer, Ursaring, or Ponyta that have giant catch circles. It is significantly easier to score consecutive or fast Excellent throws on large targets.
For Type-Specific Catches (Pancham/Slowpoke): Check the local weather boost mechanics or wait for targeted Spotlight Hours and Community Days. If Pancham needs 32 Dark-type catches, waiting for a Dark-type event or hunting during foggy weather in-game will clutter your map with the exact spawns you need, finishing the task in under an hour.
4. Speed up Interacting & Treat Tasks
Applicable PokEmon: Swirlix, Spritzee, and Eevee.
Spamming Treats (Swirlix): Swirlix requires you to give it 25 treats. You do not have to wait for its hunger meter to empty over time to do this. Feed it 3 berries to put it on the map, then immediately feed it another berry even if it is full. The animation will play, your berry count will drop, and it will count directly toward your 25-treat evolution total in a single sitting.
Quick Hearts (Sylveon): To get 70 hearts fast, maximize your daily interactions: play, snapshot, feed, and battle the team leaders with Eevee in your party. If you feed Eevee a Poffin, it instantly doubles the available heart slots for the day, allowing you to hit 70 hearts in roughly 3 to 4 days instead of a week.
Part 4. FAQs about Adventure Together to Evolve in Pokemon GO
Do I need to feed my buddy to get walking distance?
No. Your buddy does not need to be actively walking on the map matrix next to your avatar for the "Adventure Together" distance to count. As long as the Pokemon is assigned as your active buddy, background distance tracked via Adventure Sync or active gameplay will apply directly to their evolution task.
Does my buddy have to participate in the battles to pass combat quests?
No. For battle challenges like Primeape or Charcadet, your buddy simply needs to be designated as your active partner. They do not need to be placed in your three-Pokemon combat lineup, they do not need to deal damage, and they do not need to survive the battle.
Why does the evolution button show a question mark instead of the silhouette?
If you are trying to evolve an Eevee or a Hisuian Sneasel and see a ? on the button, the game has not recognized the current time of day or distance requirement. Do not press the button! Wait until the environment changes clearly to Day or Night and the silhouette displays the specific evolution you want like Umbreon or Sneasler.
Part 5. Conclusion
Mastering the "Adventure Together to Evolve" mechanic is all about understanding your buddy's unique goals and keeping them by your side when it matters most. While tracking down specific types to battle or walking long distances can feel like a test of patience, organizing your strategy around the task types makes the process much smoother.
Always ensure the Pokemon is your active buddy at the exact moment you hit that final "Evolve" button. With your master checklist complete and your troubleshooting steps in mind, you are fully equipped to unlock some of the most powerful and unique evolutions Pokemon GO has to offer. Happy adventuring, trainers!
Olivia Wood
Editor in chief
