Cheats and Secrets - Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow Guide - IGN (2024)

This page contains a list of cheats, codes, Easter eggs, tips, and other secrets for Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow Versions for Game Boy. They also might apply to later versions of Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow for the eShop on Nintendo 3DS.

A note on cheat codes: While there aren't any hidden cheat codes in Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow aside from the Pokemon Name Codes we list below, there are a couple of secrets and odd glitches. Below, we list the most important ones. This page includes the original secrets found in the Game Boy versions of Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow that may be patched out of future ports. Since the 1990s, there have been decades of bogus tips out there, ranging from pressing button combinations to increase damage to holding a button to ensure an easy catch. Sadly, according to the creators of the game, these codes don't work. Holding down buttons does not affect the odds in any way. The glitches and secrets collected here are all tested and verfied.

Tip: Cut Down Grassy Areas

Once you get the HM "cut", your Pokemon can cut down grassy areas. Use "cut" and it will cut a two by two area. Wild Pokemon will not attack you in the area you cut.

Tip: How to Win the Celadon City Slot Machines

All of the slot machines have different odds, which change every time. To win big, play each machine 4 times, and if it hits 2 or more, then stick with that one, because it's probably hot.

If the slow machine forces you really close to a 777 or Bar Bar Bar it will probably give you one or the other soon.

Tip: Easy Level Gain

To easily gain experience, simply switch the Pokémon you want to train with the top Pokémon on your list. When you go into battle the Pokémon will pop out. You can then switch to another Pokémon. Once you win the battle the beginning Pokémon and the fighting Pokémon will both gain experience points.

Tip: Boss Weaknesses

• Brock: Use water or grass Pokemon against this rock trainer.
• Misty: Use grass Pokemon or electric to defeat this gym leader.
• Lieutenant Surge: use a ground Pokemon, and he's toast.
• Erika: Use fire Pokemon or flying against this plant lover and shatter her dreams of fighting you again.
• Sabrina: Use bug or ghost against this psychomaniac and she is a goner.
• Koga: This poison Pokemon lover will be defeated easily by using psychic Pokemon.
• Blaine: This fire trainer will use fire Pokemon against you so you can use water.
• Final boss: Giovanni, the team rocket leader, is the final gym leader - use water, ice, and he's out of there (and talk to him again and he says something to you).

In the Indigo Plateau, you find 5 Pokemon masters. Use this Pokemon lineup for a better chance of success:

• Grass
• Water, Grass, Flying, Ice
• Psychic
• Ice or Dragon
• Your choice

Good Luck!

Tip: Fight the Elite Four More Than Once for XP

First collect all eight badges. Then go through victory road. Next beat the Elite Four. After that your Pokemon will become Hall of Famors. Then the credits will show, following by your game resetting. Go back to your Continued Game. You will be back at home. Then fly back and beat them again and again to level up your Pokemon more easily.

Tip: Secret Coins

At the Game Corner there are secret coins lying around. You can get these coins by walking around and pressing the A button.

Tip: Invisible Walls in Koga's Gym

If you look at the floors in Koga's Gym you will notice it has lines. In some spots you will see little gaps in the lines. These "gapped lines" are the invisible walls.

Hint: Get Surfing Pikachu

Did you know that you can get a Pikachu that knows the Water technique Surf? Here's how you can get it (outside of winning a Nintendo Pokemon contest):

Surfing Pikachu is hidden in Pokémon Stadium for the Nintendo 64. To teach your Pikachu Surf (a technique it can normally not learn), you need to first unlock the R-2 (Round 2) mode. Then do the following:

• Enter the R-2 Prime Cup's Master Ball division (you have to beat the first three divisions first).
• Assemble a team that contains a Pikachu that does not yet know Surf. You HAVE to use a Pikachu from your Game Boy game. You cannot unlock Surfing Pikachu using a Rental Pokémon. Do not register your team! Pick it directly from your Game Boy cartridge.
• You now have to beat the Prime Cup's Master Ball division using a three-Pokémon team that always contains Pikachu. Pikachu has to be in every one of the eight battles.
• You are not allowed to use any continues. If you do, you won't get Surfing Pikachu.

Once you have fulfilled all the above conditions, you are shown an award screen with Pikachu standing on a surfboard. From here on, Pikachu can use the Surf technique both in battle and during gameplay (Game Boy versions only). In Pokémon Yellow, you can also access the hidden Surfing Pikachu mini-game on Route 19.

Note: There is also a GameShark code that lets you access Surfing Pikachu, but we advise against using it, since it can mess up your Pokédex and save data. It's not worth the trouble.

Tip: Get the Mimic TM

Buy a Pokedoll in Celadon Mart, then FLY to Saffron and talk to the Copycat. She will give you the Mimic TM.

Tip: Get Amnesia TM for Psyduck

Have you ever wondered how you can get the elusive Amnesia technique? Well, it's hidden deep in Pokemon Stadium for the Nintendo 64. Unlocking it will take a while, but it's definitely worth it. You have to register ALL 151 Pokemon in the Hall of Fame. Whenever you beat a tournament (or Gym Leader Castle), your six Pokemon are entered into the Hall of Fame. It doesn't matter whether you use rental Pokemon or your own, but you can't have any gaps. Once you've filled it all up, you are awarded a free Psyduck bonus Pokemon that knows the Amnesia technique. You can now upload it to your Game Boy pak and use it in your quest.

The following glitches can get you some cool things in your game, but be sure to follow directions carefully as they can also corrupt your game save file.

Glitch: How to Catch MissingNo.

Warning! By not following this glitch closely you might result in a corrupted save file.

To get MissingNo, the famously glitched out Pokemon placeholder that's missing a number (hence its in-game name, MissingNo), go to Cinnabar Island and go into the Pokémon Research Labratory and trade with anyone in the first room. Then leave the Lab and go to the EAST of Cinnabar Island and surf up and down on the part where the land meets the water. Eventually the battle screen will come up and the screen goes black for about 5 seconds.

Once you find MissingNo, use a Level 30 to 40 Pokemon. This is because Missing No., even at Lv. 80, has a VERY low defense rating. So get it down pretty low. Even at low health it is still extremely difficult to catch. So next get a Pokemon that knows a sleep move and put him to sleep. Follow this up with a couple Ultra Balls andyou should have him.

NOTE: Catching MissingNo. may cause minor glitches. Also note that if MIssingNo evolves (i.e., by receiving a Rare Candy) it will turn into a Khangiskahn.

Cheat: Duplicate Items (MissingNo Method)

This trick is a glitch andwill only work with Pokemon Blue and Red on Game Boy. It has been fixed in Yellow.

To get 99 of any Items, first put the item you want to multiply in the sixth item slot. Now use FLY and go to Viridian City. Talk to the old man almost all the way north of the town. When he asks if you are in a hurry, say no and watch him catch a Weedle.

Right after that, FLY to Cinnabar Island. Make your way East and, when you you reach the water's edge, use SURF.

Swim up and down the beach until you run into a Pokemon called "M" (Missingno.) Once you see it, kill it or run away. Do not attempt to catch it! After you beat the glitchy Pokemon, you should have multiple copies of your sixth item.

Best Items to duplicate:

1. MASTERBALL
2. RARE CANDY
3. NUGGET

Cheat: Clone Pokemon

This trick requires a secondGame Boy, link cable and Pokemon game.

Warning: This a non-legit way to turn one Pokemon into two. However, it's rather risky and may corrupt your saved game file if not done correctly.

Trade the Pokemon to be cloned, and have the other player select a Pokemon that he or she does not care about. Trade them, and make sure the player receiving the bad Pokemon can see the other player's screen. When the Game Boy that receives the good Pokemon's displays "Waiting", get ready to shut the other Game Boy off. Timing is important.

Turn off the Game Boy that is receiving the bad Pokemon as soon as the "Waiting" message disappears. When the "Trade completed" message appears, turn off the other Game Boy. Both games will have the same good Pokemon when they are turned back on.

Glitch: Find and Capture Mew

You can both find and capture Mew through a glitch in Pokemon Red, Blue, or Yellow. Here's how to find the rare Pokemon.

Before doing this, you will need to have a Pokemon that knows the Hidden Machine Fly.

Two trainers in the game must be free to battle. If you had battled them before, you won't be able to do this glitch: The Gambler and The Youngster must be un-battled. If you've already battled through this area, you'll need to restart your game on a clean save.

Head to Route 8 and stand in front of the Underground Path door. Take a step downward and hit the start button the game before the Gambler Pokemon trainer sees you for a battle. This is the first trainer you need to have freed up -- in other words, you must not have already battled him.

Fly to to Cerulean City and walk up to Route 24 and 25. Head over to another trainer that must be freed up, The Youngster who will be facing north and is to the left of a tree and item. He has a Slowpoke in his party. Make sure you're at the highest part of the route so he walks up to you. Defeat the trainer and fly to Lavender Town. Head west to Route 8 and your menu will pop up. Press B to exit and you will fight Mew. This occurs because when you flew away from Route 8 before the trainer had a chance to fight you, that tricked the game into thinking there should be a fight going on in Route 8. By entering that area, this triggers this fight but with Mew because you flew off before it occured.

Mew will be at level 7 and only know the move Pound. Make sure you have tons of Pokeballs and only save before this technique and after catching Mew! It turns out that when Nintendo made the game and programmed each Pokemon into the game, Slowpoke and Mew each had the same coding at the beginning of their names, hence Mew's appearance here.

The opponent is surprisingly strong: Try to put him to Sleep and throw Great Balls.

Submitted by Megod. Verified by Dane.

Glitch: Catching Mewtwo Before the Pokemon League

To get Mewtwo before the Elite Four, talk to the man in Viridian City who teaches you to catch Pokemon. When he asks you if you are in a hurry, say no and watch him catch a Weedle. After that, fly to Fuschia City and head from south there and surf to Seafoam Island. Surf up and down the beach until you find a Missingno. Do NOT catch him (doing so may crash your game). Kill him or run away. Repeat the process, but this time keep surfing along the beach of Seafoam Island and wild Mewtwos should appear. (Note: multiple Mewtwos can appear, and they will have high levels. You may also find other high level Pokemon, like level 80 Golducks.)

Glitch: How to Catch Level 100+ Pokemon

You can catch Level 100+ Pokemon in early versions of Pokemon Red and Blue.

1. Talk to the old man in Viridian City who shows you how to catch Pokemon.
2. Fly directly to Cinnabar Island.
3. Put your strongest Pokemon on your team.
4. You might want to save now.
5. Surf on the shore where the land touches water.
6. Keep Surfing until you run into one of these strong Pokemon.

NOTE: This is a bug in the game. It will not work in newer versions of Pokemon and may crash your game if you try it.

Glitch: Fight Land Creatures in Water

Instead of fighting a set group of monsters in the water, you actually fight monsters from the last place you were. So to get safari zone monsters, you need to go to the section of the safari zone with that monster, let your time run out, then go to the coast. Using this trick I have caught Kangaskhan, Scyther, and Tauros!

Glitch: Fish in Statues

Stand next to a statue and use a fishing rod. You will actually start to fish -- weird, huh? Sadly, there really isn't anything to this trick. You won't catch anything.

Glitch: Fight Land Creatures in Water and Catch Safari Pokemon Easily

This trick is a glitch andwill only work with Pokemon Blue and Red. It has been fixed in Yellow.

To fight creatures that normally live on land in water and encounter Safari Zone Pokemon outside the area, go to the water around Cinnabar Island or Seafoam Islands (The only place you can be randomly attacked while swimming.) Swim along the shore of any island and you will fight land creatures. (You have to swim on a place where the square is half land and half water.)

Instead of fighting a set group of monsters in the water, you actually fight monsters from the last place you were. So to get Safari Zone monsters, you need to go to the section of the Safari Zone with that monster, let your time run out, then go to the coast. Using this trick, you can catch Kangaskhan, Scyther, and Tauros without any problems.

Unlockable: Diploma

You must get all 151 Pokemon and go and see Professor Oak in his lab. At that point he will then give you the diploma.

Codes: Pokemon Name Secrets

Did you know that the names you give your Pokemon in the Game Boy games directly affects their appearance in Pokemon Stadium? The secrets to the color variations lie in the names you give your Pokemon as well as your trainer ID number (assigned to you in Pokemon Blue, Red or Yellow, whenever you start a new game).

While there are a few secret nicknames that change only certain Pokemon's colors, there are a couple of naming tricks that result in different color variations. For example:

As you can see, a Pikachu named "pikachu" will be a lighter yellow than the standard "PIKACHU". Similarly, a Pikachu nicknamed "PIKA" will be more orange in tone. This is not an isolated example. There are plenty of Pokemon that change colors according to their names. Here are some pointers:

• Use upper case names to get standard colorizations
• Use only lower caps (ie: poliwhirl) for alternate colors
• Reverse the syllables (ie: DRILLBEE instead of BEEDRILL)
• Leave out syllables (ie: MAGMITE)
• Insert hyphens (ie: MEW-TWO)
• Abridge the names (ie: PIKA)

The colorization difference depend entirely on the Pokemon. For example, the differences between a RHYHORN and a rhyhorn are rather subtle because of its grayish body tone:

Below, you will find some name suggestions that can you can use to assemble a more colorful Pokemon team (note that colors may vary slightly depending on your game ID):

You can connect the classic Game Boy cartridges to Pokemon Stadium to pull off the following tricks.

Hint: Win Bonus Pokemon in Pokemon Stadium

Every time you defeat the Elite Four and your rival, you are randomly awarded one of eight semi-rare to rare Pokemon that you can then transfer to your Game Boy cartridge. The Pokemon is awarded to you after the credits sequence and you need to pick it up in Professor Oak's Lab. Note that the lab can only hold one Pokemon at the time, so pick it up right away or you may be forced to overwrite it when you beat Gym Leader Castle again.

All in all, you can win the following eight Pokémon:

• #001 Bulbasaur : Pokémon Red and Blue players who picked Charmander or Squirtle as their starting Pokémon can finally get their hands on the powerful Grass/Poison type. It first evolves into Ivysaur, then into Venusaur.
• #004 Charmander : If you picked Squirtle or Bulbasaur, the powerful Charmander can finally be yours -- as well as its evolutions, Charmeleon and Charizard.
• #007 Squirtle : Pokemon Yellow players may not care about this one either, but Red/Blue players who picked Bulbasaur or Charmander will finally find out why Squirtle is most players' #1 choice as the starting Pokemon. It evolves into Wartortle and Blastoise.
• #106 Hitmonlee : Even Pokemon Yellow players should be excited about this one. If you picked Hitmonchan, this is your only chance to get -lee (outside of trading with someone).
• #107 Hitmonchan : Here's the second (and less popular) Hitmon character. Chances are you didn't pick this one -- so this fighting Pokemon will be a welcome reward.
• #133 Eevee : In my opinion, Jolteon is the most powerful Electric Pokemon in the game. Eevee's other two evolutions, Vaporeon and Flareon aren't bad, either. The catch is that you only find one Eevee in the Game Boy games -- and you can only evolve it into one of the three. Here's your chance to get as many Eevees as you like. Cool, huh?
• #138 Omanyte : Did you get Kabuto when you had to choose between the Dome Fossil and the Helix Fossil? Well, Omanyte (and its evolution Omastar) can finally be yours.
• #140 Kabuto : Kabuto and its evolution, Kabutops, may have a lot of weaknesses, but they're still two of the coolest looking Pokemon in the game. Here's your chance to get Kabuto -- even if you picked Omanyte in the Game Boy quest.

Note that you don't need to beat the whole Gym Leader Castle mode if you want to win another bonus Pokemon. Once you have opened up the Elite Four Battle, you can just start from there.