The complete guide to Eeveelutions in Pokemon GO

Steven Rondina Published 10/07/2021

Eevee has been a cherished Pokemon since the very beginning and that didn’t change in Pokemon GO.

For a massive number of trainers, Eeveelutions are the first powerful Pokemon that are obtainable thanks to their high CP ceiling and relatively cheap players can put together a very strong lineup just by catching an abundance of Eevees and evolving them.

One of the big differences between Eevee in Pokemon GO compared with Eevee in the Pokemon video games is that the different Eeveeluions have varying levels of strength. While the Eeveelutions in the Pokemon games have identical base stats, the potential strength of each one varies in Pokemon GO. Here are the strongest Eeveelutions in Pokemon GO, and how to catch ‘em all.

What is the best Eeveelution in Pokemon GO?

When strictly considering CP, the strongest Eeveelution in Pokemon GO is Espeon. Espeon has the highest CP ceiling of any Eeveelution, and is capable of hitting 3,170 when the trainer hits level 40. Though Espeon is strong, it doesn’t quite run away with the category.

Here are the different Eeveelutions and their maximum CP at level 40:

Espeon (3,170)
Glaceon (3,126)
Vaporeon (3,114)
Sylveon (3,069)
Flareon (3,029)
Leafeon (2,944)
Jolteon (2,888)
Umbreon (2,137)

Almost every Eeveelution hits a high enough CP to be useful. But unfortunately for Espeon, there is no shortage of strong psychic types to choose from. While Espeon is among the strongest, there is an abundance of legendary and mythical psychic-types as well as non-legendaries like Alakazam, Exeggutor, and Metagross that are comparable to or better than Espeon.

No thoughts just precious Sylveon. ????✨ pic.twitter.com/n6LKfSBGAb
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) May 8, 2021

Possibly the most useful Eeveelution in Pokemon GO is Sylveon. While there are loads of strong psychic types, there is an extremely limited selection of fairy Pokemon in Pokemon GO. While the sixth generation legendary Xerneas is the strongest fairy type in Pokemon GO, Sylveon is functionally in a four-way tie for second place alongside Gardevoir, Florges, and Togekiss.

Past Sylveon, most of the other Eeveelutions fall into the same category of Espeon where they are good but have a great deal of competition from other Pokemon. This is especially the case with Flareon, Vaporeon, and Leafeon who are roughly as strong as the various fire, water, and grass starters.

Eevee evolution nicknames in Pokemon GO

Niantic guaranteed that players can evolve Eevee into the desired Eeveelution quickly and easily by adding a nickname to the Pokemon and then evolving it using 25 candies. This can be done to quickly fill out the Pokedex while avoiding the randomness or extra hoops associated with getting specific Eeveelutions. The list includes:

Jolteon – Sparky
Flareon – Pyro
Vaporeon – Rainer
Umbreon – Tamao
Espeon – Sakura
Glaceon – Rea
Leafeon – Linnea
Sylveon – Kira

Players ought to note that this can only be done once for each Eeveelution on a player’s account. If a player nicknames an Eevee “Tamao,” evolves it into a Umbreon, and tries to repeat the process, then the second Eevee named Tamao will evolve randomly into either Jolteon, Flareon, or Vaporeon.

How to get each Eeveelution in Pokemon GO

One of each Eeveelution can be obtained by giving Eevees a specific nickname and evolving them. Those looking to get duplicates of the same Eeveelution will have to satisfy certain conditions. Here’s how to get each one.

How to get Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon in Pokemon GO

Eevees that have not satisfied the conditions for evolving into any of the other Eeveelutions will randomly evolve into either Vaporeon, Jolteon, or Flareon. There are no precise means of obtaining any of these, and there is no known method for manipulating the RNG in one’s favor.

How to get Umbreon in Pokemon GO

Umbreon can be obtained in Pokemon GO by walking with a buddy Eevee for 10 kilometers and then evolving it at night.

How to get Espeon in Pokemon GO

Trainers can get Espeon in Pokemon GO by walking with a buddy Eevee for 10 kilometers and then evolving it during the daytime.

How to get Leafeon in Pokemon GO

Pokemon GO players can evolve an Eevee into Leafeon by evolving the Eevee while standing within spinning distance of a Pokestop with an active Mossy Lure.

How to get Glaceon in Pokemon GO

Eevee will evolve into Glaceon when the player commits to evolving it while standing within spinning distance of a Pokestop that has an active Glacial Lure effect.

How to get Sylveon in Pokemon GO

Players will have the specific option to evolve an Eevee into a Sylveon by selecting the preferred Eevee as a buddy and acquiring 70 buddy hearts. Buddy hearts can be obtained by giving the Pokemon berries, walking with it, or playing with it.

What is the rarest shiny Eeveelution?

There is no way to tell what the rarity of different Eeveelutions are but Sylveon is likely the rarest at the moment simply because it is the newest with Leafeon and Glaceon being next. Even if it isn’t the rarest, shiny Sylveon is arguably the most eye-catching with its transformation from pink to baby blue.

Umbreon and Vaporeon are also great shinies, with Umbreon’s yellow rings turning neon blue and Vaporeon going from blue to purple. Many of the other Eeveelutions have underwhelming shiny transformations and some barely look any different from their normal versions.

What happens if I evolve a shiny Eevee?

If the player evolves a shiny Eevee, its evolution will be shiny. This applies to every other Pokemon that evolves. Players do not have to worry about their Pokemon losing their shiny status through evolution, or anything else.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

View full profile