How to Catch Pokémon in Pokémon Red/Blue

Last Updated: May 6, 2021

Sometimes, you're down to one Poké Ball and a rare Pokémon may appear! You may panic and wonder, "How on earth will I be able to catch this?" This guide will explain some ways to counter this fear and increase the odds of catching Pokémon in Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:
Weakening the Pokémon

1
Reduce the Pokémon's HP to 33% percent or lower. The trick is to get its health below that percentage without letting it faint. Use a combination of weak and medium power attacks to do this. See the numbers after each technique? These are called the Power Points or PP. Generally, the higher the PP, the weaker the attack.
- In these games putting Pokémon below 33% HP does not increase the catch rate further.
2
Use status ailments.
- Poisoning or burning the wild Pokémon will cause its HP to gradually deplete, making it easier to catch, but increasing the risk of causing it to faint.
- Putting it to sleep or paralyzing it are more reliable methods, however sleep only lasts a few turns and paralysis still allows it to fight back sometimes.
- If you can freeze a Pokémon, you can catch a Pokémon very easily, because in Generation 1 (Red, Blue and Yellow) the only way to thaw a Pokémon is to hit with a Fire-type attack.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:
Glitch method

1
Use this at your own risk. This only works in the original Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow versions.
2
If you would like to render yourself a 100 percent chance of catching a Pokémon, take your Master Ball, if you still have it.
3
Place it in the sixth slot of your inventory. Use Select to move the items around.
4
Go to Viridian City and ask the old man who blocked the way in the beginning of the game to demonstrate how to catch a Pokémon.
5
After the demonstration, fly to Cinnabar Island. Surf alongside the coast of the island. Soon, you may find glitched Pokémon called MissingNo, or 'M'.
6
If you decide to catch it, then be careful! It will glitch the current Hall of Fame data at the very least. Upon encountering it, you will suddenly have 128 Master Balls.
- The game uses glitch characters/tiles to show that the number is over 99, as the game was programmed with the assumption that you're only able to obtain 99 items in a stack.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:
Safari Zone

1
Visit the Safari Zone in Fuchsia City. You are given Safari Balls, which have the same catching power as Great Balls.
2
Use rocks to make Pokémon easier to catch, but they will become more likely to flee.
3
Use bait to do the opposite. They will be less likely to flee, but they will also be harder to catch.
4
If you catch a Tauros or a Chansey and raise it up, few enemies will stand up to you.

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Community Q&A

Question

How much money do you lose for your team blacking out in a trainer battle?

Community Answer

It varies, because you lose half your money, exactly, every time. You will never lose a set amount of money, so if you have 500 P. and you black out, you'll have 250 P.
Question

How do I get the starter Pokemon?

Kaiden

Community Answer

You'll get it almost as soon as you start the game. If you're looking for how to get the other starters, you'll have to trade.
Question

Can I catch a wild Charizard in Pokémon yellow?

Community Answer

I don't think so. Level up your Charmander -> Charmeleon -> Charizard.
Question

Where do I find the master ball? I can't find it.

Kaiden

Community Answer

Get it at the Silph Co. (from president after defeating Giovanni).

Warnings

The Ghost Marowak in Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town cannot be caught. A Master Ball will not work here.

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Not all Pokémon can be acquired by finding them in the wild.

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If the currently selected Pokémon Box is full with 20 Pokémon and your party with 6, you can't attempt to catch Pokémon with any Poké Ball. This is easy to fix at the PC, by switching to one of the other twelve boxes, but you won't be notified of being out of space in your Box beforehand.

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