Pokemon HeartGold vs SoulSilver comes down to which bird is the easy one to catch, 19 wild Pokemon in HeartGold and 17 in SoulSilver that the other lacks, and a few items and gifts that change. The Gym Leaders and the story are the same in HeartGold and SoulSilver.
Which Pokemon only one version has
!A screenshot from Pokemon HeartGold
HeartGold's list includes Growlithe, Gligar, Phanpy and Sableye. SoulSilver's includes Vulpix, Skarmory, Teddiursa and Mawile.
| Only in HeartGold | Only in SoulSilver | |---|---| | Mankey | Vulpix | | Primeape | Ninetales | | Growlithe | Meowth | | Arcanine | Persian | | Spinarak | Skarmory | | Ariados | Delibird | | Gligar | Ledyba | | Gliscor | Ledian | | Mantine | Teddiursa | | Mantyke | Ursaring | | Phanpy | Mawile | | Donphan | Gulpin | | Sableye | Swalot | | Baltoy | Kabuto | | Claydol | Kabutops | | Omanyte | Lileep | | Omastar | Cradily | | Anorith | | | Armaldo | |
Ho-Oh and Lugia are in both games
!A screenshot from Pokemon SoulSilver
Both birds can be caught in both versions, and the version decides which one you meet early. Ho-Oh is at level 45 in HeartGold and level 70 in SoulSilver. Lugia is the reverse, at level 70 in HeartGold and level 45 in SoulSilver. The box legendary is the easier one to catch.
Latios or Latias in Pewter City
!A screenshot from Pokemon HeartGold
A Latios at level 40 appears in Pewter City in HeartGold, and a Latias of the same level takes its place in SoulSilver. The Goldenrod Game Corner gift changes too, from Ekans to Sandshrew.
Different shards and fossils in Cliff Cave
!A screenshot from Pokemon SoulSilver
HeartGold's Cliff Cave has a Red Shard, a Yellow Shard and a Claw Fossil, while SoulSilver's has a Blue Shard, a Green Shard and a Root Fossil. The Ruins of Alph hold a Helix Fossil in HeartGold and a Dome Fossil in SoulSilver.
The Gyms are the same
!A screenshot from Pokemon HeartGold
Falkner and Bugsy lead the first two gyms in both versions, and no trainer in the game data differs between them.
Which one should you buy?
Buy HeartGold for Growlithe and Sableye, and buy SoulSilver for Skarmory and Mawile. Everything else plays the same, so this is a roster choice and a fossil choice. We would take SoulSilver, since Skarmory is a better wall than anything HeartGold offers (this is the kind of take that starts arguments at the next trade).
HeartGold vs SoulSilver FAQ
Can you catch both Ho-Oh and Lugia in one version?
Yes. Each game has both birds, and the box legendary is the one at the lower level.
Do the Gym Leaders change?
No. Both games have the same Gym Leaders in the same order.
