Gold and Silver tell the same Johto story with the same trainers and the same Gym Leaders, so the Pokemon Gold vs Silver choice comes down to what turns up in the grass and which legendary you can handle when you meet it. Each game has 10 wild Pokemon the other one doesn't, and the box legendaries trade places in a way that changes how hard they are to catch.
That's a short list to look through before you buy. Find the Pokemon you'd want on your team, pick the version that has them, and trade for the rest.
Which wild Pokemon only one version has
Gold has Mankey and Primeape, Growlithe and Arcanine, Spinarak and Ariados, Teddiursa and Ursaring, plus Gligar and Mantine. Silver answers with Vulpix and Ninetales, Meowth and Persian, Ledyba and Ledian, Phanpy and Donphan, plus Skarmory and Delibird. (Delibird is on the Silver list and nobody has ever gone shopping for it.)
Only in Gold
Only in Silver
Ten against ten, so neither box is the better deal on numbers. It's a question of whose list you'd rather have.
Ho-Oh and Lugia arrive at different levels
- Type
- FireFlying
- Category
- Rainbow Pokémon
- National Dex
- #0250
- Debut
- Gen II
- Base stat total
- 680
You can catch both legendaries in either game, but your version decides which one is the easy catch. Ho-Oh sits on the Tin Tower roof at level 40 in Gold and level 70 in Silver. Lugia is the mirror image, waiting in the Whirl Islands at level 70 in Gold and level 40 in Silver.
Whichever one is level 70 is better left for late in the game, once your party can take a hit from it. The level 40 one you can go after as soon as you reach it.
Gold gets an Ekans and Silver gets a Sandshrew
- Type
- Poison
- Category
- Snake Pokémon
- National Dex
- #0023
- Debut
- Gen I
- Base stat total
- 288
The Goldenrod Game Corner sells a level 10 Ekans for 700 coins in Gold and a level 10 Sandshrew for the same 700 coins in Silver. Apart from that prize and the two legendary levels, no gift or fixed Pokemon changes between the games.
Falkner, Bugsy and Whitney are the same in both
Falkner opens the Gym route in Violet City with Pidgey at level 7 and Pidgeotto at level 9. Bugsy is next in Azalea Town with Metapod and Kakuna at level 14 and a Scyther at level 16, and then Whitney in Goldenrod City with Clefairy at level 18 and Miltank at level 20.
Every trainer team, trade, shop and item list matches between the two games, so a plan that works in one works in the other.
Which one should you pick?
Pick Gold for Growlithe, Mankey and an early Ho-Oh. Pick Silver for Vulpix, Skarmory and an early Lugia. The story doesn't change either way. (Silver, and we won't be taking questions.)
Gold vs Silver FAQ
Can you catch Lugia in Gold?
Yes. Lugia is in both games, at level 70 in Gold and level 40 in Silver.
Do the Gym Leaders change between Gold and Silver?
No. Both games have the same Gym Leaders with the same teams, in the same order.
