Picking between HeartGold and SoulSilver decides which Pokemon you can catch on your own and which ones need a trade, so it's worth sorting out before you buy. Here's the Pokemon HeartGold vs SoulSilver difference: HeartGold has 19 wild Pokemon that SoulSilver lacks, SoulSilver has 17 that HeartGold lacks, and the story, the Gym Leaders and the trainers are the same in HeartGold and SoulSilver.
So the choice is a roster call, with a few legendary and item swaps on top. Here's what changes.
Which wild Pokemon only one version has
HeartGold is the one for Growlithe, Gligar, Phanpy and Sableye. SoulSilver answers with Vulpix, Skarmory, Teddiursa and Mawile, and the rest of each list is a mix of evolutions and fossil Pokemon that follow the same split.
Only in HeartGold
Mankey
Primeape
Growlithe
Arcanine
Spinarak
Ariados
Gligar
Gliscor
Mantine
Mantyke
Phanpy
Donphan
Sableye
Baltoy
Claydol
Omanyte
Omastar
Anorith
Armaldo
Only in SoulSilver
Vulpix
Ninetales
Meowth
Persian
Skarmory
Delibird
Ledyba
Ledian
Teddiursa
Ursaring
Mawile
Gulpin
Swalot
Kabuto
Kabutops
Lileep
Cradily
HeartGold's list is two longer, mostly because it takes Baltoy, Omanyte and Anorith lines while SoulSilver takes Kabuto and Lileep lines.
Ho-Oh and Lugia are in both games
- Type
- FireFlying
- Category
- Rainbow Pokémon
- National Dex
- #0250
- Debut
- Gen II
- Base stat total
- 680
You can catch both birds in either version, which surprises people who expect the box legendary to be the only one. The level is what changes. Ho-Oh is level 45 in HeartGold and level 70 in SoulSilver, and Lugia flips the other way, so the bird on your box is the level 45 one.
Latios, Latias and the Goldenrod gift
- Type
- DragonPsychic
- Category
- Eon Pokémon
- National Dex
- #0381
- Debut
- Gen III
- Base stat total
- 600
The legendary swap doesn't stop at the birds. HeartGold hands you a level 40 Latios and SoulSilver swaps in a Latias at the same level. Goldenrod's Game Corner gift shifts too, from Ekans in HeartGold to Sandshrew in SoulSilver.
Cliff Cave and the Ruins of Alph hold different finds
Even the items split. Cliff Cave in HeartGold holds a Red Shard, a Yellow Shard and a Claw Fossil, while the same cave in SoulSilver has a Blue Shard, a Green Shard and a Root Fossil. The Ruins of Alph follow the pattern with a Helix Fossil in HeartGold and a Dome Fossil in SoulSilver, which lines up with the fossil Pokemon in the table.
The Gym Leaders and trainers are the same
Nothing about the fights changes. Falkner takes the first Gym and Bugsy the second in both versions, and no trainer team differs between the games. Whatever plan works in one works in the other.
Which one should you buy?
Buy HeartGold for Growlithe and Sableye. Buy SoulSilver for Skarmory and Mawile. Everything else plays the same, so it comes down to the roster and the fossils. We'd take SoulSilver, since Skarmory is a bird made of knives and nobody argues with a bird made of knives.
HeartGold vs SoulSilver FAQ
Can you catch both Ho-Oh and Lugia in one version?
Yes. Each game has both birds, and the one on the box is at the lower level.
Do the Gym Leaders change?
No. Both games have the same Gym Leaders in the same order.
