Introduction to Buddy Pokémon in Pokémon Go

Pokémon Go gives you an opportunity to more than just catch as many Pokémon as you can. You can battle with them, trade them with your friends, or just hang around with them as buddies.

This guide will explain everything there is to know about Buddy Pokémon, including how to assign a Buddy and why doing so will benefit both you and the Pokémon you choose. After reading this guide, the only difficulty you'll have with Buddy Pokémon is choosing which one to be your Buddy – there are so many choices!

A Buddy Pokémon is a Pokémon you've caught and chosen to be your "Buddy" in the Trainer profile screen. Once you select your Buddy, it will appear with your character on the world map, walking with you as you travel around the neighborhood.

Visually, each Pokémon falls into one of five different categories depending on how big they are when they're selected as a Buddy. Medium and Big Buddies walk alongside you, Shoulder Buddies sit on your shoulder, Baby Buddy Pokémon are held in their trainer's arms, and Flying buddies soar above the Trainer's head.

Choosing a Buddy Pokémon is simple. Open your Trainer's profile from the lower-left corner of the screen, then tap Buddy to go to the Buddy Pokémon assignment screen. From there, choose your favorite Pokémon to be your Buddy, and a new menu will appear specifically for your new Buddy.

As you travel with a Buddy, you'll have the opportunity to earn Hearts from them, which will strengthen the bond between you and your Buddy Pokémon. A stronger bond means more rewards for you, a boost to your Buddy's power, and more; so be sure to max out those hearts.

Building a relationship with a Buddy Pokémon comes with major perks, both for you and for the Buddy Pokémon. When you’ve earned enough Hearts, your Buddy Pokémon will present you with extra items, and sometimes, if a wild Pokémon knocks away a Poké Ball during an encounter, your Buddy will knock it right back to them!

The Pokémon itself will also benefit from palling around with you. It will earn extra Candies and move forward to evolution or powering up simply by walking with you. If your Buddy Pokémon has a special form like Mega Evolution, it will also find Mega Energy and reach Mega Evolution summon more quickly.

Since you can select any Pokémon to be your Buddy, it's hard to narrow down which one is the best. For starters, you can choose Buddy Pokémon with a massive Candy cost for evolution – like Wimpod, who needs 400 Candies to become Golisopod – as you can earn extra Candies by walking.

If you don't have Pokémon you need to evolve, you can stick with Pokémon who have a Mega Evolution, so that your Buddy can find Mega Energy and achieve Mega Evolution quickly.