Version Differences

Like all Pokemon games, Pokemon Gold, Pokemon Silver, and Pokemon Crystal differ in a handful of ways. Check out these differences below!

New Features in Pokemon Crystal

Pokemon Crystal features a few key differences compared to Pokemon Gold and Silver. Here are a few of the biggest!?

Play as a female character

Pokemon Crystal was the first Pokemon game that lets you choose a female avatar to play as, pictured on the right.?

sprite animations

Pokemon sprites in Pokemon Crystal have small animations, unlike in previous games when they were static. Pokemon Crystal was also the first Pokemon game only playable on the Game Boy Color, overall having more vibrant graphics.

suicune and celebi

Crystal's box legendary, Suicune, has a much bigger presence in Crystal than it did in Gold and Silver. It appears statically in multiple places around the world, and is able to be encountered at the Tin Tower, where it won't run away. Entei and Raikou are still roaming beasts, and Ho-Oh will return to the Tin Tower after capturing all three of them.

Celebi is usually not naturally catchable in Pokemon Crystal, but the new trailer for the 3DS Virtual Console version suggests it will be.

location and story changes in Pokemon Crystal

A few of the locations were given upgrades in Pokemon Crystal, and a few story mechanics have been upgraded.?

• The Ruins of the Alph has a new subplot, revealing more about the ancient Unown's background, and has more puzzles and more common Unown.
• The Ice Path now has more ice, and the puzzles were altered.?
• A new character who's searching for Suicune now appears.?
• Trainers who call your phone after battling?now have distinct personalities.?
• You'll be able to obtain a Dratini with ExtremeSpeed after receiving the Rising Badge and answering the questions to a new quiz correctly in the Dragon's Den.
• The first Battle Tower ever to appear in a Pokemon game is accessible north of Route 40.?
  

Absent Pokemon in Pokemon Crystal

The same Pokemon obtainable in Pokemon Silver and Pokemon Gold are also capturable in Pokemon Crystal except for the following:

Lugia and Ho-oh

You can get Lugia and Ho-oh in both Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver, but which you get first depends on which game you have. In Pokemon Crystal, Ho-Oh only appears after the three Legendary Beasts, Suicune, Raikou, and Entei, have been captured.?

In Gold, Ho-oh is obtainable before the Elite Four, and in Silver, Lugia is available before the Elite Four. Their move sets are also different, most notably, Lugia will only have its signature Aeroblast move in Pokemon Silver, and Ho-oh will only have its signature Sacred Fire in Pokemon Gold. Each of these moves has 95 accuracy and 100 Base Power, but Aeroblast is more likely to land a critical hit, and Sacred Fire is more likely to inflict Burn.?

Keep in mind, if you're playing the virtual console version of Gold or Silver, you will be able to teach these Pokemon their signature moves regardless of which version they were caught in with the?Move Reminder in Pokemon Sun or Moon if you transfer them.?

Gold and Silver Version Exclusive Pokemon

There are a few Pokemon you can only get in either Gold or Silver, which you can see below. See Absent Pokemon in Pokemon Crystal above to see which Pokemon Crystal doesn't have access to.?

Pokemon Found in Trees with Headbutt

If one of your party Pokemon knows headbutt, it can shake a hiding Pokemon loose from a tree. What Pokemon will fall depends on which version you're playing.