HGSS Pokéwalker Guide: Courses, Unlocks & Pokémon
Every regular Pokéwalker course in HeartGold and SoulSilver: watt unlocks, exclusive Pokémon, step requirements and special courses.
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The Pokéwalker is the physical walking accessory for HeartGold and SoulSilver. Send it a Pokémon, walk to earn watts, then reconnect to unlock courses and bring your finds back. Its 20 regular courses include twelve Pokémon unavailable elsewhere in HGSS without trading, including Feebas and Spiritomb.
- Game
- HeartGold SoulSilver
- You need
- The physical Pokéwalker accessory and a Pokémon in your PC
- Where
- “Connect to Pokéwalker” on the main menu
- Courses
- 20 regular courses; 7 additional special courses
For encounters from shaking trees in the game, use the Headbutt trees guide.
What the Pokéwalker is and how courses unlock
Warning — The Pokéwalker needs the physical accessory: Everything below happens on the step-counter device that came with HeartGold and SoulSilver, not in the game. Without the device, none of these courses can be played.
Pick “Connect to Pokéwalker” on the game’s main menu to send one Pokémon from your PC to the device. Walk with it, catch Pokémon and find items on the course you chose, and bring them back into the game the next time you connect. The watts you send back add up, and that total unlocks the next course.
Refreshing Field and Noisy Forest are open from the start. The next six unlock at 50 to 3,000 watts in total. The twelve after that, from Hoenn Field on, also need the National Pokédex: without it the game stops after Town Outskirts, whatever your watts.
All 20 Pokéwalker courses and their Pokémon
| Course | Unlocks at | Pokémon |
|---|---|---|
| Refreshing Field | From the start | Kangaskhan, Doduo, Nidoran♀, Nidoran♂, Pidgey, Sentret |
| Noisy Forest | From the start | Wobbuffet, Bellsprout, Venonat, Paras, Oddish, Spearow |
| Rugged Road | 50 W | Magby, Onix, Machop, Ponyta, Hoothoot, Geodude |
| Beautiful Beach | 200 W | Psyduck, Staryu, Slowpoke, Poliwag, Sunkern, Wooper |
| Suburban Area | 500 W | Elekid, Magnemite, Murkrow, Hoothoot, Rattata |
| Dim Cave | 1,000 W | Smoochum, Gastly, Onix, Zubat, Machop |
| Blue Lake | 2,000 W | Dratini, Poliwag, Krabby, Shellder, Goldeen, Tentacool |
| Town Outskirts | 3,000 W | Abra, Voltorb, Koffing, Grimer, Rattata, Furret |
| Hoenn Field | 5,000 W, National Dex | Skitty, Linoone, Illumise, Volbeat, Zigzagoon, Wurmple |
| Warm Beach | 7,500 W, National Dex | Wailmer, Azurill, Horsea, Carvanha, Goldeen, Magikarp |
| Volcano Path | 10,000 W, National Dex | Slugma, Meditite, Houndour, Rhyhorn, Ponyta, Geodude |
| Treehouse | 15,000 W, National Dex | Kecleon, Castform, Girafarig, Stantler, Gloom, Weepinbell |
| Scary Cave | 20,000 W, National Dex | Marowak, Tauros, Golbat, Natu, Machop, Gastly |
| Sinnoh Field | 25,000 W, National Dex | Mime Jr., Combee, Shinx, Budew, Bidoof, Kricketot |
| Icy Mountain Rd. | 30,000 W, National Dex | Snover, Snorunt, Sneasel, Bronzor, Swinub, Mareep |
| Big Forest | 40,000 W, National Dex | Tropius, Bonsly, Tangela, Bibarel, Mareep, Exeggcute |
| White Lake | 50,000 W, National Dex | Chingling, Misdreavus, Haunter, Buizel, Remoraid, Chinchou |
| Stormy Beach | 65,000 W, National Dex | Finneon, Shellos, Magikarp, Seel, Psyduck, Shellder |
| Resort | 80,000 W, National Dex | Pachirisu, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Clefairy, Marill, Hoppip |
| Quiet Cave | 100,000 W, National Dex | Spiritomb, Munchlax, Chingling, Feebas, Noctowl, Golbat |
The seven special Pokéwalker courses
These courses do not unlock by accumulating watts. The table distinguishes the original unlock methods; an old distribution is not a current event.
| Course | Original unlock |
|---|---|
| Beyond the Sea | Receive a foreign-language Pokémon through the GTS |
| Night Sky’s Edge | Receive Jirachi in HGSS |
| Yellow Forest | Historical Mystery Gift distribution |
| Rally | Historical Mystery Gift distribution |
| Sightseeing | Historical Mystery Gift distribution |
| Winner’s Path | Historical Mystery Gift distribution |
| Amity Meadow | Historical Mystery Gift distribution |
Pokéwalker-exclusive Pokémon in HGSS
These twelve have no other source in HeartGold or SoulSilver short of trading, and their evolutions — Delcatty, Sharpedo, Wailord, Glalie, Froslass, Abomasnow, Lumineon and Gastrodon — come from them. Feebas is the exception: HeartGold and SoulSilver have no way to raise its Beauty, so it cannot evolve into Milotic there. Each Pokémon needs its course unlocked and a minimum number of steps on that walk before it can appear.
| Pokémon | Course (unlock) | Appears after |
|---|---|---|
| Skitty | Hoenn Field (5,000 W) | 7,500 steps |
| Carvanha | Warm Beach (7,500 W) | 1,500 steps |
| Wailmer | Warm Beach (7,500 W) | 7,000 steps |
| Castform | Treehouse (15,000 W) | 5,000 steps |
| Kecleon | Treehouse (15,000 W) | 5,000 steps |
| Snorunt | Icy Mountain Rd. (30,000 W) | 10,000 steps |
| Snover | Icy Mountain Rd. (30,000 W) | 10,000 steps |
| Tropius | Big Forest (40,000 W) | 6,000 steps |
| Finneon | Stormy Beach (65,000 W) | 4,000 steps |
| Shellos | Stormy Beach (65,000 W) | 5,000 steps |
| Feebas | Quiet Cave (100,000 W) | 500 steps |
| Spiritomb | Quiet Cave (100,000 W) | 10,000 steps |
Note — Shellos is the West Sea form: The Pokéwalker Shellos is the West Sea (pink) form. The East Sea form only reaches HGSS by trade.
HGSS Pokéwalker: FAQ
- Which Pokémon are Pokéwalker exclusives in HeartGold and SoulSilver?
- Skitty, Carvanha, Wailmer, Castform, Kecleon, Snorunt, Snover, Tropius, Finneon, Shellos, Feebas and Spiritomb — plus their evolutions, except Milotic: HGSS cannot raise Feebas’s Beauty.
- How do you unlock Pokéwalker courses?
- Send watts back to the game. The total unlocks courses from 50 to 100,000 watts, and everything from Hoenn Field on also needs the National Pokédex.
- How do you get Spiritomb in HeartGold?
- On the Pokéwalker’s Quiet Cave course, which unlocks at 100,000 watts with the National Pokédex. It can appear once you have walked 10,000 steps on that course.
- Can you get Pokéwalker Pokémon without the Pokéwalker?
- Only by trading them in from another game. The courses themselves need the physical device.