Why can't you evolve Hisuian Voltorb in Pokemon GO?

Hisuian Voltorb may have just been made available in Pokemon GO, but its evolution still hasn’t shown up.

Niantic’s inclusion of Hisuian Voltorb is a celebration of the release of Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Having been out for only a couple of days, fans have been raving about this title and all the new mechanics that it introduces. Hisuian Voltorb was previously announced in a trailer for the game, however, its evolution was not.

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New Pokemon from Hisui region unable to evolve at the moment

Hisuian Voltorb was released in Pokemon GO on January 30. Trainers will be able to find and catch it in the wild, but they won’t be able to evolve it.

There hasn’t been any official explanation as to why Hisuian Voltorb’s evolution isn’t in the game. The popular assumption, though, is that they are trying not to spoil its evolution since Legends: Arceus was only released recently.

This may seem surprising, considering (spoiler warning ahead) Hisuian Voltorb’s evolution isn’t as shocking as it might seem. The Hisuian form of Voltorb evolves into Hisuian Electrode, just like it’s counterpart from Kanto.

The Hisuian versions of both Voltorb and Electrode have one distinct difference from their ordinary forms; instead of being pure Electric-types, the Hisuian forms are also part Grass-type.

Hisuian Voltorb is Grass-type as well as Electric-type (Image via Game Freak)

This is because of the way Poke Balls work in Hisui. Voltorb and Electrode are supposed to resemble Poke Balls, but in the Hisui region (which is supposed to take place in the past), they didn’t have modern day technology. Therefore, Poke Balls had a more organic makeup.

Since Hisuian Electrode isn’t in the game, the method for evolving Hisuian Voltorb is still unknown as well. It is quite possible that it will require a Leaf Stone, since that is how it evolves in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

Hisuian Voltorb will continue to appear throughout the Power Plant event and during the Lunar New Year event as well. Kanto Voltorb will also be appearing, and it will have a chance to be shiny.