How to Evolve Eevee into Umbreon in Every Game and Pokémon GO

To evolve Eevee into Umbreon in the main Pokémon games, raise its friendship high enough and then level it up at night. Since Sword and Shield the bar is 160 friendship (220 in older games), and it must not know a Fairy-type move or it becomes Sylveon instead. In Pokémon GO it’s different: make Eevee your buddy, walk 10 km together, then evolve it for 25 Eevee Candy while it’s night in the game, or rename it Tamao and evolve it for a one-time guaranteed Umbreon.

That’s the whole recipe. The trouble is that “high friendship” and “night” mean slightly different things in each game, and one stray move can send your Eevee down the wrong branch. Here’s how to get it right the first time.

Why your Eevee keeps refusing to become Umbreon

“It has full friendship but still won’t evolve”

A GameFAQs question from a Pokémon Omega Ruby player describes an Eevee with maxed hearts that stayed an Eevee for 40 levels. The answers point at the usual mix-up: Pokémon-Amie hearts are affection, which is a different stat from the hidden friendship value that Umbreon checks. One player who gave Eevee a Soothe Bell, kept battling and then levelled it at night got their Umbreon. Bulbapedia’s friendship page backs this up: affection and friendship were separate until Generation VIII merged them.

“Rare Candies did nothing”

Someone on a Pokémon Sun Q&A page burned three Rare Candies with no evolution. The fix people gave was simple: friendship wasn’t high enough yet, so keep raising it and level up again at night. A Rare Candy only counts if both conditions are already met when the level ticks over.

“Scarlet has no real clock, so when is night?”

On the Pokémon Scarlet GameFAQs board, players explained that Paldea runs its own short day-night cycle and that the icon at the top of the map shows the current time of day. Their practical advice: keep Eevee in the party so friendship builds, then hit a level-up after dark. One reply puts it plainly: “You level it at night if it has high enough friendship.” The same thread warns that a Fairy move such as Baby-Doll Eyes turns it into Sylveon, which matches Bulbapedia’s priority rules.

“I’m playing Let’s Go, Eevee! and there’s no night”

You can’t get one there. As a GameFAQs answer for Let’s Go, Eevee! explains, the game only has the original 151 Pokémon plus Meltan and Melmetal, and Bulbapedia lists Umbreon as unobtainable in both Let’s Go games.

How to evolve Eevee into Umbreon in the main series

Every core game since Gold and Silver uses the same idea, according to Bulbapedia’s Eevee evolution data: friendship high enough, then a level-up at night. Work through it like this:

1. Check Eevee’s moves. If it knows a Fairy-type move (Baby-Doll Eyes, Charm and so on), forget that move first. In Generation VI and later, Sylveon takes priority over Umbreon when both are possible.
2. Keep it away from a Moss Rock or Ice Rock when you level it. Leafeon and Glaceon are also prioritised over Sylveon, and therefore over Umbreon.
3. Raise friendship to at least 160 (Sword and Shield onward) or 220 (Gold through Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon). The quickest ways are listed below.
4. Wait for night in that game’s clock. Each game defines it differently; see the table.
5. Level it up once. A battle, an Exp. Candy or a Rare Candy all work. The evolution screen starts right after.

Fastest ways to raise Eevee’s friendship

Friendship rises from levelling up, walking with Eevee in your party, vitamins and certain Berries, and it drops when Eevee faints or eats bitter herbal medicine. Per Bulbapedia’s friendship mechanics:

• Soothe Bell: held by Eevee, it boosts every friendship gain by 50%.
• Friend Ball: in Scarlet and Violet a wild Pokémon caught in one starts at 200 friendship, already above the 160 bar. A Luxury Ball adds +1 to every gain instead.
• Hatched Eevee start at 120 friendship (100 in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl), so they’re already most of the way there.
• Scarlet and Violet: levelling up gives +3 while friendship is under 100 and +2 from 100 to 159. Vitamins add +4 or +2.
• Pokémon Legends: Z-A: cafés give the active Pokémon +30 and resting on a bench for 10 seconds gives the whole team +10. Walking and winning battles no longer raise friendship in Z-A.
• Avoid fainting and Energy Powder, Heal Powder, Energy Root and Revival Herb, which all cut friendship.

When is it “night” in each Pokémon game?

This is where most failed evolutions come from. Bulbapedia’s time page lists these night windows:

The Moon row trips people up the most. If you’re playing Pokémon Moon in the evening, the game thinks it’s morning, so Eevee will become Espeon. Level it during the real-world daytime instead.

In Legends: Z-A, there’s an extra catch: once the game warns that night is coming, both day and night evolutions are switched off until night actually starts. Wait for full night before you level up.

Older exceptions: FireRed and LeafGreen have no clock, so Eevee can’t become Umbreon there at all, and in Pokémon XD you need a Moon Shard in your Bag instead of a night-time level-up.

How to get Umbreon in Pokémon GO

Pokémon GO ignores friendship. You get Umbreon from Eevee in one of two ways, both explained in Pokémon GO Hub’s Eevee evolution guide (updated September 2026).

Method 1: the Tamao name trick (once per account)

1. Open Eevee’s summary page and tap the pencil next to its name.
2. Rename it Tamao and confirm. Check the spelling carefully.
3. Look at the Evolve button. It should show Umbreon instead of a question mark.
4. Spend 25 Eevee Candy to evolve.

It works at any time of day and skips the buddy walk, but only once on each account. Pick your best Eevee for it, since you can’t repeat it. The name Sakura does the same for Espeon, and Kira does it for Sylveon.

Method 2: buddy walk and evolve at night (repeatable)

1. Set the Eevee you want to evolve as your Buddy Pokémon.
2. Walk at least 10 km with it as your buddy. You’ll also pick up 2 Eevee Candy along the way, since Eevee earns a candy every 5 km.
3. Keep that same Eevee as your buddy. Swapping it out before you evolve undoes the setup.
4. Wait until the in-game map shows night. Pokémon GO uses the map’s own day and night, not a fixed hour.
5. Open Eevee and check that the Evolve button shows Umbreon. Then spend 25 Eevee Candy.

If the button still shows a “?”, you’ll get a random Vaporeon, Jolteon or Flareon. Back out and check that the right Eevee is still your buddy, that the 10 km is complete, and that GPS is working.

Is Umbreon any good in Pokémon GO?

It’s a sturdy pick for PvP rather than raids. Serebii lists a max CP of 2416 (2445 with the Best Buddy boost), with Feint Attack or Snarl as fast moves and Dark Pulse or Foul Play as charged moves. Last Resort and Psychic were Community Day exclusives from August 2018 and August 2021, so an Umbreon evolved today won’t learn them normally.

Umbreon at a glance

Umbreon is a pure Dark type with a defensive build. In the main games its base stats are 95 HP, 65 Attack, 110 Defense, 60 Sp. Atk, 130 Sp. Def and 65 Speed, for a 525 total. It’s weak to Fighting, Bug and Fairy, resists Ghost and Dark, and takes no damage from Psychic moves. Its abilities are Synchronize and the hidden ability Inner Focus.

Don’t feel like evolving one? In Scarlet and Violet Umbreon also appears in the wild in Alfornada Cavern, and in Legends: Arceus it can show up in space-time distortions in the Crimson Mirelands.

Frequently asked questions

Can you evolve Eevee into Umbreon with a stone?

No. There is no evolution stone for Umbreon. It needs high friendship and a night-time level-up, or the Moon Shard in Pokémon XD only.

Why did my Eevee turn into Sylveon instead of Umbreon?

Sylveon takes priority over Umbreon when Eevee knows a Fairy-type move and has enough friendship. Forget the Fairy move before levelling up at night.

Does the Tamao trick still work in Pokémon GO?

Yes, as of October 2026, but only once per account. After that you need the 10 km buddy walk and a night-time evolution.

Does it have to be night in real life for Pokémon GO?

It has to be night on Pokémon GO’s in-game map, which normally follows your local time. Check that the Evolve button shows Umbreon before spending the candy.

How many candies does Umbreon cost in Pokémon GO?

25 Eevee Candy, the same as every other Eevee evolution.

Can you get Umbreon in Pokémon Let’s Go, Eevee?

No. Umbreon isn’t in Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Let’s Go, Eevee!, which only include Generation I Pokémon plus Meltan and Melmetal.

Sources

• Bulbapedia: Eevee evolution data and Pokémon GO details
• Bulbapedia: Umbreon stats, type matchups and locations
• Bulbapedia: day and night times by game
• Bulbapedia: friendship mechanics
• Pokémon GO Hub: Eevee evolution requirements and name tricks
• Serebii: Umbreon in Pokémon GO

Featured image: The Pokémon Company / Nintendo official screenshot