The game clock, Pokégear and Pokémon Eggs
Use Gold/Silver's original time periods, weekly events and Route 34 Day Care without applying remake rules.
Original Gold and Silver cartridges: Japan in 1999, Australia and North America in 2000, Europe in 2001. These releases run on Game Boy with enhanced color on Game Boy Color; the Korean editions require Game Boy Color. Crystal and the DS HeartGold/SoulSilver remakes have different events and encounters. The 3DS Virtual Console releases change the link method to local wireless.
Revisit a route at another time of day
Gold/Silver uses morning from 04:00 to 09:59, day from 10:00 to 17:59 and night from 18:00 to 03:59. Wild encounters can vary between those periods. Look at the Pokégear clock when planning a catch, and record both the location and time if a species proves elusive. A repeated daytime search cannot reveal an encounter restricted to night. These are in-game time bands, not instructions to change the computer or phone displaying this guide.
Make a small weekly plan
National Park: native map and interior graphics assembled from the original Pokémon Gold/Silver game data. .
Pokégear phone from the original Pokémon Gold/Silver Game Boy Color interface. .
Pokégear radio from the original Pokémon Gold/Silver Game Boy Color interface. .
The National Park Bug-Catching Contest runs on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It uses Sport Balls and lets you keep one selected contest catch, so choose the Pokémon you retain deliberately. The Pokégear also gathers phone numbers from certain Trainers, which can lead to calls and rematches. We recommend combining a planned event with nearby exploration rather than waiting idle for every possible call. Check the game's weekday before setting out for a recurring activity.
Use Route 34's Day Care to understand breeding
Route 34: native map and interior graphics assembled from the original Pokémon Gold/Silver game data. .
Egg status screen from the original Pokémon Gold/Silver Game Boy Color interface. .
Leaving compatible Pokémon at the Day Care can produce an Egg. Shared Egg Groups and suitable genders matter, with Ditto providing an alternative for many species. Collect the Egg and keep it in the party while walking to hatch it; Generation II hatchlings begin at level 5. The resulting species normally follows the female's evolutionary family, or the non-Ditto parent when breeding with Ditto. Treat breeding as a way to plan new teammates, not a guarantee that any pair will produce an Egg.
When an encounter table disagrees with what you see, check the original version, time period and location before assuming the game is malfunctioning.
Picture details
Game artwork belongs to its respective rights holders.