How Do You Get Celebi in Pokémon Crystal, Gold & Silver?

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Glitches, hacks, and legitimate ways to land a Celebi in your game

Reviewed by Ishrak

Last Updated: November 25, 2024 Fact Checked

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Emulator Hacks (G/S/C)

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3DS (Crystal)

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Game Boy Color (G/S/C) and 3DS (G/S) Glitch

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Celebi Availability

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Video

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Q&A

Celebi is a Legendary Pokémon that was originally introduced in Generation 2 within the Gold, Silver, and Crystal game series. Originally, it was only possible to get Celebi legitimately through a Japan-exclusive event; now, it’s only possible to get a legitimate Celebi through the (now discontinued) Virtual Console on the 3DS. Still, there are plenty of other ways to add a Celebi to your roster (though they might be less-than-legitimate)—and we’re here to lay them out for you. Read on to learn how to hack a Celebi in an emulated version of Gold, Silver, or Crystal, how to glitch one into your game, or how to catch one organically.

How do you get Celebi in Pokémon Crystal, Gold, or Silver?

Pull up Pokémon Gold, Silver, or Crystal in the emulator.
Type in the cheat code 91FB04D2 if you’re playing Pokémon Crystal.
Type in the cheat code 01FBEDD0 if you’re playing Pokémon Gold or Silver.
Head into a nearby patch of wild grass.
Battle and catch your next Pokémon, which should be a Celebi.
Disable or remove the cheat once you’ve caught the Celebi.

Section 1 of 4:

Emulator Hacks (Gold/Silver/Crystal)

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1
Open the Cheats menu within your emulator. As you’re playing Pokémon Crystal, Gold, or Silver, head to the Cheats menu within the emulator’s interface.
- While the exact location of this menu depends on the platform you’re using and the device you’re playing on. A mobile device, for instance, might have a menu button (like ☰) that has a Cheats button hidden away, while a computer-based emulator might have a menu bar along the top of the game.
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Enter chest code 91FB04D2 (Crystal) or 01FBEDD0 (Gold/Silver) as a new cheat. The “add cheat” option may differ depending on the emulator you’re using; on some platforms, you may need to hit an Add GameShark… to enter the cheat code.^{[1]
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- This cheat makes it that the next wild Pokémon you encounter will be a Celebi.
- If the code starting in 9 doesn’t work for Pokémon Crystal, try 01FB04D2.^{[2]
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The next Pokémon you run into should be a Celebi. Use whatever Poké Balls you have to catch it and add it to your party.
Go back to your Cheat settings and either disable or remove the cheat (so normal Pokémon start spawning again).

Section 2 of 4:

3DS Virtual Console (Crystal Only)

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Make sure that you’ve beaten all the gyms, conquered the Elite 4, and defeated the existing Pokémon Champion before taking on the mantle for yourself.^{[3]
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Meet with the NPC at the Pokémon Center in Goldenrod City. Take a few steps into the Goldenrod City Pokémon Center to be approached by an NPC, who hands you the GS Ball item.
- This was originally an Event-exclusive item that allowed Japanese players to get Celebi for a limited amount of time on the Game Boy Color in Pokémon Crystal.
After teleporting/flying to Azalea Town, walk up and to the left of your teleport point to reach Kurt’s house. Once inside, give Kurt the GS Ball that the NPC gave you earlier.^{[4]
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Toggle your Save menu within the game and jot down your exact name, as well as your ID number and the number of Poké Dollars you have.
You need to wait for a long chunk of in-game time before you can talk to Kurt and proceed to catching the Celebi, so it’s easier to skip ahead.
Enter your name, ID, and money info on this site to receive a password. Make sure that you have Pokémon Crystal selected on the site, along with the correct in-game language.
Press Down, B, and Select, and let go of Down and B after a moment. Next, press the Up, Left, and Select buttons as you start up the game; then, release the Select button. The next screen that pops up should allow you to change your in-game time.^{[5]
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Once you type in the correct password, hit Continue and adjust the in-game time so it’s at least 1 day later.
Now that an in-game day has passed, Kurt will be finished inspecting the GS Ball. Follow him outside, and he’ll eventually hand the GS Ball back to you.
Head west (left) through the tunnel out of Azalea Town, which leads you to the Ilex Forest. Make your way back through the woods until you see a shrine—it’ll be blocked by a tree. Cut this tree down, and make sure you’re standing in front of the shrine.
In the event that you can’t catch the Celebi on your first try, this save point makes it easy to restart your efforts.
Interact with the shrine, which allows you to place the GS Ball inside. A wild Celebi appears after you do this!^{[6]
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Just like you would in any other battle, strategically attack the Celebi (without making it faint) and tossing Poké Balls at it until it’s successfully caught. If something goes wrong, don’t worry about it—just reboot your game and restart at the past save point.

Section 3 of 4:

Game Boy Color (Gold/Silver/Crystal) and 3DS (Gold/Silver) Glitch

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1
Fill your PC with items in a specific amount and order. Head to your PC and acquire the following items (in this exact amount and order):^{[7]
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- Any item: Any number
- Any item: Any number
- TM 27: 2
- Fresh Water: 42
- Lovely Mail: 1
- HM 07: 1
- Poké Ball: 65
- Great Ball: 4
- Everstone: 1
- Any item: Any number
- Surf Mail: 51
- Full Heal: 18
- Flower Mail: 46
- HM 03: 1
- X Speed: 1
- TM 06: 1
- Any item: Any number
- TM 41: 1
- Tip: For the “Any item” slots, make sure you’re choosing unique items for each one. If you have duplicates, the glitch won’t launch properly.
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Assemble your party with 4 specific Pokémon. You’ll need certain types of Pokémon in your party for the glitch to work properly:^{[8]
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- Slot 1: Weak Pokémon (any type)
- Slot 2: Pokémon that knows Fly (not required, but helpful)
- Slot 3: Weak Pokémon (any type)
- Slot 4: Quagsire holding HP Up with Sleep Talk as its first ability
Fly to New Bark Town, where Professor Elm is situated. After stepping into his lab, pull up your save menu and save your game file.
Now that you’ve saved, leave the game, restart, and re-enter.
Pine trees flank Professor Elm’s lab—what you want to do is find the pine tree just to the right of the building. While standing next to it, pull up your Pokédex, scroll to Bellsprout’s entry, and listen Bellsprout’s cry.^{[9]
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Use the Coin Case to launch the glitch. Go to your Inventory and toggle over to the Key Items pocket, where you’ll find the Coin Case. Hit Use; if the glitch works correctly, a pop-up will appear on the screen that says Coins: 0.^{[10]
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- Troubleshooting: If the glitch doesn’t work, you may have to switch out the low-level Pokémon you have for other weak Pokémon. Repeat the process of heading to the tree, accessing your Pokédex, listening to the Bellsprout sound, and using the Coin Case. It might take multiple tries (and many weak Pokémon) before the glitch works, so don’t give up!
You don’t need to drop any other Pokémon off—just leave the slot 1 Pokémon there, and then leave the building.^{[11]
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By waiting a little bit, your Pokémon will have time to level up while at the Nursery; in fact, the Nursery staff member will say as much in your conversation.^{[12]
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After leveling up at the Nursery, your original slot 1 Pokémon has magically turned into a Celebi. Once you’re positive that the Legendary is in your party, save your game.^{[13]
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Section 4 of 4:

Can you unlock Celebi in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal?

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No, not in the original North American titles. Unfortunately, Celebi isn’t organically available in the original Pokémon Gold or Silver. While it was possible to catch Celebi through a Japanese-exclusive event in 2001, the Legendary was never available in the NA release of the game. If you have a non-Japanese copy of the original Pokémon Gold, Silver, or Crystal, you’re unfortunately unable to get a legitimate Celebi on your game file.
- On the 3DS Virtual Console, Celebi is only available on Pokémon Crystal, not Gold or Silver.

Community Q&A

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Question

Is there any other way to get Celebi?

Community Answer

You could trade with someone who has a Celebi, though most people would not trade. Other than that, I do not believe so.

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