Pokémon Catch Rate Calculator (Gen 1-9)

Every throw you make in Pokémon runs through a formula. That formula weighs four variables: the target's base catch rate, its remaining HP, the ball you used, and any status condition active on it. Change any of those variables and your probability shifts—sometimes by a factor of 5 or more.

This is the complete reference for the Pokémon catch rate calculator, covering Gen 1 through Gen 9. Whether you need a Gen 1 catch formula, a Legendary Pokémon catch calculator, a Poké Ball catch calculator for comparing balls, or a Pokémon Scarlet and Violet catch calculator for Paldea encounters—this guide explains the exact math behind every throw.

Enter your target Pokémon, ball, HP percentage, and status condition in the calculator above to see your exact catch probability in real time.

What Is Pokémon Catch Rate?

Pokémon catch rate is a species-specific value between 3 and 255 that determines how easy it is to capture that Pokémon. Higher numbers mean easier catches. This base value is modified by HP remaining, Poké Ball type, and status conditions before the game rolls for capture success.

Every catchable species in the games has a fixed base catch rate assigned by Game Freak. Caterpie is 255. Mewtwo is 3. That number feeds directly into the catch formula—a higher base means every input works more in your favor.

How Pokémon Catch Rate Works

The game calculates a modified catch value by combining the Pokémon's base catch rate with three multipliers—HP remaining (lower HP = higher catch value), ball modifier, and status modifier. It then runs up to four independent shake checks. Pass all four and the Pokémon is caught.

Base Catch Rate

Game Freak assigns each species a fixed catch rate. Common wild Pokémon land between 45 and 255. Pseudo-legendaries like Dragonite and Garchomp sit at 45. Most true Legendaries fall between 3 and 45, with many box Legendaries at the minimum value of 3.

HP Impact

Lower HP raises your effective catch value proportionally. The formula scales inversely with current HP, so bringing a Pokémon to 1 HP via False Swipe is the single largest HP-based improvement you can make. On a Pokémon with base catch rate 45, going from 50% HP to 1 HP roughly doubles your catch rate. On a base catch rate 3 Legendary, that difference is what separates a 3% throw from a 6% throw—small in absolute terms, significant across 20+ throws.

Ball Modifiers

Ball	Modifier	Condition
Poké Ball	×1	Always
Great Ball	×1.5	Always
Ultra Ball	×2	Always
Quick Ball	×5	Turn 1 only (Gen 5+)
Timer Ball	×1–×4	Scales with turn count
Dusk Ball	×3–×3.5	Cave or nighttime
Repeat Ball	×3	Species already in Pokédex
Net Ball	×3.5	Water or Bug types
Master Ball	Guaranteed	No conditions

Status Conditions

Sleep and freeze: ×2.5 multiplier (Gen 3+). Paralysis, burn, poison: ×1.5 multiplier (Gen 3+).

Sleep is the best catchable status condition in the game. It applies the highest multiplier and prevents the target from attacking. For the maximum-efficiency catch scenario: Pokémon at 1 HP, asleep, Timer Ball at turn 10+.

Enter your exact scenario in the calculator above to compare the probability difference between status conditions.

Generation Differences

The catch formula has changed meaningfully three times. Gen 1 uses a divisor-based threshold system unlike anything in later games. Gen 2 introduced the ball modifier as a direct multiplier. Gen 3 standardized the modern formula that runs through Gen 9. Each generation section below covers what's different and why it matters.

Pokémon Catch Rate Formula by Generation

Gen 1

Gen 1 catch formula: Generation 1 uses a threshold-based system rather than a probability model. The game calculates a CatchValue from HP, a ball-specific divisor, and the Pokémon's catch rate. If CatchValue reaches 255, the catch is instant. Otherwise, the game runs up to four sequential shake checks, each comparing a random number against a derived threshold.

Gen 1's catch formula is structurally different from every other generation. There's no continuous probability distribution—just a series of pass/fail checks.

CatchValue formula:

CatchValue = ((MaxHP × 255 × 4) / (CurrentHP × BallDivisor)) / CatchRate

Ball divisors: Poké Ball = 255, Great Ball = 200, Ultra Ball = 150, Safari Ball = 150.

Step 2: If CatchValue ≥ 255 → instant catch, no shake check.

Step 3: Otherwise, up to 4 shake checks. Each compares a random number (0–255) against a threshold derived from CatchValue. Fail any check = escape.

Step 4: Status bonuses apply as flat additions to CatchValue. Sleep and freeze add the largest bonus (roughly equivalent to a ×2 effective boost). Paralysis, burn, and poison add a smaller bonus.

Safari Zone note: The Safari Ball uses divisor 150, but the safari zone catch rate in Gen 1 ignores the Pokémon's actual base catch rate entirely. It uses a fixed internal value, making the Safari Zone essentially a coin flip with ball-factor weighting—not a scaled probability like regular encounters.

Master Ball bypasses CatchValue entirely. No shake checks, no formula—instant catch regardless of HP or species.

Use the Pokémon catch rate calculator Gen 1 mode to see how your CatchValue stacks at any HP level.

Gen 2

Gen 2 replaced the ball divisor with a direct multiplier, establishing the multiplicative structure every later game uses.

Formula:

CatchValue = ((3 × MaxHP − 2 × CurrentHP) × CatchRate × BallRate × StatusRate) / (3 × MaxHP)

If CatchValue ≥ 255 → auto-catch.

Otherwise, the shake threshold is:

ShakeThreshold = ∛(65536 / √(√(255 / CatchValue)))

Four shake checks, each comparing a random 16-bit integer against ShakeThreshold. Pass all four = caught.

Ball modifiers in Gen 2:

• Poké Ball = ×1, Great Ball = ×1.5, Ultra Ball = ×2
• Level Ball = ×2–×8 based on level difference
• Lure Ball = ×3 for fishing encounters
• Moon Ball = ×4 for Moon Stone evolutions (bugged in Gen 2, effectively ×1)
• Love Ball = ×8 for opposite-gender same species
• Heavy Ball = flat −20 to +30 added to base catch rate (not a multiplier)

Heavy Ball is unique: it modifies the base catch rate directly rather than multiplying. For Pokémon weighing over 307.2 lbs (+30 modifier), it outperforms Ultra Ball. For lighter Pokémon, it's worse than Poké Ball.

The Pokémon catch rate calculator Gen 2 handles the Heavy Ball flat addition and Moon Ball bug state automatically—select your version to get the correct output.

Gen 3–4

Gen 3–4 catch formula: Generation 3 introduced the standardized modern formula. It calculates a catch value a from HP ratio, base catch rate, ball modifier, and status modifier. This value feeds into a shake threshold b. The game runs four independent shake checks; pass all four and the Pokémon is caught.

Gen 3 is where the formula most players recognize was established:

a = ((3 × MaxHP − 2 × CurrentHP) / (3 × MaxHP)) × CatchRate × BallModifier × StatusModifier

If a ≥ 255 → guaranteed catch.

Shake probability per check:

b = 65536 / (255 / a)^0.1875

Combined catch probability = (b / 65536)^4.

Status modifiers: Sleep/Freeze = ×2.5, Paralysis/Burn/Poison = ×1.5.

Gen 4 additions:

• Quick Ball: ×4 on turn 1 (upgraded to ×5 in Gen 5)
• Timer Ball: ×1 + (0.3 × turns), capped at ×4
• Dusk Ball: ×3.5 in caves or between 8PM–4AM
• Repeat Ball: ×3 for Pokédex-registered species
• Heal Ball: ×1 catch modifier, but heals to full HP after catching

The gen 4 catch rate calculator requires turn count for Timer Ball and time of day for Dusk Ball. Both inputs shift your output significantly—input them accurately for a reliable probability.

Gen 5–8

Gen 5 through Gen 8 use the same formula as Gen 3–4 with the following specific changes:

• Quick Ball: upgraded to ×5 on turn 1 (from ×4 in Gen 4)
• Net Ball: ×3.5 for Water and Bug types (from ×3)
• Dusk Ball: reduced to ×3 in Gen 8 (Sword and Shield)
• Ultra Ball: ×2 unchanged across all generations

Gen 6 clarified the status interaction so paralysis no longer conflicts with damage-dealing moves in a way that caused unintended KOs in some multi-turn capture sequences.

Gen 7 added the SOS battle system. Extended SOS chains don't directly modify catch rate, but they extend encounter length naturally—meaning Timer Ball accumulates turns passively, which benefits long encounters where you'd otherwise reset.

The pokemon catch rate calculator gen 8 and catch calculator gen 8 modes on this site apply the Dusk Ball nerf automatically. If you're playing Sword and Shield and using Dusk Ball, your modifier is ×3—not the ×3.5 shown in older guides.

For Gen 5 specifically, the gen v catch rate calculator and pokemon catch calculator gen 5 use the Quick Ball ×5 value and Net Ball ×3.5 value, both of which differ from Gen 4.

Gen 9 (Scarlet and Violet)

Scarlet and Violet catch mechanics: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet preserve the modern catch formula for standard wild encounters. Ball modifiers and status multipliers function identically to Gen 5–8. Tera Raid captures use a separate guaranteed catch rule that does not involve the standard formula.

Scarlet and Violet largely preserve the modern catch formula for standard encounters, while Tera Raid captures use separate guaranteed catch rules.

Key details for the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet catch calculator and gen 9 catch calculator:

• Wild encounter catching uses the Gen 3+ formula with current Gen 9 ball modifier values
• The visual shake counter (1–4 shakes before escape or catch) is cosmetic—it reflects the underlying shake-check model but doesn't change the probability
• Tera Pokémon encountered in the wild use their standard base catch rate; only Raid-specific encounters trigger the guaranteed catch system
• Multiplayer Tera Raids: after defeating the Raid Pokémon, every participant gets one throw with a functionally guaranteed catch—this is outside the standard formula entirely

The pokemon capture probability calculator for Gen 9 works identically to Gen 5–8 for wild encounters. Enter your ball, HP, and status as normal—the output is accurate for Paldea overworld catches.

Common Pokémon Catch Rates

Use this table as a reference before running the pokeball catch chance calculator. Base catch rate is the starting input—everything else multiplies from here.

Pokémon	Base Catch Rate	Difficulty Tier
Caterpie	255	Trivial
Pikachu	190	Easy
Eevee	45	Moderate
Dragonite	45	Moderate
Beldum	3	Very Hard
Mewtwo	3	Very Hard
Rayquaza	45	Hard (Legendary)
Giratina	3	Very Hard (Legendary)

Notes on this table:

Rayquaza at 45 is deceptively manageable for a box Legendary—Ultra Ball + sleep + low HP gives you a realistic per-throw rate around 15–25%. Mewtwo and Giratina at 3 require full optimization (sleep + 1 HP + Timer Ball turn 10+) to push above 10% per throw. Beldum at 3 is the hardest non-Legendary catch in the main series—it has no evolutionary relatives with higher catch rates and no special ball that targets its type efficiently in most games.

Generation Comparison: Catch Mechanics at a Glance

Generation	Formula Type	Best Ball	Max Ball Modifier	Key Mechanic
Gen 1	Threshold / divisor	Ultra Ball	Divisor 150	Four sequential shake checks
Gen 2	Multiplier + cube root shake	Love Ball / Level Ball	×8 (conditional)	Heavy Ball flat-rate modifier
Gen 3	Modern standardized	Dusk Ball / Repeat Ball	×3.5 (conditional)	Status multiplier introduced
Gen 4	Gen 3 + new balls	Timer Ball (late game)	×4 (Timer, capped)	Quick Ball, Dusk Ball, Timer Ball added
Gen 5	Gen 3 + Quick Ball upgrade	Quick Ball / Timer Ball	×5 (Quick, turn 1)	Quick Ball upgraded to ×5
Gen 6	Gen 3 base	Timer Ball / Dusk Ball	×4 / ×3.5	Status interaction clarified
Gen 7	Gen 3 base	Timer Ball	×4 (Timer, capped)	SOS chain extends Timer Ball naturally
Gen 8	Gen 3 + Dusk Ball nerf	Timer Ball	×4 (Timer, capped)	Dusk Ball reduced to ×3
Gen 9	Gen 3 base	Timer Ball / Quick Ball	×5 (Quick, turn 1)	Raid catches use guaranteed system

The practical takeaway: Gen 3 through Gen 9 wild encounters use the same underlying engine with updated ball values. Learn the Gen 3 formula once and you understand seven consecutive generations. Gen 1 and Gen 2 require separate treatment—select your generation in the calculator above for accurate output.

Best Poké Balls for Higher Catch Rates

Best Poké Ball for catch rate: Quick Ball on turn 1 (×5 modifier, Gen 5+) is the highest-value first throw in any encounter. For extended encounters, Timer Ball at turn 10+ reaches ×4 and outperforms Ultra Ball. Dusk Ball (×3–3.5) beats Ultra Ball in caves or at night. Master Ball guarantees a catch but should be reserved for roaming Legendaries.

Quick Ball

Modifier: ×5 on turn 1, drops to ×1 afterward.

Always throw a Quick Ball first. Against any Pokémon—Legendary or common—the ×5 first-turn modifier is the single highest ball modifier available under normal conditions. On a Caterpie, it's overkill. On a Legendary at full HP with no status, it still gives you a meaningful probability before the encounter has escalated. Carry 10–20 per session.

Ultra Ball

Modifier: ×2, no conditions.

The reliable fallback. When none of the situational balls apply, Ultra Ball is your standard. Use the pokemon capture probability calculator to confirm whether Ultra Ball or a situational ball is the better choice for your specific encounter—the answer changes based on location, turn count, and Pokémon type.

Timer Ball

Modifier: ×1 + (×0.3 per turn elapsed), capped at ×4.

Timer Ball surpasses Ultra Ball at turn 4 (×2.2 modifier). At turn 10 it hits the ×4 cap. For any extended Legendary encounter where you're stalling to apply status and drain HP with False Swipe, switch entirely to Timer Balls from turn 4 onward. Carry 30+ for serious Legendary hunts.

Use the calculator above to compare Quick Ball vs Timer Ball probability across turn counts in your exact encounter.

Dusk Ball

Modifier: ×3.5 (Gen 3–7), ×3 (Gen 8+) in caves or between 8PM–4AM.

When conditions are met, Dusk Ball beats Ultra Ball by 50–75%. Legendary encounters that take place in caves or dark environments—Groudon, Kyogre, Necrozma, Eternatus, most post-game dungeon Legendaries—qualify for the Dusk Ball bonus. Check in-game whether you're in a cave or check your system clock before choosing between Dusk Ball and Ultra Ball.

Master Ball

Modifier: Guaranteed catch, bypasses the formula entirely.

One per game in nearly every title. The correct use is a roaming Legendary (Raikou, Entei, Suicune, Latios, Latias, Mesprit, Cresselia) that you cannot keep at 1 HP between encounters. For static encounters you can soft-reset, a Master Ball is inefficient. For a wild Shiny you cannot afford to lose, Master Ball is justified.

Best Pokémon for Catching Legendaries

The right catching Pokémon eliminates KO risk, applies optimal status, and survives long enough to throw 20+ balls. These four are the most reliable options across modern games.

Breloom

Moves: Spore, False Swipe

Breloom combines the two most important catching moves on a single Pokémon. Spore is the highest-accuracy sleep move in the game (100% accurate). False Swipe keeps the target at exactly 1 HP. Breloom's Grass/Fighting typing gives it reasonable coverage and survivability, and Technician with False Swipe ensures the move always connects. The only limitation: Breloom can't threaten Ghost-type Legendaries with False Swipe without Odor Sleuth setup.

Gallade

Moves: False Swipe, Hypnosis, Thunder Wave

Gallade's Steadfast ability triggers when it flinches, raising Speed—but the primary reason to use it is move flexibility. Gallade can carry both False Swipe and a sleep or paralysis move, plus it learns Mean Look or Block in some games to prevent Legendary escape. Hypnosis has 60% accuracy, which is the main tradeoff versus Spore. Use a Wide Lens or Zoom Lens to compensate.

Parasect

Moves: Spore, False Swipe

Parasect has Spore (100% accuracy) and learns False Swipe. The tradeoff versus Breloom is Speed and bulk—Parasect is slow, which means it moves after most Legendaries and may take significant damage before acting. Its secondary Bug typing also makes it vulnerable to several Legendary movesets. That said, if you don't have Breloom available, Parasect is the next-best Spore user with False Swipe access.

Smeargle

Moves: Anything via Sketch

Smeargle can Sketch any move in the game—including Spore from Breloom, False Swipe, and niche support moves like Encore or Taunt that prevent Legendaries from using specific moves. In games where Smeargle is available, it becomes the most flexible catching Pokémon in the series. Its stats are poor, so bulk it up with EVs in HP and Defense. For serious shiny Legendary hunts, a fully built Smeargle is the standard.

How to Catch Legendary Pokémon More Reliably

How to catch Legendaries: Reduce HP to 1 with False Swipe, apply Sleep (×2.5 status multiplier), count turns for Timer Ball (×4 at turn 10), and throw 30+ Timer Balls. This combination pushes catch probability as high as the formula allows for any base catch rate 3 Legendary.

Legendary catch rates range from 3 to 45. Without optimization, a base 3 Legendary at 50% HP with an Ultra Ball gives you roughly 2–3% per throw. Optimized, that number climbs to 10–20% per throw. The difference across 20 throws is catching versus not catching.

Step 1: Use False Swipe to Reach 1 HP

False Swipe cannot reduce HP below 1—making it the only safe way to hit the HP floor without risk of KO. Carry at least 15 False Swipe uses. For Ghost-type Legendaries (Giratina, Lunala, Dawn Wings Necrozma), Ghost-type is immune to Normal moves—use Foresight or Odor Sleuth first, or use a Pokémon with the Scrappy ability to bypass immunity.

Step 2: Apply Sleep Before Throwing

Sleep applies a ×2.5 multiplier and stops the Legendary from attacking each turn it remains asleep. Use Spore (Breloom or Parasect, 100% accuracy) or Sleep Powder (Butterfree, Vileplume, 75% accuracy). Sleep lasts a limited number of turns—once it breaks, paralysis (×1.5) is the next-best fallback. Reapply sleep if your sleep-user has enough PP.

Step 3: Count Turns and Switch to Timer Ball

Timer Ball reaches ×4 at turn 10. Before turn 4, Ultra Ball is stronger. Between turns 4–10, Timer Ball is closing the gap. After turn 10, Timer Ball is strictly your best non-guaranteed option. Track turns from the moment you enter the encounter. Use the legendary Pokémon catch calculator above to see exact per-throw probabilities at each turn count.

Step 4: Optimal Throw Scenario

Pokémon at 1 HP + Asleep + Timer Ball (turn 10+) is the maximum-efficiency configuration for any catchable Legendary. Against base catch rate 3, this puts you at roughly 10–15% per throw in Gen 3+. That sounds modest, but with 30 Timer Balls, your cumulative catch probability exceeds 95%.

Common Catch Rate Mistakes Players Make

Throwing Ultra Ball on turn 1. Quick Ball's ×5 on turn 1 is 2.5× better than Ultra Ball's ×2. Opening with Ultra Ball when you have Quick Balls is a pure efficiency loss. Every encounter starts with a Quick Ball—no exceptions.

Ignoring status entirely. The ×2.5 sleep multiplier effectively doubles the throw value you'd get from any ball. Players throwing Ultra Balls at a healthy Legendary take 3–4× more throws than players using sleep plus Timer Ball at low HP.

Wasting Master Ball on a static Legendary. Static encounters can be soft-reset. Roaming Legendaries flee on contact, lose HP between appearances, and can't be kept at low HP. Master Ball belongs on Raikou, Entei, or any other Legendary that runs—save it.

Not switching to Timer Ball after turn 10. Timer Ball at ×4 beats Ultra Ball by a full ×2 multiplier. Players who run exclusively Ultra Balls on long Legendary encounters are making a systematic error. Stock 30+ Timer Balls for any planned Legendary hunt.

Attacking with a move that can KO the target. Set up your catching Pokémon's moveset before entering the encounter. Any Pokémon carrying a damaging move alongside False Swipe is a potential KO risk if False Swipe misses or a weird interaction occurs. Build your catcher around False Swipe + sleep move + ball throwing—nothing more.

Missing the Dusk Ball window. If your encounter is in a cave or it's past 8PM in-game, Dusk Ball (×3–3.5) outperforms Ultra Ball (×2). Many players carry only Ultra Balls and leave significant probability on the table in dungeon encounters.

FAQ

Using the Calculator for Maximum Efficiency

The Pokémon catch rate calculator above takes four inputs: target Pokémon (base catch rate), ball selected, current HP as a percentage of max, and status condition. It returns catch probability per throw and expected throws to catch.

For Legendary hunts: Input your ball, set HP to the lowest %, apply sleep status, and increment the turn counter to see when Timer Ball overtakes your current ball. Print or note the break-even turn so you're not guessing mid-encounter.

For shiny hunting: Pair this with the Shiny Odds Calculator to understand both probability axes. Catch rate determines expected throws per encounter; shiny odds determine expected encounters. The product tells you your total expected time investment per method—Masuda Method, SOS chaining, outbreak farming, and others produce dramatically different combined numbers.

For type-safe damage: Use the Type Calculator to identify moves that reliably deal moderate damage without super-effective risk. Accurate, consistent damage output keeps the target in the 1 HP window without unintended KOs—especially useful on Legendaries where you can't False Swipe effectively.

For post-catch verification: Once you've caught your Legendary, run the specimen through the IV Calculator before investing in EV training. Legendaries with poor IVs in key stats can be soft-reset before saving in most games—knowing this before committing saves hours of post-catch regret.

The formula is consistent. The inputs are what you control. Put in accurate numbers and the calculator tells you exactly what each throw is worth.

Catch Rate Guides:

• How to Catch Legendary Pokémon in Scarlet & Violet (Easy Guide)
• Dusk Ball vs Ultra Ball: Which Poké Ball Boosts Catch Rates Most?
• How to Increase Critical Capture Odds Fast (Scarlet & Violet)
• Top 5 Pokémon for Catching (Best False Swipe & Spore Team Guide)