If you're are looking to catch the ever elusive Ditto in Pokemon Go, then our How-to Catch Ditto Guide will take you through all of the best and easiest ways to do so! Ditto can't just be found on the map, but if you catch the right Pokemon you can find it more efficiently. You'll need to know exactly which Pokemon can possibly be one, and our Ditto List for 2020 will help you do that! There are also Research Tasks you can do that will guarantee you a catch, and we'll be listing all of that information below.

How-to Locate Ditto in Pokemon Go

This is where it gets a bit complicated to find a Ditto. The Pokemon does not show up in the wild in an obvious manner. Instead of appearing itself, it will imitate specific Pokemon that you will need to catch and will only reveal itself once you have caught it. When you catch one of the listed Pokemon, you will see "Oh?" over the PokeBall and you will then be shown that the Pokemon was in fact a Ditto.

Where to Find Ditto in Pokemon Go - Ditto Disguises List

This is where the knowledge of the Pokemon you will need to catch is very helpful! The following list of Pokemon are the ones potentially able to be imitated by Ditto. You will want to mass catch these things, so hopefully you live in an area that has a lot of them around. The good thing for us is that Niantic has made the majority of the Pokemon that Ditto is transformed as pretty common. Here's a list of those Pokemon:
  • Bidoof
  • Gulpin
  • Hoothoot
  • Hoppip
  • Ledyba
  • Numel
  • Paras
  • Remoraid
  • Seedot
  • Skitty
  • Spinarak
  • Venonat
  • Weedle
  • Whismur
Even if you aren't finding a Ditto right away at least you'll be getting a bunch of experience for all those Pokemon you'll be grabbing!

Pokemon Go Catching Guides Coverage

  • Pokemon Go: How-to Catch Smeargle – Moveset, AR+ Mode, and More!
  • Pokemon Go: Mew Catching Guide – Special Research Steps, A Mythical Discovery Quest

Field Research Quests for Ditto

Now this would absolutely be the easiest and best way to catch them if you are lucky enough to need a Ditto while one of these quests is going on. In the past, there have been Field Research quests that have rewarded Dittos. One in particular required that you make one excellent throw. This quest rewarded you with an encounter against a Pidgey that just happened to be a Ditto. Now, these quests change every month, so you'll just need to keep an eye out for information on them. If you're curious what they are for this month, check out the reward for January 2019 in this Reddit thread

Ditto's Move Set List in Pokemon Go

Ditto has two different moves. One is Transform, and this is the main attraction of Ditto. You use this move to transform into the Pokemon you are currently battling against. You then gain their move set. The other move it has is Struggle. This is a very weak normal move that does very little damage. So, it's unlikely you'd ever want to use it because you will likely be transforming 99% of the time.


When Ditto transforms into another Pokemon it keeps its own IVs, level, and HP. It takes the base stats of the Pokemon it transforms into, and it has their moves and types. So, if you have a higher level Ditto than the Pokemon you are transforming into, your CP will be higher than that of the Pokemon you are battling.

Best Ways to Catch Ditto in Pokemon Go

So, officially the best way to catch a Ditto is to do it via a Field Research quest if it is available. Unfortunately, this isn't always going to be the case. The second best way, is to just go out and catch a bunch of the common Pokemon that are on the Ditto imitation list. This will just be down to how lucky you are and how diligent you are about getting out and mass catching Pokemon.

Let's Go, Meltan

The main reason people are after Ditto right now is because it's part of the "Let's GO, Meltan" Special quest chain. In Step 3 of 9, you are required to "Catch a Ditto" which is one part of this particular quest. You'll also need to win 2 Gym Battles and Battle in 2 Raids. Obviously, the Ditto part is going to be the most difficult, so hopefully you don't have to run around too much trying to catch one!
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