Your Rhydon has been stuck with a greyed-out Evolve button for weeks, and the Sinnoh Stone that unlocks it is nowhere in your bag. This rare item is the last thing standing between you and eighteen powerful evolutions. This guide covers what a Sinnoh Stone does, five ways to get one, and which Pokémon deserve your stones first.
What Is a Sinnoh Stone in Pokémon GO?
A Sinnoh Stone is a special evolution item in Pokémon GO. It works a lot like a Sun Stone or a King’s Rock, except it only unlocks evolutions that first appeared in the Sinnoh region games, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.
Niantic added the Sinnoh Stone back in 2018. Before that update, Pokémon like Rhydon and Togetic had no evolution path in Pokémon GO at all. The stone closed that gap and opened up a whole new tier of stronger Pokémon.
Here’s the tricky part. You cannot buy a Sinnoh Stone with real money or PokéCoins, and it never shows up in the in-game shop. You have to earn every single one, and each stone gets used up the moment you evolve a Pokémon with it. Want two evolutions? You need two stones.
How to Get Sinnoh Stones in Pokémon GO
Now, before you start farming, it helps to know your options. There are five main ways to add a Sinnoh Stone to your inventory, and some work a lot better than others.
Method 1: Weekly Research Breakthrough
Field Research tasks can be simple or brutal. You might be asked to catch a specific type of Pokémon, land three Excellent Throws in a row, or win a raid battle. Collect one stamp a day, and the seventh stamp opens a Research Breakthrough encounter with a chance at bonus rewards, including a Sinnoh Stone.
Many players treat this as their daily routine. It doesn’t require PvP skill or perfect raid timing, only consistency: spin a PokéStop, grab a task, finish it, and keep the streak going for seven days.
How iToolab AnyGo Speeds Up Field Research Tasks
The real bottleneck isn’t finishing the tasks. It’s finding the right Pokémon nearby to catch, or a stretch of street with enough PokéStops to keep tasks flowing. A location changer like iToolab AnyGo lets you park your character right where the tasks are, so you’re far less likely to lose a stamp to bad spawns.
iToolab AnyGo is a GPS location changer that runs on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. Players use it to reach spots with more Pokémon, more PokéStops, or active raids, all without leaving the house.
- Teleport to Pokémon nests to find target species required by your field research tasks.
- Move into dense PokéStop zones to spin more stops and collect more quests hourly.
- Finish raid-related field research tasks remotely by joining newly spawned raids instantly.
- Change iPhone location in official apps with Native Mode.
- Work well with location-based social apps and AR games.
- Run seamlessly on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices.
- Fully support the latest iOS 27/Android 17.
How to Use AnyGo to Reach a Pokémon Nest
Step 1 Download and install iToolab AnyGo on your Windows or Mac computer. Launch AnyGo and select General Mode.
Step 2 Connect your iPhone or Android phone to your computer with a USB cable.
Step 3 Type the name of the nest or park you want into the search bar, then click Go to place your character there. Your location will update instantly. Open Pokémon GO, spin the PokéStops around you, and catch the species your Field Research task asks for.
Step 4 (Optional) Switch to the two-spot mode or Multi-spot mode if you want to walk a loop and keep collecting tasks.
Method 2: PvP Trainer Battles
Trainer Battles against friends also carry a small chance of dropping a Sinnoh Stone after each match. You earn item rewards for your first three battles each day, and losing still counts, so there’s no reason to skip a battle you think you’ll lose. Battle a friend a few times daily and treat any stone as a bonus. Battling a Team Leader once a day works the same way, and Master League has the best odds of the three.
Method 3: GO Battle League (GBL)
The GO Battle League pays out after every set of five battles, whether you play Great League, Ultra League, or Master League. Win two battles in a set and you get a random reward, with a Sinnoh Stone as one of the random items in the pool, alongside Fast TMs, Charged TMs, and Silver Pinap Berries. Rank-ups during the season also unlock bonus encounters, so regular GBL players tend to collect stones faster than most. You’ll need to be at least level 10 to take part.
Method 4: Defeat Team GO Rocket Leaders
Rocket Leaders only appear after you beat six Team GO Rocket Grunts, collect six Mysterious Components, and combine them into a Rocket Radar. The Radar then points you to the PokéStop where Cliff, Arlo, or Sierra is waiting.
Beat Cliff, Arlo, or Sierra and two random items drop, with a Sinnoh Stone among the possible rewards. Giovanni works the same way, but he only shows up when you have a Super Rocket Radar.
How AnyGo Helps You Find Rocket Leaders Faster:
- Move between the stops your Rocket Radar flags: Skip the walk between Leader fights instead of covering the same blocks twice.
- Farm Grunts in a dense downtown: More PokéStops in one place means faster Mysterious Components and a fresh Radar sooner.
- Squeeze more attempts into your day: Cutting the travel time means you can rebuild a Radar and hunt another Leader before your session ends.
- Scan nearby PokéStops on the AnyGo map for the purple Rocket icon.
- Teleport there instantly, battle the Leader, then move to the next invaded stop the moment you finish.
Method 5: Special Events
Community Days, seasonal events, and some Timed Research occasionally offer a guaranteed Sinnoh Stone as a reward. Team GO Rocket takeover events are especially generous, since they often stack bonus Rocket Leader encounters on top of the usual drop chance. These windows don’t last long, so check event news each month and finish the linked research before it expires.
All Pokémon That Evolve with a Sinnoh Stone
Eighteen Pokémon need a Sinnoh Stone to reach their final form. Every one of them also needs 100 Candy. Here’s the full list of Sinnoh Stone evolutions Pokémon GO currently offers:
Evolving all eighteen would take 18 stones and 1,800 Candy, which is why almost nobody does it in one go. Picking the right targets matters far more than collecting them all.
Two of these evolutions trip people up because of the gender lock. Only a male Kirlia can become Gallade, and only a female Snorunt can become Froslass. Tap the Pokémon in your storage and check the gender symbol beside its name before you spend a stone, so you don’t burn one on a form you can’t get.
Best Pokémon to Use Sinnoh Stone on Pokémon GO
Not every evolution deserves a stone right away. Sinnoh Stones are hard to earn, so it pays to spend them on Pokémon that actually improve your battle lineup. The two tiers below sort the best Sinnoh Stone evolutions by where they earn their keep.
Tier 1: Raid Attackers (Evolve These First)
These five give you the biggest jump in raid and Team GO Rocket power. Put them ahead of everything else.
- Mamoswine (from Piloswine): Ice and Ground typing, and one of the strongest Ice-type attackers in the game. It’s a default pick against Dragon, Flying, and Ground raid bosses, which makes it the best single return on a stone here.
- Rhyperior (from Rhydon): Rock and Ground typing, and one of the hardest hitters against Fire, Flying, and Ice bosses. Its high bulk also makes it a solid gym defender in between raids.
- Weavile (from Sneasel): Dark and Ice typing that covers Dragon, Ground, and Psychic bosses. Its fast, low-energy moveset keeps steady damage on the raid timer, and the same speed makes it a favourite for Team GO Rocket battles, where its fast attacks burn through shields.
- Roserade (from Roselia): Grass and Poison typing, which covers both sides of the meta. It’s a top Poison attacker against Fairy bosses and a strong Grass option for Water, Ground, and Rock raids.
- Electivire (from Electabuzz): Pure Electric typing with a dependable matchup against Water and Flying raids. It won’t out-damage a legendary Electric-type, but one stone and 100 Candy gets you a solid attacker for the lineup.
Tier 2: PvP & Utility (Evolve When You PvP)
These matter most if you play GO Battle League. Save your stones for them once Tier 1 is covered.
- Togekiss (from Togetic): A bulky Fairy and Flying pick built for Master League, able to soak up hits while dishing out steady damage.
- Gallade (male Kirlia only): Fast Psychic and Fighting attacks for Great and Ultra League, useful for baiting shields before a big hit.
- Froslass (female Snorunt only): An Ice and Ghost typing that very few Pokémon share, which gives it coverage against Water, Grass, and Dragon leads and makes it a popular Great League pick.
- Gliscor (from Gligar): Solid Ground and Flying typing with good bulk in Great League, plus decent counterplay against Electric leads.
- Honchkrow (from Murkrow): A Dark and Flying type with fast-charging moves, a strong lead when you want quick pressure.
FAQs about Sinnoh Stone Pokémon GO
These are the questions players ask most often about Sinnoh Stones in Pokémon GO.
Q1. Is a Sinnoh Stone guaranteed from Research Breakthrough?
No. Research Breakthrough guarantees a Pokémon encounter, but the Sinnoh Stone is only one possible bonus reward alongside items like Rare Candy and precious Stardust.
Q2. How many Sinnoh Stones can you get per week?
There’s no hard cap. In a good week you can pull two or three stones by stacking Research Breakthrough, daily Trainer Battles, GBL rewards, and Rocket Leader fights. A quiet week might give you none at all, which is normal, so plan around the daily battles rather than counting on a big haul.
Q3. Is there a trick to increase Sinnoh Stone drop rates?
Not exactly a trick, but stacking methods helps. Battle in PvP daily, play through your GBL sets, and fight a Rocket Leader whenever you spot one. More attempts simply mean more chances.
Q4. Is the Sinnoh Stone a limited-time item? Does it expire?
No. Once a Sinnoh Stone sits in your inventory, it stays there until you use it. There’s no countdown and no expiration date.
Summary
Getting a Sinnoh Stone takes patience, but now you know where to look. Keep your Research Breakthrough streak alive, battle in PvP and GBL every day, and chase down Rocket Leaders whenever a Radar is ready. Spend your first stones on Mamoswine, Rhyperior, and the rest of the Tier 1 attackers, then work through the PvP picks.
If the walk between nests and invaded PokéStops is what’s slowing you down, AnyGo Pokémon GO Spoofer takes that part off your plate. Set your location, pick up your tasks, and get back to evolving. Download iToolab AnyGo and start earning stones without the legwork.