How to Get Squirtle in Pokémon FireRed LeafGreen: Nintendo Switch

If you’re playing Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen on Nintendo Switch and want Squirtle, there are only two legitimate ways to get it — and one of them depends entirely on how you started your save file.

Can You Catch a wild Squirtle in FireRed & LeafGreen?

Unlike later Pokémon games, FireRed & LeafGreen do not offer wild starter encounters. Squirtle is either your starter or it must be traded in.

You cannot catch Squirtle in the wild anywhere in Kanto. The only in-game way to obtain Squirtle in Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen is to choose it as your starter at the very beginning of the game in Professor Oak’s Lab in Pallet Town.

Read More: How to Get Pikachu Early in Pokémon FireRed LeafGreen: Nintendo Switch

At the start of your adventure, Oak gives you a choice between:

• Bulbasaur

• Charmander

• Squirtle

If you select Squirtle, it will be Level 5 and become your permanent starter Pokémon.

What If You Didn’t Pick Squirtle?

If you chose Bulbasaur or Charmander, Squirtle will not appear later in your playthrough. There are no post-game gifts or hidden encounters for it.

Read More: Where to Find Mewtwo in FireRed LeafGreen: Nintendo Switch 

Your only option is to trade from another copy of FireRed, LeafGreen, or a compatible Generation III game.

In the Nintendo Switch version of Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen, the starter mechanics are unchanged from the original Game Boy Advance release — meaning your decision in Pallet Town determines everything.

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