You've probably been there. You are walking through a park, or maybe just sitting on your couch, and you tap on a common Pokémon. A Pidgey, a Roggenrola, or maybe a Litleo. You catch it, the screen flashes, and instead of the usual "Gotcha!" message, you see "Oh?" across the screen. Your heart skips. That purple blob, Ditto, finally reveals itself. But honestly, for most players, those moments are few and far between. Finding Ditto in Pokémon GO is basically the ultimate test of patience in a game that usually rewards high-speed movement.
The reality is that you cannot actually "see" a Ditto on the map. It is never there. Niantic, the developers behind the game, use a mechanic called "disguises." This means Ditto hides behind the mask of other, more common species. If you see a Ditto on your nearby tracker, it won't look like a Ditto. It will look like a Diglett or a Starly. You won't know it is a Ditto until the catch sequence is totally finished. It’s a grind. It’s frustrating. And if you are stuck on a Special Research task like "A Mythical Discovery" to get Mew, it’s the biggest roadblock in the game.
The Current Disguise List is Everything
If you want to find Ditto in Pokémon GO, you have to stop catching everything and start targeting the specific pool of monsters it currently inhabits. This list changes. Niantic updates it every few months, usually during seasonal shifts or specific events like the "Let's GO" event we saw recently.
Right now, you need to keep your eyes peeled for a very specific set of Pokémon. If you see these on your map, catch them immediately. Currently, Ditto is known to hide as:
- Oddish (the Grass/Poison type from Gen 1)
- Koffing (the Poison type cloud)
- Rhyhorn (the Ground/Rock rhino)
- Goldeen (the Water type fish)
- Numel (the Fire/Ground camel)
- Bidoof (the legendary... well, the Normal type beaver)
- Gothita (the Psychic type)
- Solosis (the green cell-like Psychic type)
- Bergmite (the Ice type chunk)
- Stufful (the Normal/Fighting teddy bear)
Notice something? These are all "trash" spawns. They are the background noise of the game. That is by design. Niantic wants you to engage with the mundane to find the extraordinary. If you are ignoring that random Numel because you already have 500 candies, you might be walking right past the Ditto you need for your research.
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The Shiny Ditto Problem
There is a huge misconception about how Shiny Ditto works. Let’s clear this up right now because it confuses even veteran players. Can a Shiny Pokémon turn into a Ditto? No. Never.
If you encounter a Shiny version of a Pokémon on the disguise list—let's say you find a Shiny Bidoof—it is guaranteed not to be a Ditto. Niantic made this rule to prevent the soul-crushing disappointment of catching a rare Shiny only for it to transform into a regular, non-shiny Ditto. Imagine the rage.
However, a non-shiny Pokémon can transform into a Shiny Ditto. This is where it gets interesting. When you catch a regular, boring Bergmite, there is a tiny, microscopic chance that the transformation screen will reveal a brilliant blue Shiny Ditto. You can't hunt for it specifically. You just have to catch every single disguise you see and pray to the RNG gods.
Weather Boosts and Local Maps
Does weather matter? Sorta. Ditto is a Normal-type Pokémon. This means it is boosted by Partly Cloudy weather. If you are hunting during a Partly Cloudy day, you might see more Ditto spawns, but there is a catch. Since Ditto is disguised, it takes on the weather boost of its mask.
If Ditto is pretending to be a Rhyhorn, it will show the weather boost ring if it is Sunny or Cloudy. This actually makes it harder to identify. You can’t just look for "Normal" type boosts. You have to look for the boost of the disguise.
Another tip that people often overlook: local community maps and Discord servers. While many of the old-school "trackers" have been shut down, local "Sightings" channels in Discord or Telegram are still gold mines. Because Ditto spawns are the same for everyone, if someone in your local park catches a Ditto disguised as a Koffing, that Koffing will be a Ditto for you too. You have about 15 to 30 minutes to get there before the spawn despawns. Use your community. Don't be a lone wolf if you are desperate for that Mew research.
Why You Keep Failing
You're probably catching the wrong stuff. Or maybe you're relying too much on an Auto-Catcher like the Pokémon GO Plus+ or a Gotcha. These devices are great for stardust, but they have a high "flee" rate. Ditto is notoriously difficult to catch. It has a lower catch rate than the Pokémon it is pretending to be.
Have you ever noticed a 10 CP Pidgey (back when Pidgey was a disguise) that broke out of three Great Balls? That was probably a Ditto. Ditto is "heavier" in terms of its catch difficulty. If a low-level, normally easy-to-catch Pokémon is giving you a hard time, use a Razz Berry. Switch to an Ultra Ball. Don't let it run. That stubbornness is a massive red flag that you've found your target.
Events and Special Research
Sometimes, Niantic feels bad for us. They know the Ditto grind is brutal. Periodically, they host events where Ditto spawns are boosted significantly. We saw this during the 1st of April (April Fools' Day) events in the past, where almost every spawn was a Ditto disguise.
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If there isn't an event, you are relying on pure probability. The estimated spawn rate for Ditto is somewhere around 3% to 5% of the total spawns of its disguised pool. That sounds high, but when you consider that those 10 specific Pokémon are competing with hundreds of others in the spawn pool, the math gets ugly.
Nuance in the Hunt
Let’s talk strategy. If you are serious about finding Ditto in Pokémon GO, you need to change how you play for a few days.
- Lures and Incense work. Ditto can absolutely spawn from a standard Lure Module or your Daily Adventure Incense. In fact, using Incense while walking in a high-density area is your best bet for cycling through enough spawns to hit a Ditto.
- Ignore the "Gotta Catch 'Em All" mentality. Focus. If you see a Charizard and a Bidoof, and you need a Ditto, catch the Bidoof first. I know it sounds crazy. But the Charizard isn't a Ditto. The Bidoof might be.
- Check your Journal. If you are using a Go Plus and you see a Pokémon fled, check your journal. If it says "Ditto fled," at least you know you were in the right area. It's depressing, but it confirms the disguises are active in your biome.
Biomes are real, by the way. If you live in a desert biome, you'll see more Numel. If you are near water, Goldeen is your best friend. Choose your hunting ground based on which disguise is most common in that environment. I personally found my last three Ditto in a supermarket parking lot because it was a "nest" for Koffing and Oddish.
Actionable Steps to Catch Your Ditto
Stop wandering aimlessly. Follow this workflow to maximize your chances of ending the search.
- Memorize the current list. Right now, it's Oddish, Koffing, Rhyhorn, Goldeen, Numel, Bidoof, Gothita, Solosis, Bergmite, and Stufful. If it’s not on this list, it’s not a Ditto.
- Target "trash" clusters. Go to places with high spawn density—malls, gas stations, and busy parks. The more "mask" Pokémon you tap, the higher your statistical probability.
- Watch for "Hard Catches." If a 50 CP Oddish breaks out of a curveball Great Throw, treat it like a Legendary. Use an Ultra Ball.
- Join a local Discord. Search for your city + Pokémon GO Discord. Look for a "sightings" or "ditto" channel.
- Wait for April 1st. If you are truly struggling and it is currently March, just wait. Niantic almost always does a Ditto-themed event for April Fools'.
Finding Ditto in Pokémon GO is an exercise in managing frustration. It is a game of numbers. You might catch 200 Bidoofs and get nothing, or you might find one on your first try today. Just remember that the disguise list is your Bible. Keep it open, keep your balls stocked, and don't ignore the boring stuff. The purple blob is out there, hiding in plain sight.
Next Steps for Your Hunt
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To make your search more efficient, start by clearing out your Pokémon storage to make room for a "mass catch" session. Head to a high-traffic area with multiple PokéStops and drop a standard Lure—not a specialized one like Glacial or Mossy, as these attract specific types that aren't usually Ditto disguises. Focus exclusively on the ten Pokémon listed above for the next sixty minutes. If you are playing with a friend, remember that if one of you catches a Ditto, it is a Ditto for both of you, so call it out immediately.