How to catch Kecleon in Pokémon GO

Just think like a bipedal chameleon.

The third generation Pokédex can finally be completed in Pokémon GO! Maybe it was just an oversight turned running inside joke, but Kecleon was the final missing Generation III Pokémon to be added to the mobile game since its release in 2016. The little lizard didn’t get a whole Community Day fanfare when it arrived in early January 2023, but players were excited to discover it hiding in the game. So what do we know about Kecleon and how do we catch it?

Kecleon the Color Swap Pokémon

This chameleon-inspired pocket monster is number 352 in the Pokédex. Categorized as a Color Swap Pokémon, it is also a Normal-type. At three feet tall, it’s actually an alarmingly large lizard, but it looks kind of innocent while tiptoeing around on two legs. Being able to blend into its surroundings makes it a sneaky bugger too.

While the rest of the Generation III Pokémon were released by 2017, Kecleon was the final holdout. That makes it about five years late to join the party! Because of this, it has been the subject of memes around Pokémon GO. After all of the hype and subsequent excitement for the release, is Kecleon a Pokémon you should drop everything to get on your team? Not really. It’s not particularly powerful or useful, and it has no evolution. Its presence is more of a collection win for long-time players and completionists.

How to catch it

Kecleon won’t be out in plain sight, hanging out in the wild. Instead, you will encounter the quirky Pokémon when you go to a PokéStop. If a Kecleon has decided to cling to this disk, a message will pop up and tell you that something weird is happening. Some invisible obstacle is preventing you from collecting your items! Kecleon’s outline can be seen crawling around the disk, so you will know exactly what’s happening. You can even see its little pink belly stripe. Poke it a few times until it falls off the disk. When you back out, a Kecleon will be there for you to catch! Then you can also spin the PokéStop disk to get your items.

This little guy may be on the rare side once the initial excitement dies down, so go find one while you can. You may just get lucky at your next PokéStop. If you’re looking for other not-so-useful-but-fun Pokémon to add to your collection, read a bit about Furfrou and how to change her trims in Pokémon GO.