Why older games give different results
The type chart has changed twice in major ways and once in a small one. If you play an older game, or watch an older video or guide, the matchups you see may not match the current games. Every calculator on this site uses the current chart, which has been the same since Pokémon X and Y.
Generation 1: Red, Blue and Yellow
The first games had 15 types, without Dark, Steel or Fairy. Three matchups worked differently from today.
- Ghost moves had no effect on Psychic types, though the games’ text suggested Ghost should be strong against Psychic. Ghost moves were so few that this rarely came up.
- Bug moves were super effective against Poison, and Poison moves were super effective against Bug.
- Ice moves did normal damage to Fire types.
Generation 2: Gold, Silver and Crystal
Gold and Silver added the Dark and Steel types. They are widely seen as a check on the Psychic type, which had few real weaknesses in the first games. Dark is immune to Psychic moves, and Steel resisted a large number of types, including Ghost and Dark at the time. The same update made Ghost super effective against Psychic as originally intended, ended the Bug and Poison weaknesses to each other, and made Fire resist Ice.
Generation 6: X and Y
X and Y added the Fairy type, which is immune to Dragon moves and super effective against Dragon, Fighting and Dark. Several existing Pokémon, such as Clefairy, Jigglypuff and Gardevoir, became Fairy types. The same games removed Steel’s resistance to Ghost and Dark, so both now do normal damage to Steel. No matchup has changed since.
What this means in practice
If you are playing a game from Generation 2 to 5, Fairy does not exist and Steel resists Ghost and Dark. Older Pokémon that are now Fairy types will show their original types in those games, so check the in-game summary screen.
Sources and further reading
Have a correction or a suggestion? Tell the studio.