Pokémon types are categories that define the power of a Pokémon and their move set. No one type is best; instead, all Pokémon types are particularly strong (or weak) against a select few others. Understanding these strengths and weaknesses is key to dominating the Pokémon gym circuit - so we've put together a handy Pokémon types chart to help you stay on track.
With the answer to the big question 'how many Pokémon are there?' now in quadruple figures, a reliable knowledge of Pokémon types and matchups is vital. If you're a TCG player, you'll find our guide to the 11 Pokémon card types more useful for deck-building. Or, if you're simply curious about the wonderful world of Pokémon, be sure to check out our guide to rare Pokémon cards.
Here's everything you need to know about Pokémon types:
How many Pokémon types are there?
There are currently 18 Pokémon types: Normal, Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Ground, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Steel, and Fairy. Note that Dark and Steel Pokémon weren't added until Gen 2, and Fairy Pokémon didn't come along until Gen 6.
Pokémon type chart
The Pokémon type chart below shows how effective the types in the leftmost column are against those in the row at the top of the image. The colors represent the following:
- Black - It has no effect (0% damage)
- Red - It's not very effective… (50% damage)
- White - Normal-strength attack (100% damage)
- Green - It's super-effective! (200% damage)
How do multipliers work?
Some Pokémon have two types rather than one, meaning they can be subject to multiple strengths and weaknesses. The multipliers for an attack against a Pokémon with two types are combined, though this doesn't negate any immunities.
For example, let's say that you use a Fighting-type move on a Dark/Steel Pokémon. Fighting-type moves are super-effective against both those Pokémon types, so the multipliers would be (x2) x (x2). That's quadruple damage!
If the Fighting-type move was used against a Flying/Steel Pokémon, the weakness and advantage would cancel each other out, as the calculation would be (x2) x (x0.5). A move that isn't very effective against both Pokémon types would be calculated as (x0.5) x (x0.5) - knocking the damage down to a quarter of its usual strength.
Any immunity cancels out these calculations. For example, Ghost-type Pokémon are immune to Fighting-type moves, even if their second type is Steel.
There's your full explainer for all Pokémon types. Now it's time to expand your collection as well as your mind - here's the best Pokémon packs to buy these days, as well as all you need to know about the newest Pokémon set. Or, for completionists, here's all Pokémon sets in order.