Home - Rangi42/polishedcrystal GitHub Wiki

The major update, v3.1, is now live! 🎉 It'll take some time for this wiki to get up to date.

Welcome to the Polished Crystal Wiki!

This is a community-driven wiki for Polished Crystal — by players, for players. Not all information might be entirely up to date by nature; the only fully accurate, fully up-to-date information is the source code in the repository, e.g.:

  • v3.1.1
  • master corresponding to Development Rolling Release

Make sure to read the official README and FAQ; both pages are being updated, though.

If you have a question about playing Polished Crystal, or think you've found a bug, please read this FAQ first.

— Polished Crystal dev team, FAQ.md

General Gameplay Notice

Main article: FAQ § Which file do I need to play?

  • Read the release page. As of August 2025, the latest official build is v3.1.1, tagged as Latest on GitHub.
    • v3.1.1 is fully playable, except for known issues and a few new side-quest areas.
    • polishedcrystal-3.1.1.gbc is the main regular version, which includes modifications on moves, Pokémon, etc.
    • polishedcrystal-faithful-3.1.1.gbc is the alternative faithful version, which omits some non-canon changes.
    • Avoid playing the debug build, polishedcrystal-debug, unless you're testing for the devs.
    • Some emulators' save-state feature is incompatible, particularly with the new Pokémon Box. Use an emulator recommended in the release page.
  • The upgrade of your save file from v3.0.0-beta or v3.0.0 (previously called 9bit) is available by the Polished Crystal Save Patcher. Back up your save before patching, and follow the patcher's instructions.
  • v2.2.0, which was finished in Sept. 2016 (and tagged as such in 2017), is obsolete and out of support; the upgrade of v2.2.0 saves is unavailable.
  • It's impolite to ask the devs for the estimated time of arrival (ETA); that's a general rule for fan-games, as they don't revolve around schedules or deadlines. Follow the #development channel in the Discord server.

Info for Testers

Development Rolling Release, built from the master branch, exists for the development purpose, not for public playtesting.

Info for Cheaters

Refer to the auto-generated cheating database linked below and read the description carefully. Avoid asking the devs for cheat codes.

The devs have been concerned about false bug reports caused by cheating. Cheat codes overwrite a specific data byte, so using incorrect or outdated ones not only fails to work but also corrupts your game/save:

  • This game's data structure is significantly different from the vanilla's, so vanilla codes are highly likely to cause corruption. For the same reason, PKHeX is incompatible.
  • Due to its active development, the game may often reorganize its data, which outdates codes quickly. Auto-generated databases will help, once they become stable.

For those interested in learning cheating, read the .sym file guide. Other viable and steady options include hex-editing within the emulator or cloning the repository to code and create a custom build.

Known Issues in v3.1.1

Fixed internally; the fix will go live in v3.2

  • The title screen displays v3.1.0 instead of v3.1.1;
  • The Magikarp size competition at the Lake of Rage is broken, particularly when played in imperial units;
  • When the Evolve in battle option is turned on, levelling up in battle may cause weird Ability activations and/or minor graphical glitches;
  • Traded Pokémon gain boosted EXP even if the Traded Pokémon obey option is turned on;
  • Bloodmoon Ursaluna can't learn Earth Power;
  • Ursaring is allowed to evolve to Bloodmoon Ursaluna in Murky Swamp (to be replaced by an event-exclusive encounter);
  • Galarian Mr. Mime and Mr. Rime can breed Mime Jr., but Kantonian Mr. Mime can't;
  • Safeguard can't prevent contact-based Abilities or Toxic Spikes;
  • Wonder Trading and Judge Machine may not display Pokédex No. 256+;
  • Eggs obtained from Wonder Trading may require too many steps for hatching;
  • Sending a Pokémon of No. 256+ in Wonder Trading may crash the game, particularly on receiving the Spiky-eared Pichu;
  • Forms related to held items may not switch properly when the item is swapped out with another Pokémon;
  • The registered-as-caught ball icon in wild battles may not apply to cosmetic form variants;
  • The Ghost in Violet Outskirts may be registered as Seen in Pokédex even if it remains unidentified;
  • Surf/Flying Pikachu can't be female;
  • Wild Smeargle in the Ruins of Alph may have two Sketch slots;
  • The Sweet Honey's level-manipulation effect is allowed to work on Roaming Pokémon;
  • Completing the Pokédex doesn't upgrade the Trainer Card;
  • The initial six rental Pokémon in Battle Factory may include two or more of the same Pokémon; and
  • Minor graphical glitches: move animation, overworld sprites and weather, etc.

Pages

Use the sidebar of this wiki. It could be at the bottom on mobile browsers.

External Links

WIP Auto-Generated Databases

Some players are working on automating database websites for this game. Show them some support!