Where to find Riolu in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Since their first appearance in Diamond and Pearl, Riolu has become a fan favorite among Pokémon fans. They have appeared in many of the series’ mainline games, spinoffs, and other media, and fans will be happy to know they have made their way to the Paldea region and can be found fairly easily in the early parts of the game. We’ve done the legwork and got the details on where you can find yourself a Riolu in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, so you can take your new buddy on your adventures.

Related: How to evolve Riolu into Lucario in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

How to catch Riolu in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Finding and catching Riolu can take a little time since they are a rare spawn, but thankfully you won’t need to be running around all of Paldea to find one. As you can see on the Habitat map, Riolu can only be found in the southwestern part of Paldea in South Province (Area Four) and tends to be wandering the fields of grassy or mountainous areas in the province. In our case, we found a few Riolu near the river towards the top of the area and just below Cortondo in South Province (Area Two). There are also usually a few around the mountains between Cortondo and Alfornada and in the area located between Los Platos and Poco Path.

In our case, we found a few level 18 Riolus near the river towards the top of the area and just below Cortondo in South Province (Area Two), which seems to be a good area to find them. If you plan to catch one of these energetic fighting Pokémon, we suggest you use a bug, flying, fairy, ghost, poison, or psychic Pokémon as these types are resistant to fighting moves, and that you use flying, fairy, or psychic moves as these are super effective against fighting types.

Riolu evolves into Lucario, a fan favorite which is a powerful fighting/steel type for your team through the friendship system. This requires players to bond with their Riolu by using them in battle, feeding them berries, using the Let’s Go mechanic to have them travel alongside you, and eating and playing with them in Picnic mode. It is also possible to find Lucario in the North Province (Area Two) and the East Province (Area Three) areas, but they are a much rarer sight than Riolu and will likely take a long time to find, so we would suggest finding a Riolu and bonding with them instead.