How to Evolve Inkay into Malamar in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Indigo Disk

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Indigo Disk DLC has arrived, bringing numerous new and returning Pokemon for players to discover, catch, and train. Among them is Inkay, an adorable little squid ‘Mon. However, Inkay has quite a bizarre evolution mechanic that can throw Trainers off and cause confusion. If you’re looking to evolve your Inkay in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s Indigo Disk, then we’ve got you covered!

Where to Find and Catch Inkay in Pokemon Indigo Disk

Inkay is one of many returning Pokemon available in the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Indigo Disk DLC. It’s an adorable little Dark/Psychic Dual-Type that evolves into the more powerful Malamar. Both of these Pokemon are a necessity to completing the Blueberry Pokedex, so you’ll need to know how to obtain and evolve Inkay along your journey.

If you are yet to capture an Inkay for yourself, then you’ll need to head on over to the Coastal Biome. Here, Inkay can be commonly found.

If you’re struggling to pinpoint a location, Inkay’s habitat is blocked out on the map above in yellow. However, I personally stumbled across my own Inkay on the small, lone island at the very top southern side of the Coastar Biome.

How to Evolve Inkay Into Malamar in Pokemon Indigo Disk

Once you’ve got an Inkay caught and settled on your team, then it’s time to start the evolution process. However, Inkay has quite a strange set of steps for evolution, so if you find yourself confused, you’re not alone!

The first step to evolving Inkay is to reach at least level 30. Once this is done, you will need to gain at least one additional level; however, there’s a catch. When leveling beyond 30, players must hold their Nintendo Switch console upside down to trigger the evolution event. Nope, we’re not joking, it does work! After all, turning upside down is Inkay’s whole thing, so it does make sense.

Note that for this to work, your Nintendo Switch must be in handheld mode. Then, you must turn the console upside down as a new level arrives. The easiest way to achieve this is by keeping your Joy-Cons attached to the Switch in handheld mode. Then, feed your Inkay some EXP Candy to boost a level, and then flip the console upside down. If you do this correctly, the evolution should trigger immediately.

Now all you need to do is simply wait a few seconds while the evolution animation plays out. Before you know, it you’ll have a large squid friend to call your own! Malamar will now be good to go for your adventuring and battling party, or even to sit tight in your boxes if you’re just a collector. We won’t judge, everyone has ‘Mons who collect dust.

That’s everything you need to know about how to evolve Inkay into Malamar in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s Teal Mask DLC. Now that you know how to achieve this bizarre evolution, why not check out our guide detailing all version-exclusive Pokemon in the DLC? This way you can take a look at what’s available to you and which ‘Mons you’ll need to trade for.