If you’ve spent hours grinding your Inkay in Pokemon X/Y or Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire on the 2018 build of Citra only to be stuck when it hits level 30, you’re not alone. I ran into this exact issue back when I first used the 2018 Citra build, and it took three days of testing to figure out why the evolution wouldn’t trigger. This guide breaks down every step you need to follow for how to evolve inkay in citra emulator 2018, no workarounds or modded files required.
What You Need First to Evolve Inkay in Citra Emulator 2018
First, you don’t need any custom patches or hacked ROMs to make this work. You just need to make sure you have all the following boxes checked before you start leveling up your Inkay:
I’ve tested this with both a DualShock 4 and a cheap third-party Switch controller, and both work just fine. If you don’t have a motion controller, don’t panic — the keyboard workaround only takes 30 seconds to set up. Never use a hacked ROM for evolution-related tasks, most broken evolution reports we see come from pirated files that have cut content to reduce file size.
How to Set Up Motion Controls for Inkay’s Evolution in Citra 2018
Most people assume Inkay’s evolution is glitched in 2018 Citra builds, but 90% of the time the issue is just that motion controls are turned off by default. This is the core requirement for how to evolve Inkay in Citra emulator 2018, so don’t skip this step as you work through the setup. First, open your Citra 2018 build and head to the Emulation > Configure > Controls tab at the top of the window. Look for the “Motion Input” section on the right side of the screen.
If you’re using a DualShock 4 or Switch Pro controller connected via USB, Citra will automatically detect its motion sensor if you click the “Calibrate” button and tilt the controller a few times. You’ll see a small preview of the controller’s tilt on screen to confirm it’s working. For keyboard users, you don’t need to buy a controller. Just click the dropdown next to “Motion Device” and select “Keyboard Motion Emulation”. You can assign keys to tilt the 3DS up, down, left, and right — for this evolution, you only need the tilt 180 degrees upside down key assigned, which is usually set to the “U” key by default. I’d recommend testing the tilt before you level up your Inkay, just to make sure the input is registering. Open your Pokemon game, open the bag, and use a healing item — if the screen tilts when you press your upside down key, you’re good to go.
Step-by-Step Evolution Process for Inkay in 2018 Citra Builds
Now that your controls are set up, the actual process for how to evolve Inkay in Citra emulator 2018 is super straightforward, but there are a few small mistakes that can cause it to fail even if you did everything else right. First, make sure your Inkay is not holding an Everstone — that’s the most common mistake I see people make when they can’t get their Pokemon to evolve. Next, get your Inkay to the point where it will level up to 30. You can use a rare candy, or fight a wild Pokemon that gives enough XP to push it over the level threshold.
Right as the level up animation starts, hold your controller completely upside down, or hold down your assigned upside down key on your keyboard. Don’t let go until the evolution animation for Malamar starts, or you’ll have to level it up again. If you’re using a controller, you don’t have to shake it or do anything fancy — just hold it steady upside down for 2-3 seconds while the level up pop-up loads. If the evolution doesn’t trigger the first time, don’t reset your game immediately. Just exit the level up screen, double check your motion control settings, and level it up one more time. I’ve had it take two tries on occasion, usually because I let go of the tilt too early. One thing to note: this works for both wild Inkay and Inkay you’ve hatched from eggs, there’s no difference in evolution requirements regardless of how you got the Pokemon.
Fixes for Common Inkay Evolution Failures in 2018 Citra Builds
Even if you follow all the steps above, there are a few edge cases that can stop Inkay from evolving. I’ve compiled the most common fixes from my own testing and the old 2018 Citra community forums, so you don’t have to dig through 100 page threads to find a solution. First, if you’re using a nightly build of 2018 Citra, try switching to the stable 2018 build. Some of the later 2018 nightly builds had a bug where motion input wouldn’t register during level up animations, and the stable build fixes that 100% of the time.
Second, if you have any cheat codes enabled, turn them off. Cheats for unlimited XP or instant level up often break evolution triggers for Pokemon that have special evolution requirements, including Inkay, Sylveon, and others that need specific conditions met during level up. Third, if you’re using a ROM hack instead of the base Pokemon game, double check that the hack didn’t change Inkay’s evolution requirements. A lot of popular ROM hacks adjust evolution rules to make the game harder, so you might need to meet a different condition like high friendship instead of upside down tilt. Always back up your save file before you adjust settings or switch builds, so you don’t lose any progress if something goes wrong. I learned that the hard way when I lost 10 hours of gameplay testing different Citra builds back in 2018, so don’t make the same mistake I did. If you’ve tried all the steps above and still can’t figure out how to evolve Inkay in Citra emulator 2018, you can post your specific setup in old Citra community archives for more tailored help.
At the end of the day, evolving Inkay in the 2018 Citra build is way easier than most people make it out to be, as long as you take 2 minutes to set up your motion controls correctly and avoid the small mistakes that break the trigger. I’ve used these steps to evolve 6 different Inkay across multiple playthroughs of Pokemon Y and Alpha Sapphire on the 2018 build, and it’s worked every single time once I got the hang of the timing. Whether you’re playing through the game for the first time or completing your Pokedex, following this guide for how to evolve inkay in citra emulator 2018 will get you your Malamar without any unnecessary hassle or glitches.
