Sableye is only available in Pokémon Pokopia through a limited-time event, and once it ends you cannot befriend this Dark/Ghost-type through any other means. The Gem Hunt runs from April 29 at 5:00 AM to May 13 at 4:59 AM local time, giving you a roughly two-week window to collect Red Crystal Fragments, unlock exclusive camping-themed furniture, and set up Sableye's habitat. Miss it and you wait for the next rotation.
What do you need before the event starts?
Two things have to be in place before Sableye shows up. According to Nintendo Life's event guide, you need at least one Pokémon Center rebuilt and access to Dream Islands. If neither of those is done, Sableye simply will not appear. The event is also restricted to your main island — Cloud Islands used for multiplayer are completely excluded from the event, so the shop and Sableye will not appear there under any circumstances.
Once the event is active, leaving your den triggers a notification: "A Pokémon is the talk of the town!" That's your cue to head straight to the Pokémon Center.
Sableye only appears in areas with a fully rebuilt Pokémon Center. If you have multiple areas but only one center completed, Sableye will be at that specific center.
Find Sableye outside the center
How to start Sableye's Gem Hunt
Head to the Pokémon Center and look for Sableye wandering outside the building. Talk to them and you will register Sableye in your Event Pokédex. After that conversation, Sableye moves inside the center and opens the event shop. The befriending happens automatically the moment you speak to them — no extra steps required.
Where to find Red Crystals
Red Crystal Fragments are the event currency, and they only spawn in one place: the cave systems inside Dream Islands. Every Dream Island has at least one cave, so the Doll you give to Drifbloom does not technically matter. That said, Game8's wiki strongly recommends giving Drifbloom either a Clefairy Doll (which unlocks the Rock Peak Dream Island) or an Arcanine Doll (which unlocks the Volcanic Dream Island), because both of those islands have more caves and caverns than others, giving you more Red Crystal Cluster spawns per trip.
Once inside a cave, use Rock Smash to break the Red Crystal Clusters. The deeper you go, the more fragments you collect per run. Nintendo Life reported gathering around 68 Red Crystal Fragments in a single trip, which is enough to cover the three habitat-required items with fragments to spare for optional furniture.
All Sableye's Gem Hunt event items
The shop inside the Pokémon Center carries 10 exclusive items, all purchasable with Red Crystal Fragments. Importantly, according to Game8's documentation, every item has unlimited stock, so you can buy as many copies as you want before the event closes.
The three habitat-required items cost a combined 25 Red Crystal Fragments, which is well within reach of a single cave run. After securing those, the Tent Kit (10 fragments) is the next most useful purchase since it functions as a pre-built shelter for Pokémon. The Oil Lantern at just 2 fragments is worth grabbing in bulk if you plan to explore darker cave areas.
The event ends at 4:59 AM on May 13 local time. Any unspent Red Crystal Fragments or unpurchased items will be gone when the shop closes, so spend everything before the deadline.
How to build Sableye's Treasure-Hunting Set habitat
To give Sableye a permanent home after the event ends, you need to construct the Treasure-Hunting Set habitat. The required items, confirmed by both Nintendo Life and Game8, are:
- Adventure Kit x1 (10 Red Crystal Fragments)
- Map and Compass x1 (5 Red Crystal Fragments)
- Treasure x1 (5 Red Crystal Fragments)
Arrange all three in at least a 2x2 grid to complete the habitat. One key detail worth knowing: you cannot assign Sableye a home until the event period is over. Until May 13, Sableye lives inside the Pokémon Center. The habitat just needs to be ready and waiting.
What's worth buying beyond the habitat items?
Once you have the three required pieces, here is a practical priority order for the remaining fragments based on general utility:
- Tent Kit (10 fragments) — pre-built shelter, works for multiple Pokémon
- Camping Cooking Pot (10 fragments) — useful for food-related activities
- Sleeping Bag (10 fragments) — functional bedroom item
- Digital Camera (5 fragments) — decorative, good for themed builds
- Camping Chair (5 fragments) — seating for outdoor setups
- Jewel Wall Decoration (2 fragments) — cheap filler for themed areas
- Oil Lantern (2 fragments) — handy for dark spaces
Since stock is unlimited, there is no reason to hold back if you have the fragments. Run the Dream Island caves multiple times and clean out the shop.
For more Pokémon Pokopia tips and event coverage, browse more guides on GAMES.GG to stay on top of everything the game has to offer.