Buying guide
Pokémon HeartGold — buying an original cartridge
HeartGold is the Ho-Oh half of the 2010 Johto remakes — for many people the high point of the whole series — and today it is both the priciest mainline DS game and the most counterfeited one. Which makes buying a genuine cartridge mostly a question of knowing one test. Here it is.
The short answer
A genuine HeartGold cartridge is a slightly larger black shell with a dark translucent infrared window in the top edge — it pairs with the Pokéwalker through it. Counterfeits leave the sensor out: the game boots, but the pairing screen does nothing. European copies carry the serial NTR-IPKE-EUR. If the seller cannot show the IR window or the pairing working, keep your money.
What HeartGold actually is
HeartGold and its counterpart SoulSilver are the Nintendo DS remakes of Pokémon Gold and Silver — the Johto games of 1999, rebuilt in 2010 with the feature people still talk about: your lead Pokémon walks behind you. The story in both versions is identical. The differences are the cover legendary and the version-exclusives: HeartGold has Ho-Oh, caught at the Bell Tower during the story, with Lugia waiting until after the Elite Four — SoulSilver flips that order. Growlithe, Mankey, Spinarak, Gligar and Phanpy are HeartGold exclusives; Vulpix, Meowth, Ledyba and Teddiursa belong to SoulSilver.
You will see the title written as Heart Gold and HeartGold — same game, both spellings, one cartridge. It plays on every DS and 3DS model, and like all DS games it is not region-locked.
The authenticity check, in order of certainty
- The infrared window. Top edge of the cartridge, dark translucent plastic instead of matte grey. No window — or a painted-on imitation — is an immediate fail.
- The Pokéwalker pairing. The functional version of the same test: start a pairing from the in-game menu. Genuine cartridges connect; fakes sit on the pairing screen doing nothing, or freeze after roughly 30 seconds.
- The serial. NTR-IPKE-EUR for Europe, NTR-IPKE-USA for America. A copy sold as European that reads USA — or the other way round — is wrong somewhere.
- The shell. HG/SS shipped in the slightly larger black cartridge, not the standard grey one. Label print should be sharp, not washed out.
Those four checks come straight from our full fake-cartridge guide — written from the roughly 12% of cartridges we reject when buying stock.
What a fair copy looks like
HeartGold sits at the top of the DS price range, and the configuration decides the price. A loose genuine cartridge is the affordable way to actually play it. A boxed copy adds the manual and insert; a complete set with the Pokéwalker is the collector configuration and priced accordingly. Our current stock is boxed European and US copies — every one opened, checked against the points above and play-tested, with the save verified. Stock changes constantly because every unit is a one-off; what is available right now is below.
Prefer the Lugia version? The same remake, checks and advice apply to SoulSilver — you will find it next to HeartGold in our Pokémon DS games overview.
Buy it already tested
Every HeartGold we sell has been through the infrared, serial, shell and board checks and a play test on real hardware. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries — no customs inside the EU.
See HeartGold in stockQuestions we get asked
What is the difference between HeartGold and SoulSilver?
The story is identical; they differ in version-exclusive Pokémon and the legendary on the cover — Ho-Oh in HeartGold, Lugia in SoulSilver. In HeartGold you catch Ho-Oh during the story at the Bell Tower and Lugia after the Elite Four; in SoulSilver it is the other way round. HeartGold exclusives include Growlithe, Mankey, Spinarak, Gligar and Phanpy.
Why is Pokémon HeartGold so expensive?
It is a remake of the best-loved generation, it shipped with the Pokéwalker accessory, and it was printed in smaller numbers than games like Diamond and Pearl. Demand never dropped. That combination makes HeartGold and SoulSilver the priciest mainline DS games — and, as a direct consequence, the most counterfeited.
How do I know a HeartGold cartridge is genuine?
The one test counterfeits cannot pass: the infrared sensor. A genuine HeartGold cartridge is a slightly larger black shell with a dark translucent IR window in the top edge, used to pair with the Pokéwalker. Start a pairing — on a fake, the screen does nothing. Also check the serial: European copies read NTR-IPKE-EUR, American ones NTR-IPKE-USA.
Does HeartGold work without the Pokéwalker?
Yes, completely. The Pokéwalker is an extra — the game plays and saves normally without it. A cartridge without the accessory is the more affordable way to play; a complete boxed set with the Pokéwalker is mainly worth more to collectors.
Does Pokémon HeartGold work on a 3DS or 2DS?
Yes. HeartGold is a Nintendo DS game, so it plays on the DS, DS Lite, DSi and every 3DS and 2DS model — and DS games are not region-locked. Pairing with the Pokéwalker works from any of them, since it goes through the cartridge itself.
Is "Heart Gold" the same game as HeartGold?
Yes — you see the title written both ways online. Heart Gold, HeartGold, HG: it is all the same 2010 Nintendo DS remake of Pokémon Gold. The same goes for Soul Silver and SoulSilver.
Do you ship HeartGold across the EU?
Yes — tracked shipping from the Netherlands to all 27 EU countries, with no customs charges inside the EU and 30 days to return the order. The exact rate for your country is shown at checkout before you pay.
Where HeartGold fits in the series: all Pokémon games in order — or the full Pokémon DS list.
Dutch reader? Pokémon HeartGold kopen — dezelfde gids in het Nederlands.
