Pokémon: The Toughest Rock Pokémon, Ranked (2024)

When it comes to Pokémon, most fans of the series will likely bring up a Fire, Water, or Dragon-type as their favorite, as these typings tend to have the flashiest members. But if Brock from Pokémon Red & Blue taught players anything, it's that it's hard to find Pokemon tougher than those of the Rock variety.

Rock-type Pokemon come in varying shapes and sizes, but most seem to share a fortitude that matches their natural abilities. Here are some of the toughest Rock-type Pokemon in the games, and how they rank against one another.

Updated June 13, 2024, by Blaise Santi: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet has been out for well over a year now, with two DLC expansions making their way to fans' Nintendo Switches called The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. Among all these new additions to the Pokemon universe, there have been a handful of new Rock-type Pokemon for players to catch and add to their teams, including three new Pokemon that are some of the strongest in the games. Sadly, new Pokemon means some old ones get left out of this generation. Scroll down to read more about the toughest Rock-type Pokemon in the entire franchise, and see which ones can be caught in Scarlet & Violet and which ones have to be left in Pokemon Home.

15 Drednaw

Watch Out...It Bites

When it comes to new-age Rock-type Pokemon that are rough and tumble, players need look no further than Drednaw. Not only does this Pokemon have a striking design, it's pretty capable of dishing out heavy damage to a wide array of opponents thanks to its dual Water and Rock typing.

While Drednaw is an excellent Pokemon with a wide move pool, it does have a pretty glaring weakness against Grass-type Pokemon (4x weakness). Those that can account for this weakness will find a visually enthralling Pokemon with decent stats to boot.

14 Stakataka

A Strong Fortress From Another Universe

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Stakataka is definitely one of the weirdest Rock-type Pokemon to ever exist. Its strange design can be attributed to its place as an Ultra Beast, which serve as some of the most unique, odd, and off-the-wall designs to ever hit the Pokemon world. Not only do Ultra Beasts look strange but they're incredibly powerful to boot and Stakataka is no different.

If players are looking for a tough Rock-type Pokemon, they'll definitely want to add this curious creation to their team. Stakataka boasts some seriously impressive defensive stats and is pretty powerful in its own right.

13 Golem

Geodude's Evolution Packs A Punch

It's hard to get tougher than a literal rock with arms and legs popping out. At first glance, Golem looks like a giant boulder that sprouted extremities and a head.

It's unclear if they have soft bodies underneath the rock-like exterior or if the top layer is an extremely dense skin layer and all of their organs are inside the round rock-like shape. It also happens to have a lower center of gravity which gives it the upper hand against foes looking to topple it over and use its weight and body shape against it.

12 Crustle

This Bug Can Carry Any Team

At first glance, Crustle may look like a weird gimmick idea of a Pokemon, but it's much more than that. For starters, it has one of the cooler Pokemon designs that aren't reptilian or armored.

Considering its name is Crustle it makes sense that its body resembles the Earth's crust and its many layers of varying sediment. Crustle is not much different from Golem in terms of being a piece of Earth with limbs poking out, but since its previous evolution is a play on hermit crabs, it can likely change to a different boulder, unlike Golem.

11 Gigalith

This Cave-Dweller Is Tough To Scratch

On the surface, Gigalith simply looks like a mass of rocks with bright red crystals and geodes protruding from its body. It turns out that those red crystals absorb solar energy and that's how Gigalith can shoot out beams of energy from its body.

The energy can be compressed so tightly with so much pressure that the attack fired off afterward is capable of blowing entire mountains to smithereens. It also has the drawback of causing an incalculable number of fissures in its own body.

10 Bastiodon

A Defensive Dinosaur Returns From The Past

With on the horizon, people have been making fun of the legendary Pokemon called Zamazenta for having a shield on its face. However, longtime Pokemon fans would know that Bastiodon was actually the first face-shield design, and luckily for him, toughness has nothing to do with being aesthetically pleasing.

They're a pretty docile Pokemon that will spend its free time eating grass and berries. The creature lived or died 100 million years ago, based on how effective it was at keeping threats in front of it.

9 Rhyperior

This Brute Can Attack From Long-Range

Rhyperior takes what many people love about Rhydon and simply coats it in what seems to be rock armor plating. It can be found with an ability called solid rock that reduces super effective attack damage by 25% showcasing just how formidable it can be.

Rhyperior also has holes in its palms that it will fill with rocks and shoot out at enemies or threats. Geodude have been casualties of this and have been shot from its palms. The previously mentioned rock-like plating is said to be able to withstand volcanic eruptions.

8 Rampardos

Keeping This Fossil On Your Team Gives You A Headstart

Sometimes Pokemon, like animals, can be a little too obvious about what their bodies were evolved for. In the case of Rampardos, it's clear they were meant to butt heads for dominance and protection.

Sporting a large bulbous blue spot on the top of their head, Rampardos uses it to engage in battles for varying types of reasons. The spikes surrounding that spot make it even more dangerous for those looking to challenge it. Funnily enough, Rampardos is a Rock-type Pokemon that may be a rock's greatest enemy.

7 Tyrantrum

What It Lacks In Arm Lengths, It Makes Up For In Strength

Tyrantrum happens to be one of the coolest and toughest Pokemon in existence regardless of typing. It isn't the first design based on the world-famous T-Rex, but the design and color palette make it come to life.

Tyrantrum's jaw is said to be powerful enough to destroy thick metal plates as if they were cardboard. The toughest thing about them is finding a female as the gender rates are largely in favor of males at an astounding 87.5% to just 12.5% for females. Be on the lookout for that rare T-Rex queen.

6 Onix

The Iconic Pokemon Of Brock Still Shines

Anyone who grew up watching the Pokémon anime or played through the original Pokémon Red & Blue are familiar with the rock snake Pokemon known as Onix. In both mediums, Onix was the signature partner of Brock and showed fans how physically imposing certain Pokemon could be.

Onix on average is over 28 feet in length and weighs well over 450 pounds. Its body is composed of rock-like segments that come in varying shapes and sizes. It also sports a large piercing horn in the center of its head. Although it has an evolution in Steelix, giving an Onix the Eviolite item is a good way to get some mileage out of this memorable 'mon.

5 Aggron

Aron Becomes Physically Imposing After Evolution

When Aggron was first revealed many thought that he was just a ripoff of Rhydon from the first generation of games. Upon further review, people began to understand that he was meant to be an armored tank.

Though Rhydon looks like his body is formed of metal, Aggron carries the steel-typing confirming that his armor-plating is composed of metal. Both of the abilities an Aggron can end up having related to a formidable nature as he could either endure one-hit knockouts or receive no recoil damage from attacks.

4 Tyranitar

This Rock-Type Whips Up Quite A Storm

Tyranitar is more than just a nod to Godzilla. The 6-foot tall cave-dwelling monster is tough as nails, which is pretty evident simply by looking at it. It's known as the armor pokémon likely due to the green scales covering its body looking thick and impenetrable.

Fighting it as a trainer isn't only difficult because of how Tyranitar is built, but also because it's known to kick up a sandstorm or two. This will cause it to get an upgrade in damage and make the conditions around the battle tougher to overcome.

3 Hisuian Arcanine

In Another Era, Arcanine Dwelled In The Mountains

Arcanine is one of the most iconic Pokemon from the first generation, and was well overdue for an upgrade by Gen 8. Luckily, that came with Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which takes place in Hisui, the region of Sinnoh far in the past. There, Growlithe and Arcanine have a slightly different design, and boast a Fire/Rock-typing.

Aside from a little boosted Attack and Speed, there's little else that's different about the two forms. Hisuian Arcanine boasts some pretty great new moves, but also suffers from 4x weakness to Ground and Water. Still, it makes for a strong opponent thanks to its strength.

2 Iron Boulder

Terrakion Has Never Looked More Sleek

Paradox Pokemon were introduced in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, as version-exclusive past and present versions of recognizable creatures. The DLC expansions to the Switch games also feature some new Paradox Pokemon, including alternate versions of Unova's Cobalion, Virizion, and Terrakion.

Iron Boulder, Terrakion's variant, is Rock/Psychic-type, with incredible Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. Although it's weak to a total of 7 Pokemon types, its moveset is incredibly diverse, and its stats are nothing to sneeze at, either.

1 Garganacl

Frustrating To Battle, Satisfying To Succeed With

In just a few short months, Garganacl proved one of the most intimidating new Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet. The pure Rock-type is the third stage evolution from Nacli after Naclstack. Its unique ability, Purifying Salt, makes it immune to status conditions; and its unique move, Salt Cure, inflicts damage every turn.

Suffice it to say, having a Garganacl on the team is guaranteed to frustrate even the most skilled competitive Pokemon opponents. Its resilience to being taken down easily, given its high HP and Defense, will only create more trouble as the battle continues.