You can start trading in Pokémon FireRed quite early, but what “when can you trade in FireRed” means depends on what and with whom you’re trying to trade.

Quick Scoop

  • You can trade locally between FireRed and LeafGreen almost right away , as soon as both players can visit a Pokémon Center and each has at least two Pokémon in their party.
  • You can only trade Kanto Pokédex Pokémon (1–150/151) at first between FireRed/LeafGreen unless both games have the National Pokédex.
  • To trade with Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald , you must:
    • Finish FireRed’s main story (beat the Elite Four and Champion).
    • Do the Sevii Islands post‑game quest (find the Ruby and Sapphire items and upgrade the Network Machine at One Island).
    • Obtain the National Pokédex.
  • After that, you can trade freely with all GBA games (including Hoenn Pokémon and eggs), as long as the other game also meets its own requirements.

Different “Trade” Situations

1. Trading FireRed ↔ LeafGreen

  • You can go to the upstairs of any Pokémon Center (Cable Club or Wireless Union Room) and trade as soon as:
    • Both players can reach a Pokémon Center.
    • Each has at least two Pokémon (you can’t trade if you only have your starter).
  • Between FireRed and LeafGreen, there’s no requirement to beat the game , and you can trade as early as the first towns with centers.
  • The main limitation early is species :
    • Before National Dex, you’re limited to Pokémon in the Kanto Dex (1–150/151) between FR/LG copies.

So if your question is “When can you trade in FireRed with a friend who also has FireRed/LeafGreen?” → Very early, right after you can catch a second Pokémon and reach a Center.

2. Trading FireRed ↔ Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald

This is where most confusion happens, and where you’ll see the “We’re not ready to trade to faraway places yet…” message. To trade with Emerald (or Ruby/Sapphire) from FireRed:

  1. Beat the Elite Four and Champion in FireRed.
  2. Do the Sevii Islands post‑game quest :
    • Help Celio on One Island by finding the Ruby and Sapphire items.
    • Once the Network Machine is upgraded , your FireRed can talk to other regions.
  1. Get the National Dex (Professor Oak gives it after seeing enough Kanto Pokémon and beating the League).

Only after those steps will the game let you trade with Hoenn games, and that removes the “faraway places” restriction.

On Emerald’s side (or Ruby/Sapphire), you also need its own National Dex / progress, but the key gatekeeper people hit first is FireRed’s Network Machine and National Dex.

3. What You Can Trade, and When

To make it clearer:

Situation| When can you trade?| What can you trade?| Extra conditions
---|---|---|---
FireRed ↔ FireRed / LeafGreen (early game)| As soon as both players reach a Center and have 2+ Pokémon| Kanto Pokédex Pokémon only (1–150/151), no Eggs| No need to beat the game; just basic progress and link setup179
FireRed (no National Dex) ↔ FR/LG (no National Dex)| After both have Pokédex and multiple Pokémon| Only Kanto Dex Pokémon, no Eggs| National Dex not required, but species restricted1
FireRed (National Dex + Network Machine) ↔ FR/LG (National Dex)| After Elite Four + Sevii Islands quest| Any Pokémon and Eggs between FR/LG| Both must meet their own National Dex requirements13
FireRed (National Dex + Network Machine) ↔ Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald| After Elite Four, Ruby & Sapphire quest, National Dex| Hoenn and Kanto Pokémon, Eggs, as allowed by each game| Other game must also have its own trading unlocked13

4. In‑Game NPC Trades in FireRed

If by “trade in FireRed” you meant the built‑in NPC trades (like Abra → Mr. Mime, Spearow → Farfetch’d, etc.), those are available as you reach their locations in the story—no special post‑game or National Dex requirements, just being in the right town or route.

They’re scattered around places like:

  • Route 2
  • Route 5
  • Route 11
  • Cerulean City
  • Vermilion City
  • Cinnabar Island

Each becomes available naturally as you progress through Kanto’s routes and cities.

5. Why the Game Says “Not Ready to Trade From Another Region”

Messages like:

“We’re not ready for you to trade to faraway places yet…”

usually mean you haven’t finished the Sevii Islands Network Machine side quest and/or don’t have the National Dex yet in FireRed.

So if your FireRed is giving that error when trying to link with Emerald or another Hoenn cart, the fix is:

  1. Beat the Elite Four.
  2. Complete the Ruby & Sapphire Sevii Islands quest for Celio.
  3. Get the National Dex.

Once that’s done, you can freely move your Pokémon between FireRed and Emerald (or Ruby/Sapphire).

Mini Story Example

Imagine this run:

  1. You start FireRed, grab your starter, catch a Pidgey on Route 1.
  2. A friend also starts LeafGreen, catches a Rattata.
  3. Both of you walk into the Viridian City Pokémon Center, go upstairs, connect your systems.
  4. You can already trade your Pidgey for their Rattata—because you both have at least two Pokémon and access to the Cable Club, even though you’re nowhere near the Elite Four.

Later, when you clear the League, unlock the National Dex, and finish Celio’s Network Machine, that same FireRed file can finally talk to your Emerald cart and start moving Hoenn species around.

SEO‑Style Summary (TL;DR)

  • Core answer to “when can you trade in FireRed”:
    • With another FireRed/LeafGreen: Just after you can reach a Pokémon Center and have 2+ Pokémon (early game).
* **With Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:** Only after beating the Elite Four, getting the National Dex, and completing the Sevii Islands Ruby/Sapphire Network Machine quest.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.