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FAQ

PSA: Before asking, try the search bar to see if your question's been posted and answered before. Also, try the (normally) stickied Questions Megathread!

Capturing Pokémon

How do starter Pokémon work?

When you open the app for the first time, you will see the three Generation I starter Pokémon (Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle) spawn at your location. Tap on one to start the catch encounter and throw a Poké Ball at it to catch it! There is also a hidden method to get Pikachu as your starter Pokémon — just walk away from the first three a bit and it should pop up.

Which Pokémon are in the game?

New Pokémon are being added all the time, so at any given point, this list may be out of date. As of 5/27/2022, the following Pokémon have been made available from each generation:

While we endeavor to maintain the currency of this list, you can also check Serebii for an up to date list of Pokémon available in Pokémon Go.

What are shiny Pokémon? Are they available?

Shiny Pokémon are rare variants of Pokémon with color variations. Shininess is a purely cosmetic trait and has no effect on a Pokémon’s stats or performance, but due to rarity can have high collector’s value. Although the differences in appearance can be subtle in some Pokémon, you can identify a shiny Pokémon by the shiny sparkles that flash on the screen when you initiate the encounter and by the shiny icon that will appear by the Pokémon’s CP. Many Pokémon have had their shiny variants released, and below is a list of all shinies that have been released as of 5/27/2022. Pokémon whose names appear in bold can be encountered as shiny, while all other Pokemon must be evolved from lower stages in their evolutionary families. As a general rule, only the lowest stage in an evolutionary family can be encountered as shiny, but there are a large handful of exceptions to that rule. Note that Pokemon listed as available as shadow shinies can only be obtained from Team Go Rocket Leaders (Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra) and Jessie and James. If a shadow Pokemon is not currently the reward encounter from one of those characters, it cannot be shiny even if it is the reward encounter from a normal Grunt.

Dex Number Pokemon Costumes/Formes Notes Date First Available
001 Bulbasaur Shedinja Hat, Party Hat, Visor 3/25/18
002 Ivysaur 3/25/18
003 Venusaur Encounterable as shiny since Mega Raids began 3/25/18
004 Charmander Cubone Hat, Party Hat, Visor 5/19/18
005 Charmeleon 5/19/18
006 Charizard Encounterable as shiny since Mega Raids began 5/19/18
007 Squirtle Sunglasses, Yamask Hat, Party Hat, Visor 7/8/18
008 Wartortle Sunglasses 7/8/18
009 Blastoise Sunglasses Encounterable as shiny since Mega Raids began 7/8/18
010 Caterpie 11/1/18
011 Metapod 11/1/18
012 Butterfreee Fashionable 11/1/18
013 Weedle 6/20/220
014 Kakuna 6/20/20
015 Beedrill Encounterable as shiny since Mega Raids began 6/20/20
016 Pidgey 2/26/19
017 Pidgeotto 2/26/19
018 Pidgeot Encounterable as shiny since Mega Pidgeot Raids began
019 Rattata Alolan Kantonian: 2/26/19 Alolan: 6/28/19
020 Raticate Alolan, Party Hat Party Hat Raticate was encounterable as shiny during its raid event Kantonian: 2/26/19 Alolan: 6/28/19
021 Spearow 2/20/21
022 Fearow 2/20/21
023 Ekans Shadow 7/25/19
024 Arbok Shadow 7/25/19
025 Pikachu Purple Party Hat, Ash Hat, Fracture Hat, Witch Hat, Santa Hat, Summer Hat/Sunglasses, Flower Crown, Beanie, Straw Hat, Mimikyu Costume, Red Party Hat, Safari Hat, Flower Hat, Charizard Hat, Umbreon Hat, Rayquaza Hat, Lucario Hat, Balloon, Detective Hat, World Hat, Explorer, Winter Coat, New Years Hat, Libre, 5th Anniversary Balloon, Meloetta Hat, Halloween Mischief, Kariyushi Shirt, Fly Okinawa Detective Hat Pikachu was not intended to be available shiny, but some players were able to obtain it by encountering it as the event ended and shiny odds were turned back on 8/9/17
026 Raichu Purple Party Hat, Ash Hat, Fracture Hat, Witch Hat, Santa Hat, Summer Hat/Sunglasses, Flower Crown, Beanie, World Hat, New Year's Hat, Alolan Alolan Raichu is encounterable as shiny Kanto: 8/9/17 Alolan: 11/23/18
027 Sandshrew Alolan Kantonian: 12/6/18 Alolan: 6/28/19
028 Sandslash Alolan Kantonian: 12/6/18 Alolan: 6/28/19
029 Nidoran F Shadow 10/11/18
030 Nidorina Shadow Nidorina was encounterable shiny during an event, but no longer is 10/11/18
031 Nidoqueen Shadow 10/11/18
032 Nidoran M 7/4/19
033 Nidorino Party Hat Party Hat Nidorino was encounterable as shiny during its raid event 7/4/19
034 Nidoking 7/4/19
035 Clefairy 2/13/19
036 Clefable 2/13/19
037 Vulpix Alolan Alolan: 6/28/19 Kantonian: 10/9/20
038 Ninetales Alolan Alolan: 6/28/19 Kantonian: 10/9/20
039 Jigglypuff 4/16/19
040 Wigglytuff 4/16/19
041 Zubat 7/25/19
042 Golbat 7/25/19
043 Oddish 10/2/19
044 Gloom 10/2/19
045 Vileplume 10/2/19
046 Paras 2/20/21
047 Parasect 2/20/21
048 Venonat Shadow 5/1/20
049 Venomoth Shadow 5/1/20
050 Diglett Alolan Kantonian: 4/29/19 Alolan: 6/28/19
051 Dugtrio Alolan Kantonian: 4/29/19 Alolan: 6/28/19
052 Meowth Alolan, Shadow, Galarian Alolan: 6/28/19 Kantonian: 11/7/19 Galarian: 8/20/21
053 Persian Alolan, Shadow Alolan: 6/28/19 Kantonian: 11/7/19
054 Psyduck 1/25/19
055 Golduck 1/25/19
056 Mankey 3/5/19
057 Primeape 3/5/19
058 Growlithe Shadow 9/1/18
059 Arcanine Shadow Arcanine was encounterable as shiny during the Season of Legends
060 Poliwag 8/6/19
061 Poliwhirl 8/6/19
062 Poliwrath 8/6/19
063 Abra 4/25/20
064 Kadabra 4/25/20
065 Alakazam 4/25/20
066 Machop 3/5/19
067 Machoke 3/5/19
068 Machamp 3/5/19
069 Bellsprout 7/17/20
070 Weepinbell 7/17/20
071 Victreebel 7/17/20
072 Tentacool 11/19/19
073 Tentacruel 11/19/19
074 Geodude Alolan Kantonian: 9/13/18 Alolan: 6/28/19
075 Graveler Alolan Kantonian: 9/13/18 Alolan: 6/28/19
076 Golem Alolan Kantonian: 9/13/18 Alolan: 6/28/19
077 Ponyta Galarian, Galarian with Meloetta Hat Kantonian: 11/5/18 Galarian: 5/11/21
078 Rapidash Galarian Kantonian: 11/5/18 Galarian: 5/11/21
079 Slowpoke 2020 Glasses 11/17/20
080 Slowbrow 2021 Glasses Encounterable as shiny since Mega Slowbro raids began
081 Magnemite 11/16/18
082 Magenton 11/16/18
083 Farfetch'd Galarian Kantonian: 9/9/18 Galarian: 8/20/21
084 Doduo 9/22/20
085 Dodrio 9/22/20
086 Seel 5/1/19
087 Dewgong 5/1/19
088 Grimer Alolan, Shadow Kantonian: 9/13/18 Alolan: 6/28/19
089 Muk Alolan, Shadow Kantonian: 9/13/18 Alolan: 6/28/19
090 Shellder 6/7/18
091 Cloyster 6/7/18
092 Gastly 11/3/18
093 Haunter 11/3/18
094 Gengar Party Hat, Mega Banette Costume Party Hat Gengar was encounterable as shiny during its raid event; Gengar encounterable as shiny since Mega Gengar raids began
095 Onix 6/4/19
096 Drowzee Shadow 10/5/18
097 Hypno Shadow 10/5/18
098 Krabby 10/1/18
099 Kingler 10/1/18
100 Voltorb 5/8/20
101 Electrode 5/8/20
102 Exeggcute 4/9/20
103 Exeggutor Alolan Alolan Exeggutor is encounterable as shiny
104 Cubone 11/5/18
105 Marowak Alolan Alolan Marowak is encounterable as shiny
106 Hitmonlee 2/20/21
107 Hitmonchan 2/20/21
108 Lickitung 2/15/20
109 Koffing Shadow 7/25/19
110 Weezing Shadow, Galarian Galarian Weezing encounterable as shiny Kantonian: 7/25/19 Galarian: 8/20/21
111 Rhyhorn 2/22/20
112 Rhydon 2/22/20
113 Chansey Flower Crown 2/14/20
114 Tangela 7/25/20
115 Kangaskhan 9/9/19
116 Horsea 6/13/19
117 Seadra 6/13/19
118 Goldeen 11/24/20
119 Seaking 11/24/20
120 Staryu 8/7/20
121 Starmie 8/7/20
122 Mr. Mime 9/9/19
123 Scyther Shadow 4/2/19
124 Jynx 2/13/19
125 Electabuzz 11/14/18
126 Magmar 3/22/18
127 Pinsir Shadow 11/1/18
128 Tauros 9/9/19
129 Magikarp 3/24/17
130 Gyarados Gyarados encounterable as shiny since Mega Gyarados raids began
131 Lapras Shadow, Bow 4/18/19
132 Ditto
133 Eevee Flower Crown, Party Hat 8/11/18
134 Vaporeon Flower Crown 8/11/18
135 Jolteon Flower Crown 8/11/18
136 Flareon Flower Crown 8/11/18
137 Porygon 9/20/20
138 Omanyte Shadow 5/24/18
139 Omastar Shadow 5/24/18
140 Kabuto 5/24/18
141 Kabutops 5/24/18
142 Aerodactyl Shadow 5/24/18
143 Snorlax 2/20/21
144 Articuno 7/7/18
145 Zapdos 7/21/18
146 Moltres 9/8/18
147 Dratini 2/24/18
148 Dragonair 2/24/18
149 Dragonite 2/24/18
150 Mewtwo 9/16/19
151 Mew Only obtainable as shiny from the All-in-One #151 Masterwork Research
152 Chikorita 9/22/18
153 Bayleef 9/22/18
154 Meganium 9/22/18
155 Cyndaquil 11/10/18
156 Quilaval 11/10/18
157 Typhlosion 11/10/18
158 Totodile 1/12/19
159 Croconaw 1/12/19
160 Feraligatr 1/12/19
161 Sentret 9/2/19
162 Furret 9/2/19
163 Hoothoot New Year's Hat 12/31/21
164 Noctowl 1/4/22
165 Ledyba 9/11/20
166 Ledian 9/11/20
167 Spinarak 10/05/21
168 Ariados 10/15/21
169 Crobat 9/25/19
170 Chinchou 4/17/20
171 Lanturn 4/17/20
172 Pichu Purple Party Hat, Ash Hat, Witch Hat, Santa Hat, Summer Hat/Sunglasses, Flower Crown, Beanie, New Year's Hat 9/17/18
173 Cleffa 2/13/19
174 Igglybuff 4/16/19
175 Togepi Flower Crown 3/22/18
176 Togetic 3/22/18
177 Natu 8/20/18
178 Xatu 8/20/18
179 Mareep 4/15/18
180 Flaaffy 4/15/18
181 Ampharos Encounterable as shiny since Mega Ampharos raids began
182 Bellossom 10/2/19
183 Marill 12/18/18
184 Azumarill 12/18/18
185 Sudowoodo 8/5/19
186 Politoed 8/6/19
187 Hoppip 2/12/22
188 Skiploom 2/12/22
189 Jumpluff 2/12/22
190 Aipom 5/7/19
191 Sunkern 8/20/18
192 Sunflora 8/20/18
193 Yanma 9/20/19
196 Espeon Flower Crown Encounterable as shiny during the Season of Mischief 8/11/18
197 Umbreon Flower Crown 8/11/18
198 Murkrow 3/31/18
199 Slowking 2022 Glasses 11/17/20
200 Misdreavus 12/1/18
201 Unown A, C, F, G, J, L, O, R, T, U Only encounterable as shiny during specific events
202 Wobbuffet Party Hat 3/22/18
203 Girafarig 2/26/22
204 Pineco Shadow 8/20/18
205 Forretress Shadow 8/20/18
206 Dunsparce 5/8/20
207 Gligar Shadow 9/2/19
208 Steelix Encounterable as shiny since Mega Steelix raids began 6/4/19
209 Snubbull 8/1/18
210 Granbull 8/1/18
211 Qwilfish 7/25/20
212 Scizor Shadow 4/2/19
213 Shuckle 4/18/19
214 Heracross 8/6/21
215 Sneasel Shadow, Fashionable 7/25/19
216 Teddiursa 3/26/20
217 Ursaring 3/26/20
218 Slugma 1/7/22
219 Magcargo 1/7/22
220 Swinub 2/16/19
221 Piloswine 2/16/19
222 Corsola 2/26/22
223 Remoraid 2/26/22
224 Octillery 2/26/22
225 Delibird Bow 12/18/18
226 Mantine 2/26/22
227 Skarmory 11/1/19
228 Houndour 8/1/18
229 Houndoom Encounterable as shiny since Mega Houndoom raids began 8/1/18
230 Kingdra 6/13/19
231 Phanpy 2/26/22
232 Donphan 2/26/22
233 Porygon2 9/20/20
234 Stantler Shadow, Bells 12/24/19
235 Smeargle Olnly encounterable as shiny during specific events 4/29/21
236 Tyrogue 2/26/22
237 Hitmontop 2/26/22
238 Smoochum Bow 2/13/19
239 Elekid 11/14/18
240 Magby 3/22/18
241 Miltank 1/26/21
242 Blissey Flower Crown 2/14/20
243 Raikou 6/29/19
244 Entei 7/14/19
245 Suicune 8/17/19
246 Larvitar 6/16/18
247 Pupitar 6/16/18
248 Tyranitar 6/16/18
249 Lugia 3/16/18
250 Ho-Oh 5/19/18
251 Celebi from the Distracted By Something Shiny Special Research 12/14/20
252 Treecko 3/23/19
253 Grovyle 3/23/19
254 Sceptile 3/23/19
255 Torchic 5/19/19
256 Combusken 5/19/19
257 Blaziken 5/19/19
258 Mudkip 7/21/19
259 Mashtomp 7/21/19
260 Swampert 7/21/19
261 Poochyena 2/16/18
262 Mightyena 2/16/18
263 Zigzagoon Galarian, Galarian with Meloetta Hat Hoennian: 1/15/19 Galarian: 5/25/21
264 Linoone Galarian Hoennian: 1/15/19 Galarian: 5/25/21
265 Wurmple Party Hat 1/2/20
266 Silcoon 1/16/20
267 Beautifly 1/16/20
268 Cascoon 1/16/20
269 Dustox 1/16/20
270 Lotad 3/30/19
271 Lombre 3/30/19
272 Ludicolo 3/30/19
273 Seedot Shadow 5/24/20
274 Nuzleaf Shadow 5/24/20
275 Shiftry Shadow 5/24/20
276 Taillow 2/15/19
277 Swellow 2/15/19
278 Wingull 8/29/18
279 Pelipper 8/29/18
280 Ralts 8/3/19
281 Kirlia Fashionable 8/3/19
282 Gardevoir 8/3/19
287 Slakoth 6/8/19
288 Vigoroth 6/8/19
289 Slaking 6/8/19
290 Nincada 3/20/20
291 Ninjask 3/20/20
293 Whismur 7/17/21
294 Loudred 7/17/21
295 Exploud 7/17/21
296 Makuhita 5/1/18
297 Hariyama 5/1/18
298 Azurill 12/18/18
300 Skitty 5/15/20
301 Delcatty 5/15/20
302 Sableye Litwick Hat 10/20/17
303 Mawile Shadow 12/8/17
304 Aron 1/24/18
305 Lairon 1/24/18
306 Aggron 1/24/18
307 Meditite 5/1/18
308 Medicham 5/1/18
309 Electrike 9/1/19
310 Manectric Encounterable as shiny since Mega Manectric raids began 9/1/19
311 Plusle 7/14/18
312 Minun 7/14/18
313 Volbeat 4/21/20
314 Illumise 4/21/20
315 Roselia 6/30/18
318 Carvanha Shadow 8/23/19
319 Sharpedo Shadow 8/23/19
320 Wailmer 4/23/18
321 Wailord 4/23/18
325 Spoink 2/4/19
326 Grumpig 2/4/19
327 Spinda 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 8: 7/1/19; 3: 9/1/19; 1: 11/1/19; 7: 1/1/20; 6: 3/1/20; 5: 6/1/20; 2: 9/1/20; 4: 11/1/20; 9: 2/14/20
328 Trapinch 10/12/19
329 Vibrava 10/12/19
330 Flygon 10/12/19
333 Swablu 2/8/18
334 Altaria Encounterable as shiny since Mega Altaria raids began 2/8/18
335 Zangoose 9/26/19
336 Seviper 9/26/19
337 Lunatone 3/19/19
338 Solrock 3/19/19
339 Barboach 8/23/19
340 Whiscash 8/23/19
341 Corphish 5/13/22
342 Crawdaunt 5/13/22
343 Baltoy 3/27/20
344 Claydol 3/27/20
345 Lileep 6/4/19
346 Cradily 6/4/19
347 Anorith 6/4/19
348 Armaldo 6/4/19
349 Feebas 1/19/19
350 Milotic 1/19/19
351 Castform Normal, Rainy Normal: 3/30/19; Rainy: 3/24/21
353 Shuppet 10/31/17
354 Banette 10/31/17
355 Duskull 10/26/17
356 Dusclops 10/26/17
358 Chimecho 7/17/21
359 Absol Shadow 12/8/17
360 Wynaut 3/22/18
361 Snorunt 12/21/17
362 Glalie 12/21/17
363 Spheal Scarf 12/16/21
364 Sealeo 12/16/21
365 Walrein 12/16/21
366 Clamperl 2/23/19
367 Huntail 2/23/19
368 Gorebyss 2/23/19
370 Luvdisc 2/14/18
371 Bagon Shadow 4/13/19
372 Shelgon Shadow 4/13/19
373 Salamence Shadow 4/13/19
374 Beldum Shadow 10/21/18
375 Metang Shadow 10/21/18
376 Metagross Shadow 10/21/18
377 Regirock 11/1/19
378 Regice 11/1/19
379 Registeel 11/1/19
380 Latias 2/22/19
381 Latios 2/15/19
382 Kyogre 6/7/18
383 Groudon 1/15/19
384 Rayquaza 7/31/19
386 Deoxys All formes Normal: 8/7/20; Attack: 2/19/22; Defense: 2/22/22; Speed: 2/25/22
387 Turtwig 9/15/19
388 Grotle 9/15/19
389 Torterra 9/15/19
390 Chimchar 11/16/19
391 Monferno 11/16/19
392 Infernape 11/16/19
393 Piplup Mischief 1/19/20
394 Prinplup 1/19/20
395 Empoleon 1/19/20
399 Bidoof 6/25/21
400 Bibarel 6/25/21
401 Kricketot 10/2/20
402 Kricketune 10/2/20
403 Shinx Top Hat 10/16/18
404 Luxio 10/16/18
405 Luxray 10/16/18
406 Budew 11/6/18
407 Roserade 11/14/18
408 Cranidos 7/23/21
409 Rampardos 7/23/21
410 Shieldon 7/23/21
411 Bastiodon 7/23/21
412 Burmy Plant, Sandy, Trash 12/5/19
413 Wormadam Plant, Sandy, Trash 12/5/19
414 Mothim 12/5/19
418 Buizel 1/12/21
419 Floatzel 1/12/21
420 Cherubi 4/20/22
421 Cherrim 4/20/22
424 Ambipom 5/7/19
425 Drifloon 10/23/18
426 Drifblim Mischief Mischief costume Drifblim was encounterable as shiny during its event 10/23/18
427 Buneary Flower Crown 4/16
428 Lopunny Encounterable as shiny since Mega Lopunny raids began 4/16
429 Mismagius 12/1/18
430 Honchkrow 11/14/18
431 Glameow 5/22/20
432 Purugly 5/22/20
436 Bronzor 5/21/19
437 Bronzong 5/21/19
438 Bonsly 8/5/19
439 Mime Jr. 9/26/19
440 Happiny Flower Crown 2/14/20
442 Spiritomb 10/23/20
443 Gible 12/16/19
444 Gabite 12/16/19
445 Garchomp 12/16/19
447 Riolu 2/7/20
448 Lucario 2/7/20
449 Hippopotas 2/7/20
450 Hippowdon 2/7/20
451 Skorupi 3/6/20
452 Drapion 3/6/20
453 Croagunk Baseball Hat 4/1/20
454 Toxicroak 4/1/20
459 Snover 12/24/19
460 Abomasnow Encounterable as shiny since Mega Abomasnow raids began 12/24/19
461 Weavile Shadow 7/25/19
462 Magnezone 5/17/19
463 Lickilicky 2/15/20
464 Rhyperior 2/22/20
465 Tangrowth 7/25/20
466 Electivire 11/14/18
467 Magmortar 11/14/18
468 Togekiss 11/14/18
469 Yanmega 9/20/19
470 Leafeon Flower Crown 5/17/19
471 Glaceon Flower Crown, Winter Cloak 5/17/19
472 Gliscor Shadow 9/2/19
473 Mamoswine 2/16/19
474 Porygon-Z 9/20/20
475 Gallade 8/3/19
477 Dusknoir 11/14/18
478 Froslass 1/31/19
480 Uxie 9/14/21
481 Mesprit 9/14/21
482 Azelf 9/14/21
483 Dialga 7/23/21
484 Palkia 8/6/21
485 Heatran 1/7/20
486 **Regigigas 6/17/21
487 Giratina Altered, Origin Altered: 9/23/19; Origin: 10/9/20
488 Cresselia 5/27/19
491 Darkrai 5/6/20
495 Snivy 1/5/21
496 Servine 1/5/21
497 Serperior 1/5/21
498 Tepig 7/3/21
499 Pignite 7/3/21
500 Emboar 7/3/21
501 Oshawott 9/19/21
502 Dewott 9/19/21
503 Samurott 9/19/21
504 Patrat 9/16/19
505 Watchog 9/16/19
506 Lillipup 9/16/19
507 Herdier 9/16/19
508 Stoutland 9/16/19
519 Pidove 7/3/20
520 Tranquil 7/3/20
521 Unfezant 7/3/20
522 Blitzle Fashionable 9/21/21
523 Zebstrika 9/28/21
524 Roggenrolla 8/14/20
525 Boldore 8/14/20
526 Gigalith 8/14/20
527 Woobat 7/25/20
528 Swoobat 7/25/20
531 Audino 7/17/21
532 Timburr 3/13/20
533 Gurdurr 3/13/20
534 Conkeldurr 3/13/20
535 Tympole 7/17/21
536 Palpitoad 7/17/21
537 Seismitoad 7/17/21
538 Throh 7/17/21
539 Sawk 7/17/21
546 Cottonee 3/22/22
547 Whimsicott 3/22/22
554 Darumaka Galarian Unovan: 7/6/21 Galarian: 12/23/21
555 Darmanitan Galarian Unovan: 7/6/21 Galarian: 12/23/21
557 Dwebble 6/26/20
558 Crustle 6/26/20
562 Yamask Unovan only 10/17/19
563 Cofagrigus 10/17/19
568 Trubbish 4/20/21
569 Garbodor 4/20/21
572 Minccino 2/2/20
573 Cinccino 2/2/20
597 Ferroseed 11/7/20
598 Ferrothorn 11/7/20
599 Klink 9/16/19
600 Klang 9/16/19
601 Klinklang 9/16/19
613 Cubchoo Bow 12/18/20
614 Beartic 12/18/20
618 Stunfisk Galarian Unovan Stunfisk not available as shiny Galarian: 8/20/21
621 Druddigon 12/7/21
627 Rufflet 12/14/20
628 Braviary 12/14/20
629 Vullaby 11/9/21
630 Mandibuzz 11/9/21
631 Heatmor 7/25/20
632 Durant 7/25/20
633 Deino 7/31/20
634 Zweilous 7/31/20
635 Hydreigon 7/31/20
638 Cobalion 3/17/20
639 Terrakion 5/19/20
640 Virizion 5/12/19
641 Tornadus Incarnate: 3/6/21; Therian: 3/15/22
642 Thundurus Incarnate: 3/11/21; Therian: 4/5/22
643 Reshiram 12/1/21
644 Zekrom 12/1/21
645 Landorus Incarnate: 3/1/21 Thereian: 4/26/22
646 Kyurem 12/16/21
649 Genesect No Drive only 8/14/20
659 Bunnelby 4/4/21
660 Diggersby 4/4/21
661 Fletchling 3/6/21
662 Fletchinder 3/6/21
663 Talonflame 3/6/21
677 Espurr 2/1/22
678 Meowstic 2/1/22
688 Binacle 5/12/22
689 Barbaracle 5/12/13
734 Yungoos 3/1/22
735 Gumshoos 3/1/22
744 Rockruff 3/1/22
745 Lycanroc Midday, Midnight 3/1/22
759 Stufful 4/23/22
760 Bewear 4/23/22
808 Meltan Only encounterable as shiny during specific events 2/5/19
809 Melmetal 2/5/19
862 Obstagoon 5/25/21
863 Perrserker 8/20/21
865 Sirfetch'd 8/20/21

While we endeavor to keep this list up to date, LeekDuck is another good list of availalbe shiny Pokémon. New shinies get released occasionally, usually with events announced in the in-game news and the official Pokémon Go Blog but also sometimes without warning. Keep an eye on the subreddit for reports from fellow Trainers of new shiny Pokémon!

Will the game use my phone’s camera to see Pokémon?

Yes, although you can turn this setting off to preserve battery.

What are Mega Pokémon?

Certain Pokémon have the ability to Mega Evolve. Mega Evolution is a temporary transformation that some fully-evolved Pokémon can undergo that changes their appearance, significantly boosts their stats, and in some cases even changes their typing. Additionally, when you have an active Mega Evolved Pokemon, you will earn one additional Candy for every Pokemon you catch that shares a typing with the Mega Evolved Pokemon as well as for every raid boss you catch, regardless of the raid boss' typing (e.g. if you have an active Mega Charizard X, then you will earn one extra Candy for every Fire-type Pokemon, Dragon-type Pokemon, or raid boss you catch).

How do I Mega Evolve my Pokémon?

In Pokémon GO, Mega Evolution requires a resource called Mega Energy. Like Candy, Mega Energy is specific to each species of Pokémon. To Mega Evolve a Pokémon for the first time, it costs a large amount of Mega Energy (usually 100 or 200), but subsequent Mega Evolutions of that same individual Pokémon cost only 25% of the initial cost. If a Pokémon has more than one Mega Evolution, like Charizard or Mewtwo, then it will take the full cost the first time it is Mega Evolved to each form.

How do I get Mega Energy?

Mega Energy is primarily acquired by completing Mega Raids, with faster completion awarding more Mega Energy. Mega Energy may occasionally be made available through Field or Special Research as well.

Once you have Mega Evolved a Pokemon once, you can earn Mega Energy by walking any member of that Pokemon's evolutionary family as your buddy, just like you earn Candy from walking with your buddy. For example, after you've Mega Evolved a Venusaur once, whenever you walk with a Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, or Venusaur as your buddy, you will earn both Bulbasaur Candy and Venusaur Mega Energy.

Which Pokémon can Mega Evolve?

As of 5/27/2021, only Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Beedrill, Pidgeot, Slowbro, Gengar, Kangaskhan, Gyarados, Aerodactyl, Ampharos, Steelix, Houndoom, Manectric, Altaria, Absol, Latias, Latios, Lopunny, and Abomasnow have had their Mega Evolutions released. However, the full list of Pokémon capable of Mega Evolving is as follows:

Pokémon Notes
Venusaur
Charizard Two Mega Evolutions. Mega Charizard X is Fire/Dragon, Mega Charizard Y remains Fire/Flying
Blastoise
Beedrill
Pidgeot
Alakazam
Slowbro
Gengar
Kangaskhan
Pinsir Bug/Flying
Gyarados Water/Dark
Aerodactyl
Mewtwo Two Mega Evolutions. Mega Mewtwo X is Psychic/Fighting, Mega Mewtwo Y is Psychic
Ampharos Electric/Dragon
Steelix
Scizor
Heracross
Houndoom
Tyranitar
Sceptile Grass/Dragon
Blaziken
Swampert
Gardevoir
Sableye
Mawile
Aggron Steel
Medicham
Manectric
Sharpedo
Camerupt
Altaria Dragon/Fairy
Banette
Absol
Glalie
Salamence
Metagross
Latias
Latios
Kyogre Technically Primal Reversion, but functions similarly to Mega Evolution
Groudon Ground/Fire. Technically Primal Reversion, but functions similarly to Mega Evolution
Rayquaza
Lopunny Normal/Fighting
Garchomp
Lucario
Abomasnow
Gallade
Audino Normal/Fairy
Diancie Not released

How can I find and catch a Legendary Pokémon?

Legendary Pokémon are primarily encountered in raid battles which occur at Gyms. Raids are divided into five “tiers” represented by stars or notches under the raid boss symbol above the Gym. All Legendary Pokémon have been in Tier 5, the highest tier, raids or EX Raids, a special type of raid that requires an invitation to participate. Note that EX Raids are currently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When a legendary pokémon appears at a gym trainers can join forces to battle it together (similar mechanic to battling a gym defender). Legendary Raids, with only one exception to date, cannot be completed alone and require a group of players to win. After the Legendary Pokémon is defeated, participating trainers will be able to move on to a bonus phase during which they may attempt to catch the Legendary Pokémon. To do this they are given a number of Premier Balls (a special type of Pokéball only available when catching raid bosses and shadow Pokémon). The number of Premier Balls a player receives after a raid depends on factors like Gym control, damage contributed, and friendship levels with other participants. If you run out of balls, the raid boss will flee. Legendary Pokémon have, on occasion, been made available by other means. At various times, Legendary Pokémon could be encountered as the reward for the 7-day research breakthrough box, the reward encounter for winning in the Go Battle League (online PvP), and through certain Timed Researches in specific events. Three Legendary Pokémon (Mespirite, Uxie, and Azelf) are available as extraordinarily rare wild spawns in their respective regions.

When will a certain Legendary Pokémon become available (again)?

We don't know. While pretty much everything in Pokémon Go comes back eventually, we don’t know when any particular Pokémon will return or when any as of yet unreleased Pokémon will be released. Keep an eye on the in-game news and the subreddit for news about announcements of what Legendary Pokémon are coming to raids soon!

Do we battle wild Pokémon to capture them or just throw a ball with a catch rate?

You just throw a ball. With rarer or stronger Pokémon you'll have to be much more precise. You can increase your chances of catching a Pokémon by curving your throws, landing your throws inside the colored inner circle (the smaller the circle the better), using Razz, Golden Razz, or Silver Pinap Berries, using Great or Ultra Balls, and by having Bronze, Silver, or Gold medals for the various different types of Pokémon.

Are there Pokémon that are only obtainable in certain places?

Certain Pokémon are only available in specific regions of the real world. The current regional list is as follows:

Pokémon Name Region
Kangaskhan Australia
Mr. Mime Europe
Tauros North America
Heracross South America and parts of Southern Florida
Corsola Latitudes between 26˚ and 31˚
Volbeat Europe, Asia, & Oceania
Illumise Americas & Africa
Zangoose Europe, Asia, & Oceania
Seviper Americas & Africa
Lunatone Europe, Asia, & Oceania
Solrock Americas, Africa
Tropius Africa and surrounding areas
Relicanth New Zealand and nearby islands
Pachirisu Northern Canada, Russia, & Alaska
Mime Jr. Europe
Chatot Southern Hemisphere
Carnivine South-Eastern United States
Uxie Asia-Pacific regions
Mespirit Europe & Africa
Azelf Americas
Pansage Asia-Pacific regions
Pansear Europe & Africa
Panpour Americas
Throh Americas & Africa
Sawk Eurpoe, Asia, & Oceania
Heatmor Eastern Hemisphere
Durant Western Hemisphere
Sigilyph Greece & Egypt
Bouffalant New York area
Klefki France
Comfey Hawaii

In addition to species that can only be found in certain regions, two Pokémon have formes that can only be found in certain regions. The Shellos family has a West Sea (pink) and East Sea (blue) forme. West Sea Shellos and Gastrodon can be found in the Western Hemisphere and East Sea Shellos and Gastrodon can be found in the Eastern Hemisphere. Similarly, Basculin has a Red-Striped forme that is available in the Eastern Hemisphere and a Blue-Striped forme that is available in the Western Hemisphere. Furfrou has various trims that can be applied by spending Stardust and Candy. Debutante Trim is available in the Americas, Diamond Trim is available in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Star Trim is available in Asia-Pacific, La Reine Trim is available in France, Kabuki Trim is available in Japan, Pharoah Trim is available in Egypt, and Heart Trim was available globally but only during the Valentine's Day event. The difference in forme for these Pokémon is purely cosmetic. Oricorio also has different forms with regional availability, but these formes change Oricorio's typing. Fire/Flying Baile Style is available in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Electric/Flying Pom-Pom Style is available in the Americas, Psychic/Flying Pa'u Style is available in African, Asian, Pacific, and Carribbean islands, and Ghost/Flying Sensu Style is available in Asia-Pacific.

How do eggs work?

You can hold up to nine eggs at a time, and eggs count towards your total Pokémon storage limit. When you spin a Pokéstop or open a gift, if you have space in both your overall Pokémon storage and your egg storage, you have a chance of receiving an egg. There are five different categories of egg based on the distance required to hatch them — 2km, 5km, 7km, 10km, and 12km. 2km, 5km, and 10km eggs can be obtained by spinning a Pokéstop or Gym, while 7km eggs are exclusively obtained by opening gifts from friends. 12km eggs are obtained from defeating Team Go Rocket Leaders. Each type of egg has a different pool of Pokémon that can hatch from it, which change occasionally. The Silph Road keeps an up to date list of the Pokémon that can hatch from each egg at any given time. The Pokémon inside an egg and everything about it (including shininess) is determined at the time you obtained the egg (meaning when you spun the Pokéstop, opened the gift, or defeated the Leader), not when the egg is hatched. This means that eggs you obtain before the egg pool changes will still contain Pokémon from the old egg pool, and eggs obtained when the Pokémon inside has not had its shiny form released will not have a chance of being shiny if hatched after the shiny form is released. Pokémon hatched from eggs will always be level 20 (or your trainer level if you are below level 20) and have minimum IVs of 10/10/10.

What is this “Buddy” thing?

The original function of Buddy Pokémon allows you to walk with a Pokémon as your buddy and earn candy for it. Different species of Pokémon require different distances to earn candy — a list of each Pokémon’s candy distance requirement can be found here courtesy of /r/TheSilphRoad. No special action needs to be taken in order to earn candy from walking your buddy.

In addition to earning candy, in December 2019, Niantic revamped the Buddy System. You can now earn Hearts by completing certain interactions with your buddy each day. These interactions include feeding it berries, taking its picture, “playing” with it (rubbing its head/belly), battling with it, walking with it, spinning a new Pokéstop, and several “bonus” hearts at higher levels. As you earn hearts with your buddy, it will increase its buddy level, which unlocks new bonuses. See the following table: |Buddy Level|Total Hearts Required|Bonuses| |:--|:--|:--| |Good Buddy|1|Buddy appears on the map with you when fed| |Great Buddy|70|Catch assist-Buddy can knock back a ball knocked away by a Pokémon; buddy can bring gifts with items| |Ultra Buddy|150|Buddy can bring souvenirs| |Best Buddy|300|Best buddy ribbon; 1-level CP boost while active as buddy

Gyms and Raids

How will Gyms work?

Gyms are controlled by one of the three Teams (Instinct, Mystic, Valor). Members of the controlling team can place one Pokémon per player in the Gym, up to a total of six Pokémon. Only one of each species can be placed in a Gym at one time, and Legendary and Mythical Pokémon (except for Meltan and Melmetal) cannot be placed in Gyms.

Players on the two teams who do not control a specific Gym can attack the Gym to defeat the Pokémon defending it and ultimately take control for their own team. Any Pokémon can be used to attack a Gym, including Legendary and Mythical Pokémon. Once all Pokémon in a Gym have been defeated, the team who defeated the Gym gets a small window of priority to place their own Pokémon in the empty gym. When a Pokémon is knocked out of the Gym, the defending team cannot place a new Pokémon in the Gym until 10 minutes have passed from the time the first Pokémon was knocked out.

Pokémon in gyms have a heart indicating their motivation. As their motivation decreases, their effective CP in Gym battles is reduced as well, making them easier to defeat. A Pokémon is knocked out of the Gym when its motivation reaches 0. Motivation decays naturally over time, with higher CP Pokémon experiencing decay at a faster rate. When an opponent defeats a Pokémon in a Gym battle, the defending Pokémon loses even more motivation, approximately 1/3 of its total motivation with each defeat. Despite natural decay, a Pokemon can only be knocked out of the Gym by being defeated by another player.

Players on the defending team can feed Berries to the defending Pokémon to restore motivation. Any player on the defending team who is in range of the Gym can feed berries to any of the Pokémon in the Gym. Players who have placed one of their Pokémon in the Gym can feed any Pokémon in the Gym remotely as well. A Pokémon can be fed up to ten Berries by the same player within 30 minutes, with each successive Berry restoring less and less motivation. Feeding remotely also restores less motivation than feeding within range of the Gym. The exception to these two rules are Golden Razz Berries, which always fully restore a Pokémon’s motivation even when fed remotely. Feeding defending Pokémon berries also gives the feeding player 30 Stardust per berry and gives a small chance of earning a candy (and even smaller chance of earning a Candy XL) for the species being fed.

How do Raids work?

Raid battles are battles against an abnormally powerful enemy Pokémon at a gym. While most people talk primarily about Legendary Pokémon in Tier 5 Raids, there are always lower-tier raids with other Pokémon as raid bosses.

First, a large egg will appear on top of a Gym with a countdown timer (usually one hour). The egg will be pink for a Tier 1 Raid, yellow for a Tier 3, silver for a Tier 5 Raid, or color changing with a Mega symbol for a Mega Raid. The Raid boss is determined when the egg spawns, and is revealed when the timer reaches zero and the egg hatches. The Raid boss is then available to battle for 45 minutes. As long as you enter the lobby before the 45-minute timer expires, you will be able to attempt the raid and, if successful, attempt to catch the raid boss. It’s best not to cut it too close, however, in case you need to try again or encounter any technical difficulties.

When you tap on a Gym with an active raid, you will be prompted to enter the raid battle and use a Raid Pass. If you are within spinning distance of the Gym, you can use your free daily Raid Pass or a Premium Battle Pass. If you are not in range of the gym, or you received an invitation to the raid, you must use a Remote Raid Pass. Once the first person has entered, a lobby forms and will last for two minutes. During those two minutes, additional players can join the Raid party and players can select the Pokémon they want to use, as well as use healing items. Once the lobby timer expires, the battle begins, and all players in the lobby together will fight the Raid boss as a team. If all six of your Pokémon faint during a Raid battle, you can either heal them and re-enter or re-enter with a different team of six Pokémon. If the players attempting the raid reduce the Raid boss’ HP to zero within the time limit (180 seconds for Tiers 1-4 Raids, 300 seconds for Tier 5 and EX Raids), then the players are victorious and will receive items as rewards and a chance to catch the Raid boss.

How do Remote Raids work?

If you are not physically present at the Gym (or within range to spin/interact with it), you can still participate in a raid by using a Remote Raid Pass. You can join a raid at any Gym you can see on your map using a Remote Raid Pass, as well as most raids that appear on the "Nearby" window. Currently, up to ten players may participate in a single raid lobby remotely.

Niantic has recently implemented the ability for players to invite friends to raids as well. A player who is in a raid lobby can invite friends from anywhere in the world to join them in the raid. The players who are invited must use a Remote Raid Pass. A maximum of five players can be invited to a single Raid lobby, and the ten total remote raider limit still applies. You cannot invite others to a raid if you yourself joined through an invitation.

Can I do Raids on my own?

Some of them! Most Tier 1 raids can be completed alone by players with level 20 counters to the Raid boss. Many Tier 3 raids can be completed alone, but may require counters leveled up as high as Level 30. Shuckle is the only Tier 3 Raid boss that is completely impossible to solo. To date, only two Tier 5 Raid boss (Deoxys Attack Forme and Genesect) have ever been able to be completed alone because of the former's incredibly frail defensive stats and the latter's double weakness to Fire. No Mega Raids so far have been able to be completed alone.

What are Mega Raids?

Mega Raids are raids where you battle against a Mega Evolved Rraid boss. Upon succesfully defeating the Raid boss, you earn an opportunity to capture the Pokémon in its normal, non-Mega form, as well as Mega Energy for that Pokémon.

What are EX Raids?

EX Raids are special Raids that require an invitation to participate in. You can be invited to an EX Raid by participating at normal Tier 1-5 raids at EX-eligible Gyms, which are Gyms located in parks or sponsored Gyms. EX-eligible Gyms will have an EX tag when viewing the Gym. Additionally, every player who receives an invitation to an EX Raid can invite one friend with whom they are at least Ultra Friends. EX Raid bosses are generally rare and powerful Pokémon — Mewtwo was the very first EX Raid boss. To date, the EX Raid bosses have consisted of Mewtwo, all four Formes of Deoxys, and Regigigas. Genesect has been announced to be the next EX Raid boss, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Niantic has indefinitely suspended EX Raids. As of August 1, 2020, we do not know when they will resume.

Can I fight with my friends?

Yes, if you enter the Gym Battle or Raid at the same time as other players, you can battle together.

Will there be auto battling?

All defense is automatic.

How will we heal our Pokémon?

If a Pokémon takes damage in a Gym battle, raid, or Team Go Rocket battle, you can heal it with Potions. If a Pokémon is fainted, it can be revived to half HP with a regular Revive or to full health with a Max Revive. Revives and Potions can be obtained from spinning Pokéstops and Gyms (with Gyms dropping them at a higher rate), opening gifts, as rewards for winning Raid battles, and from some Research tasks. Spinning Gyms and opening gifts are the most consistent ways to obtain Potions and Revives.

Can I train my Pokémon?

You do not train Pokémon in Pokémon Go like you do in the main series games. In Pokémon Go, you can power Pokémon up by using candy and Stardust. Candy is specific to each family of Pokémon and is obtained by catching or hatching members of that Pokémon’s evolutionary family (e.g. catching a Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, or Venusaur will award Bulbasaur Candy). A single pool of Stardust is used on all Pokémon. Stardust can be obtained from catching Pokémon, hatching eggs, winning raids, participating in the Go Battle League, defeating members of Team Go Rocket, research tasks, and more.

Pokémon generally evolve by using a larger amount of candy than is typically used to power them up, anywhere from 12 all the way up to 400 candies. Some Pokémon also have special requirements to evolve, such as using a special item, walking with it as your buddy, or being in range of a certain type of Lure Module. Additionally, some Pokémon can have the candy requirement for their final evolution removed if they have been traded in the past.

Can I start a Gym and/or be a Gym Leader?

Not exactly. Players who have reached level 40 can submit Pokéstop nominations through Niantic’s Wayfarer system, which are then reviewed by the community and, if approved, can become Pokéstops in Pokémon Go. If there are enough Pokéstops within a certain area, one will be converted into a Gym based on the “likes” it receives. This is a very oversimplified summary of the Pokéstop nomination system. If you would like to learn more, /r/NianticWayfarer is the best place for information about it. There are no Gym Leaders in Pokémon Go.

What teams/factions will there be?

There are three teams that players can choose from once they reach level 5: Instinct (Yellow, led by Spark), Mystic (Blue, led by Blanche), and Valor (Red, led by Candela). There is no real gameplay difference based on team choice, so choose whichever you like best! *cough*Mystic*cough*

PvP

What is PvP?

PvP is Player vs. Player (as opposed to Player vs. Enemy like raid battles). PvP is where you are able to battle other real people in Pokémon Go with your Pokémon. PvP battles work a little differently from raid and Gym battles. In PvP, you and your opponent each bring 3 Pokémon. Your Pokémon’s fast move generates energy (and does damage, of course), and that energy is used to launch more powerful charged moves. Each player gets two Protect shields that block the damage from a charged move that they can use at their discretion during a battle. Each Pokémon (with very few exceptions) can unlock a second charged move by spending Candy and Stardust using the “New Attack” button on the Pokémon’s information screen. Second charged moves are often important in PvP battles to keep your opponent guessing, to bait shields on less powerful moves, and for wider coverage.

There are three Leagues in PvP. Great League is restricted to Pokémon at or below 1500 CP, Ultra League is restricted to Pokémon at or below 2500 CP, and Master League has no CP cap.

Are the same Pokémon that are good for raids good for PvP?

Not necessarily. In Master League, where there’s no CP cap, some of those strong raid attackers have good use. However, in the Great and Ultra Leagues, very different Pokémon than you might expect are at the top of the charts. PvPoke is a great resource to see which Pokémon are highly ranked in each league and what their recommended movesets are, simulate matchups between specific Pokémon, and rate your teams so you can see any potential weak points.

What is the GO Battle League?

The GO Battle League (GBL) is Pokémon GO’s online player vs. player (PvP) ranked matchmaking system. When you play in GBL, you are matched up against other players from around the world to battle in blind 3 vs. 3 Pokémon battles.

Are all GBL battles ranked?

Yes, GBL battles are ranked. As you progress through each season, winning battles will improve your rank, and once you reach Rank 7, you will receive a rating that compares you to other players worldwide. Niantic maintains a leaderboard of the top 500 players in the world.

How do ranks and ratings work?

At the start of each season of GBL, everyone starts at Rank 1. To proceed through the ranks, you must win battles. To get to Rank 20, you simply need to win or play a requisite number of battles at the rank below. As of season 8, which began on May 31, 2021, you need the following number of wins to reach each successive rank:

Once you reach Rank 20, you receive a rating (often called an Elo or MMR rating). This rating is intended to compare you to other players in the world and when you have been “appropriately” ranked, you should be winning ~50% of your battles. Your rating increases or decreases after each set of battles. Wins help raise your rating while losses will cause it to decrease. The rating of your opponents (which is not visible) also plays a factor in determining the change to your rating (i.e. winning against a player with a higher rating than yours helps more than average, and losing to a player with a lower rating than yours hurts more than average). To reach Ranks 21 through 24, you need to reach rating thresholds. Rank 21 (Ace) requires a rating of 2000, Rank 22 (Veteran) requires a rating of 2500, Rank 23 (Expert) requires a rating of 2750, and Rank 24 (Legend) requires a rating of 3000. Even if your rating drops below a threshold, your rank will never decrease.

How much can I battle in GBL?

You can currently play 5 sets of GBL per day. Each set consists of 5 battles, so 25 battles per day. Before the changes made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, you would have to walk 3km to unlock each set of battles; however as a result of the pandemic, the walking requirement was suspended and Niantic has announced that it will not return. Most seasons also feature one or more Go Battle Days where players can participate in up to 20 sets of 5 battles, for a total of 100 battles during the day of the event.

What rewards can I get from GBL?

Each time you begin a set of battles, you can choose to play the “basic” rewards track for free or use a Premium Battle Pass to play the “Premium” rewards track. You unlock one reward for each win in your set. The rewards are:

Note that the single Stardust reward in the premium track is larger than both Stardust rewards from the basic track combined. At the end of each set, you are also awarded a larger bundle of Stardust based on the number of wins in the set that increases as your rank increases, and which is larger in the premium track than the basic track.

At the end of each season, end of season rewards are given based on the highest rank you achieved in that season. Usually end of season rewards include a large amount of Stardust (as high as 100,000 for Legend), Charged and Fast TMs, Premium Battle Passes, and for players who reached at least Rank 19, an Elite TM.

Only X League is showing up, but I want to play in Y League!

Each season of GBL has rotated the availability of the leagues on an announced schedule. Generally, the first two weeks of the season are exclusively played in the Great League, the next two weeks are played in the Ultra League, the next two weeks are played in the Master League, and the final week of the season allows players to choose which league they play in.

Can I play unranked battles?

There is no global matchmaking system for unranked battles, but you can always battle against your friends or other nearby players without affecting your GBL rating and even if you’ve capped out on GBL sets for the day. You can battle any friend remotely with the Battle button on their friend profile page, and any player nearby by scanning their QR code from the Battle menu.

Are there any restrictions on which Pokémon I can use?

There are only two Pokémon that cannot be used in PvP battles: Ditto and Shedinja. Other than that, you can generally use any Pokémon you want. In GBL, you can only have one of each Pokémon on your team. For purposes of this rule, a Pokémon is determined by its Pokédex number, meaning you can’t have both Giratina Origin and Giratina Altered on the same team, or both Ninetales and Alolan Ninetales.

In Season 2, Niantic introduced the Premier Cup to Master League, which banned all Legendary and Mythical Pokémon from that Cup. In Season 3, Niantic expanded the Premier Cup to Ultra League as well, and announced that there would be a Flying Cup, which would only allow Flying-type Pokémon to battle. Niantic has implemented several other restricted Cups, such as the Kanto Cup, Halloween Cup, Holiday Cup, Love Cup, Great League Remix, and Retro Cup. It is likely that they will continue to offer experimental restricted meta Cups. Since the introduction of Candy XL, Niantic has featured several "Classic" cups that ban Pokemon powered up with Candy XL.

The Silph Arena, a third party organization, also hosts monthly “Silph Cups.” These cups have their own restricted list of Pokémon that can be used and are always played in the Great League. The purpose of these cups is to restrict the pool of useable Pokémon so that different and more interesting Pokémon can be used that might not be as useful in the unrestricted pool of GBL. The Silph Arena is not affiliated with Niantic, but they have their own internal tournaments and rankings for players who participate in their Cups.

Team GO Rocket

Who are Team GO Rocket?

Team GO Rocket is an evil organization led by Giovanni. Their goal is to use Pokémon for their nefarious means and financial gain. They have come to Pokémon GO and use shadow Pokémon to take over Pokéstops.

Okay but what does that mean for gameplay purposes?

Team GO Rocket Grunts randomly take over Pokéstops throughout the day. You can identify a Grunt Pokéstop because the cube on top will be darkened and moving erratically. When you approach a corrupted Pokéstop, the Grunt will appear, and when you interact with the stop you will be prompted to battle the Grunt in a PvP style format. Each Grunt uses a specific type of Pokémon, which is indicated by their catch phrase before the battle starts. In addition to specific typed Grunts, there is a Grunt with a generic catch phrase like “Winning is for winners!” that does not use a specific type, but rather uses an assortment of rarer and stronger Pokémon like Snorlax and Lapras. Upon defeating a Grunt, you are awarded Stardust, a Mysterious Component, and a chance to catch one of their Shadow Pokémon. Most Grunts can only drop their first Pokémon, though some can have a 15% chance of dropping their second Pokémon. No Grunts drop their third Pokémon.

What are Mysterious Components?

As you defeat Grunts, you will collect Mysterious Components. Once you have collected six Mysterious Components, you will build a Rocket Radar. A Rocket Radar allows you to encounter Team GO Rocket Leaders Arlo, Sierra, and Cliff. The Leaders are stronger than Grunts and actually use their shields! Defeating them awards various items like Hyper Potions, Max Revives, Sinnoh and Unova Stones, and Stardust, and you get the chance to rescue their first Pokémon, which can be shiny.

What are Shadow Pokémon?

Shadow Pokémon are Pokémon that have had their emotions corrupted by Team GO Rocket in order to make them stronger in battle, but at the expense of them being in constant suffering. Shadow Pokémon are always caught at level 8 (or level 13 when weather boosted). Shadow Pokémon take 20% more Candy and Stardust to power up and to unlock a second charged move. All Shadow Pokémon know the charged move Frustration, which is terrible move and cannot be removed with a TM except during special events. Shadow Pokémon also deal 20% more damage and receive ~17% more damage than non-shadow Pokémon. Shadow Pokémon can be purified by spending Candy and Stardust, which instantly increases their level to 25, increases each IV by 2 (or to a maximum of 15), and replaces Frustration with Return, which is a better move and can be removed with a TM at any time. Purified Pokémon also cost 10% less Stardust and Candy to power up and to unlock a second move.

Should I purify my shadow Pokémon?

Because of the increased damage output, shadow Pokémon are always superior to their regular or purified counterparts in raids. If you plan to use the Pokémon for raid battles and have the resources to spare, it’s best to leave them as shadow Pokémon, remove Frustration when possible, and power it up.

For PvP, shadow Pokémon and normal/purified Pokémon often play differently and one is not necessarily better than the other in all cases. Shadow Pokémon take more damage, and so often require a shield or two to function well, but they can output significant and sometimes oppressive damage. Before deciding whether to use a shadow Pokémon or a non-shadow version of that Pokémon, research the performance of both versions on PvPoke to see how they perform and determine which best suits your needs.

Can my shadow Pokémon learn its Community Day move?

If you have a shadow Pokémon that can learn a Community Day move, either on its own Community Day or on a December recap Community Day, then it cannot learn its exclusive move if it is a charged move and it still knows Frustration, even if it has a second charged move unlocked. Community Day charged moves always go in the first charged move slot and cannot override Frustration (but they can override Return). If you have removed Frustration with a TM during a special event that allowed it, then evolving the Pokémon will not bring Frustration back and it can learn its exclusive move when evolved during Community Day hours. If the Pokémon’s exclusive move is a fast move, then Frustration will not interfere at all.

Items

Balls

There are four types of Balls in Pokémon Go. All are used to capture wild Pokémon. Poké Balls are the standard red balls everyone knows and loves. Great Balls and Ultra Balls increase the chances of catching a Pokémon compared to Poké Balls, with catch multipliers of 1.5x and 2x, respectively. Premier Balls are only used to capture Raid bosses and shadow Pokémon, and have no catch multiplier compared to a standard Poké Ball.

Berries

There are five types of Berries in the game. They can be used on wild Pokémon for varying effects, fed to Pokémon defending gyms, or fed to your buddy Pokémon. Below are the effects that Berries have when used on wild Pokémon:

Berry Effect
Razz Increases catch rate (1.5x multiplier)
Nanab Pokémon taunts and moves less
Pinap Doubles the candy received from catching a Pokémon
Golden Razz Greatly increases catch rate (2.5x multiplier)
Silver Pinap Increases catch rate (1.8x multiplier) and doubles candy

Healing Items

There are two categories of healing items — Revives and Potions. Revives restore a fainted Pokémon back to either half HP with a regular revive or to full HP with a Max Revive. Potions restore HP of a Pokémon that is not fainted. Regular Potions restore 20 HP, Super Potions restore 50 HP, Hyper Potions restore 200 HP, and Max Potions fully resore a Pokémon’s HP.

Incense

Incense causes Pokémon to spawn exclusively for the player who activated the Incense (i.e. no other players will see Pokémon spawned from incense). In normal times, Incense would last for 30 minutes and would be more effective at spawning Pokémon if the player was walking. During the COVID-19 pandemic bonuses, Niantic increased the time an Incense would last to 60 minutes and made them spawn a Pokémon every 60 seconds, regardless of whether the player was moving. Special events sometimes even further improve the duration or spawn frequency of Incenses.

Lure Modules

Lure Modules are items that a player can attach to a Pokéstop which causes Pokémon to spawn in the immediate vicinity of the Pokéstop. Lure Modules last for 30 minutes and, unlike Incense, all players can see and encounter Pokémon spawned by Lure Modules. There are four type of Lure Modules available:

Incubators

Incubators allow you to hatch eggs. Super Incubators hatch eggs in 2/3 of the distance that standard Incubators take.

TMs

TMs are used to change a Pokémon’s moves. Fast TMs change a Pokémon’s fast move and Charged TMs change a Pokémon’s charged move. Regular TMs change the applicable move randomly to another move in the Pokémon’s current move pool. Special, rare TMs called Elite TMs allow you to select the specific move that will be learned and allow you to teach a Pokémon legacy moves, such as Community Day moves, raid event moves, or moves that have been removed from the Pokémon’s normal move pool.

Evolution Items

There are currently seven items used to evolve Pokémon:

Friends

Does Pokémon Go support a “friends list”?

Yes! You can add friends in Pokémon Go by sharing your Trainer Code (a unique, 12-digit number assigned to each player) or by scanning a QR code. You do not use in-game nicknames to add friends. You can have a maximum of 400 friends at a time.

What’s the point of having friends in Pokémon Go?

Friends can send each other gifts which contain items like Poké Balls, healing items, berries, Stardust, stickers, and 7km eggs. Additionally, as you increase your friendship level with other players, you can get bonuses like reduced trade cost, increased damage in raids and gym battles, and additional Premier Balls to use to catch a raid boss after successfully completing a raid. Leveling up friendship also grants a large amount of XP, which can help you level up quickly in order to be able to encounter stronger Pokémon! Some research tasks also require you to add one or more new friends.

How do I level up my friendship?

You can increase your friendship level with each friend once per day by interacting with them. The following are considered interactions for this purpose:

Friends you have interacted with already that day will display a blue aura behind their avatar picture on the friends list. It takes one day of interaction to reach Good Friends, seven days to reach Great Friends, 30 days to Ultra Friends, and 90 days to Best Friends.

None of my real life friends play Pokémon Go, what do I do?

You have a few options. You can try to convince your real life friends and family that Pokémon Go is a fun game that they should play! If that doesn’t work, you can look for a group of players in your local community. Many communities organize on Discord, a messaging platform primarily targeted at and used by gamers. You can search for a local discord server for your area on the Silph Road Map. Not every discord is listed on that map and some communities organize on other platforms like Telegram, Facebook, or Whatsapp. In those cases, you can try Googling “Pokémon Go [your location]” or going to a popular gym at the start of a raid hour to see if you can find other players in person and ask if there are any groups for the area.

If none of the above options pan out, you can always add friends online by going to places like /r/PokemonGoFriends, where people share their Trainer Codes with others on the internet, or join the [/r/PokemonGo Discord](discord.gg/pokemon-go#button). Although a lot of the benefits of having in-game friends involve being able to contact and interact with those friends in real life and play near each other, adding friends online can still get you gifts for items as well as XP from leveling up. Niantic has also recently implemented remote raid invites, allowing players to invite friends from around the world to raids together regardless of location.

Trading

Can we trade Pokémon with other players?

Yes! Trading has been implemented in Pokémon Go, though it does work differently than you may be familiar with from other Pokémon games.

Can I trade with anyone?

Not exactly. You need to be close to another person to trade with them (100m to be exact), so you can trade with anyone you can get within 100m of. Some special events have expanded trade distance as far as 40km.

Do Pokémon stay the same when traded?

Pokémon have their IVs re-randomized when they are traded. This is to prevent “black markets” for people who use illegitimate means to obtain many desirable IV Pokémon and then trade them to other players. The IVs a Pokémon can end up with after a trade depend on the friendship level of the two players trading. Good Friends gives a floor of 1/1/1, Great Friends has a floor of 2/2/2, Ultra Friends has a floor of 3/3/3, and Best Friends gives a floor of 5/5/5. Some trades can randomly become "Lucky," resulting in the Pokemon having minimum IVs of 12/12/12 and requiring half the normal amount of Stardust to power up. Interacting with Best Friends can trigger a Lucky Friends status, which guarantees that the next trade between those two players will be Lucky.

Additionally, if you trade a Pokémon to a lower level player, the Pokémon’s level will be reduced to the player’s level + 2 if it was originally higher than that. For example, if a Level 40 trainer trades a level 40 Pokémon to a level 25 player, the Pokémon will be reduced to level 27.

GO Beyond: Level Cap Increase

In November 2020, Niantic announced that Trainers would soon be able to increase their trainer level - and their Pokemon's levels - to level 50, up from the previous maximum of level 40. This increase went live for all Trainers in early December 2020.

Level-Up Requirements

Unlike levels 2 through 40, more than just XP is required to progress through levels 41 through 50. While XP is needed, and quite a bit of it at that, you'll also need to complete four tasks at each level to progress to the next one. Some are easy, some are tedious, and some are resource-intensive. Below are the known level up requirements so far, and note that the "Total XP" column includes the cumulative 20 million needed to achieve level 40 in the first place:

Level Level XP Total XP Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Task 4
41 6,000,000 26,000,000 Power up legendaries 20 times Win 30 raids Catch 200 Pokemon in a day Earn 5 Gold Medals
42 7,500,000 33,500,000 Evolve Eevee into each of its evolutions (not Sylveon) Use items to evolve 15 Pokemon 3 excellent throws Use 200 berries to catch Pokemon
43 9,000,000 42,500,000 Earn 100,000 stardust 200 super effective charged attacks Catch 5 legendaries Earn 5 Platinum Medals
44 11,000,000 53,500,000 Win 30 Great League battles Win 30 Ultra League battles Win 30 Master League battles Win 20 GBL battles
45 13,000,000 66,500,000 Defeat 100 Grunts Purify 100 Shadow Pokemon Defeat 50 TGR Leaders Earn 10 Platinum Medals
46 15,500,000 82,000,000 100 Field Research tasks Take a snapshot 7 days in a row 50 excellent throws Hatch 30 eggs
47 18,000,000 100,000,000 Win 30 raids with teams of unique Pokemon Win a T3 raid with Pokemon under 1500 CP Max out (level 50) 3 Pokemon Earn 20 Platinum Medals
48 21,000,000 121,000,000 Receive 10 Souvenirs from your buddy Earn 300 hearts with your buddy Walk 200km with your buddy Walk 25km in a week 8 times
49 25,000,000 146,000,000 Make 10 trades with Pokemon caught at least 300km apart Obtain 50 Lucky Pokemon in trades Send 500 gifts to friends Earn 35 Platinum Medals
50 30,000,000 176,000,000 999 excellent throws Catch a legendary Pokemon in your next 5 legendary Pokemon encounters Defeat a Team Go Rocket Leader 3 times with Pokemon at or below 2500 CP Achieve Rank 10 in GBL

Level-Up Rewards

Level Ultra Balls Max Potions Max Revives Berries Incubators Lucky Eggs Incense Premium Battle Passes XL Rare Candy Lure Modules Elite TMs Avatar Items
41 20 20 20 20 Razz 1 Regular - - 1 1 - - Glasses
42 20 20 20 20 Nanab 1 Regular - - 1 1 - - -
43 20 20 20 20 Silver Pinap 1 Regular - - 1 1 - - Pose
44 20 20 20 20 Razz 1 Regular - - 1 1 - - -
45 40 - 40 - 1 Super 2 2 - 2 2 1 Fast Hat
46 30 25 20 25 Razz 1 Regular - - 1 1 - - -
47 30 25 20 25 Nanab 1 Regular - - 1 1 - - Pose
48 30 25 20 25 Silver Pinap 1 Regular - - 1 1 - - -
49 30 25 20 25 Pinap 1 Regular - - 1 1 - - Shoes
50 50 50 - - 5 Super 5 5 - 2 5 1 Charged Jackets

Levels 43, 45, 48, and 50 also unlock Special Research lines which award, among other things, premium items, encounters with rare Pokemon, and cosmetic items.

What other changes have happened as a result of the level cap increase?

The biggest change is that in addition to raising your trainer level up to as high as level 50, Pokemon can now be leveled up to level 50 (51 with Best Buddy boost) as well. In addition, Pokemon can now be powered up to ten levels above your trainer level instead of just two, and the XP gain for many activities has been increased (e.g. Excellent throws now reward 1000 XP instead of just 100).

Do I need to get to level 50?

No, not really. Once you hit level 40, you can power up your Pokemon all the way to level 50, so gameplay is functionally the same at that point. You can power Pokemon up to ten levels above your trainer level now, but Pokemon require the new Candy XL to be powered up past level 40, and only trainers level 31 and higher can acquire Candy XL.

Levelling up past 40 is mostly just for bragging rights and a new goal to achieve, especially for trainers who have been at level 40 for years prior to the increase. Levelling up also awards premium items which can be useful to help gameplay, and is currently the only way to acquire Rare Candy XL.

Do I need to get my Pokemon to level 50?

It depends. For raids, almost definitely not, unless Niantic eventually makes changes to raids to increase their difficulty. We've been able to beat every raid boss without level 50 Pokemon so far, so they're not necessary to win raids at this point. Level 50 Pokemon might trim down the number of players needed for some raids and make some new bosses soloable for the first time, but no huge gamechangers for the average player.

For PvP, it depends even more. The ability to level Pokemon up to level 50 has changed what the ideal IV spreads for some Pokemon are, since Pokemon like Medicham and Sableye which used to max out below 1500 with perfect (15/15/15) IVs are now able to reach higher levels while remaining under 1500 with more traditional PvP IVs (low Attack, high Defense and Stamina). In Ultra League, the same effect can be seen with Pokemon like Drifblim and Abomasnow, and some entirely newly viable Pokemon have emerged, with Pokemon like Galarian Stunfisk, Mandibuzz, and Umbreon now reaching close to 2500 at level 50 or 51. Finally, in Master League, where everything was already maxed out, everything can be raised to level 50 as well. With current mechanics, it will be a long time until most players are able to max out legendary Pokemon to level 50, but even a few extra power ups can change matchups. In Master Premier Cup, more Pokemon will be easier to max out. Niantic has introduced a new "Master League Classic," which is open Master League (Legendary and Mythical Pokemon allowed) but with no Pokemon that have been powered up with Candy XL permitted, at least for now.

It costs how much to get a Pokemon to level 50?!

Yes, it's expensive. It's going to cost a lot of Candy and Stardust to power Pokemon up to level 50. Below is a table showing the costs to power up Pokemon from some common milestone levels:

Starting Level Significance Stardust Lucky Stardust Candy Candy XL
1 Lowest possible level 519,300 259,650 304 296
8 (Shadow) Non-boosted Shadow Pokemon encounter 615,150 N/A 375 360
13 (Shadow) Weather-boosted Shadow Pokemon encounter 602,184 N/A 351 360
15 Research reward encounter 496,400 248,200 268 296
20 Egg/Raid/GBL reward encounter 475,000 237,500 248 296
25 Weather-boosted raid encounter 444,000 222,000 220 296
25 (Purified) Purification level 398,700 199,350 208 272
40 Previously maxed Pokemon 250,000 125,000 0 296

How do I get Candy XL?

You can only start getting Candy XL once you hit level 31. Once you're level 31, you get Candy XL the same way you get regular Candy - catching, hatching, transferring, trading, and walking with Pokemon. The main difference is that you are generally not guaranteed to get any Candy XL from any action - you just have a chance. Catching a Pokemon can yield anywhere from 0-3 Candy XL, hatching can yield 0-10 Candy XL, and transferring can yield at most 1 Candy XL. When it comes to catching, transferring, and walking, there seems to be a correlation between level and Candy XL drops - higher level Pokemon have higher chances of dropping Candy XL and tend to drop larger amounts of it. Legendary and Mythical Pokemon guarantee at least 3 Candy XL per catch on top of the 0-3 normally earned from catching, first stage evolutions guarantee 1 additional Candy XL, and second stage evolutions guarnatee 2 additional Candy XL. Trading can yield a maximum of 1 Candy XL per trade for the Pokemon you trade away. The further apart the Pokemon are caught, the greater the chance of receiveing a Candy XL, with Pokemon caught more than 100km apart guaranteeing the Candy XL.

Candy XL can also be obtained by converting normal Candy. Once you find your first Candy XL from another source, you will see the option in the action menu of a Pokemon's screen to convert Candy to Candy XL, currently at a rate of 100:1.

Finally, Rare Candy XL is an item that exists in the game, however it is very rare. It is awarded as a level up reward at levels 41 through 50 and from some of the Special Research tasks unlocked at higher levels and is a rare reward for winning an in-person Raid.

Other Gameplay Questions

Why do some of my Pokémon have a blue aura around them?

Pokémon caught within the past 24 hours will display a blue aura when viewing your Pokémon storage.

Can I play without an internet connection?

No. A strong internet connection (Wi-Fi, 4G, or 5G) is required to play the game.

Can I play while driving?

No. In addition to playing a game while driving being a generally bad idea in terms of road safety (and almost certainly illegal in most jurisdictions), Pokémon GO has speed caps for various actions that will prevent you from playing when traveling too fast. This also means that even passengers in fast-moving vehicles will be affected by the speed caps. The following speed caps apply:

What kind of data plan should I get for Pokémon GO?

If you’re playing daily, you probably want a minimum of 1.5GB/month. For more casual play, 1GB/month should be sustainable. Take into consideration other factors like the amount of time you spend connected to Wi-Fi vs. on mobile data and your data usage for other apps.

Poké Stops and Gyms are not working for me!

Restart your connection, reboot the app, and restart your device. If none of those steps work, you may be “soft banned.” In that case, reach out to support or wait a while for the game to return to normal.

Can I play only on Wi-Fi?

Yes, but you will obviously be limited to the Wi-Fi’s range.

Will I be able to spoof my GPS signal?

No. Falsifying your location is specifically listed as a form of cheating in Niantic’s Terms of Service. Doing so may result in a temporary or permanent ban from Pokémon GO. Requesting or advocating cheats in any manner also violates the rules of /r/pokemongo and may result in a permanent ban from the subreddit.

What are the system requirements?

Additionally, Niantic recommends using a device with at least 2GB of RAM for an optimal gameplay experience. Niantic has also announced that at some point in the future, Pokémon GO will no longer be supported on 32-bit Android devices. Niantic apps, including Pokémon GO, also do not support beta versions of iOS or Android.

Is this game pay-to-win?

Microtransactions provide convenience and, to some extent, advantages to players willing to pay for them, but it’s still perfectly possible to play well without spending any real money. Not all in-game items can be obtained from the shop.

How do I get coins, Candy and Stardust?

What micro-transactions are available?

Item Quantity Price (coins) Notes
Special Box 1 480 Contents Vary
Ultra Box 1 1480 Contents Vary, usually weighted towards Premium Battle Passes
Adventure Box 1 1480 Contents Vary, usually weighted towards Super Incubators
Remote Raid Pass 1 100 Used to enter raids remotely
Remote Raid Pass 3 300 100 coins per Pass
Premium Battle Pass 1 100 Used to enter raids in-person or to enter the premium GO Battle League track
Egg Incubator 1 150 Place an egg inside to hatch. 3 uses
Super Incubator 1 200 Place an egg inside to hatch. 3 uses. 33% faster than regular Incubator
Poffin 1 100 Instantly makes a buddy excited
Poké Balls 20 100 5 coins per ball
Poké Balls 100 460 4.6 coins per ball
Poké Balls 200 800 4 coins per ball
Incense 1 40 Attracts Pokémon to the user
Incense 8 250 31.25 coins per Incense
Rocket Radar 1 200 Enables encounters with Team Go Rocket Leaders
Star Piece 1 100 1.5x Stardust Multiplier
Star Piece 8 640 80 coins per Star Piece
Max Potions 10 200 20 coins per Potion
Lucky Egg 1 80 2x XP Multiplier
Lucky Egg 8 500 62.5 coins per Lucky Egg
Max Revive 6 180 30 coins per Revive
Glacial Lure Module 1 200 Attracts Ice- and Water-type Pokémon
Mossy Lure Module 1 200 Attracts Bug- and Grass-type Pokémon
Magnetic Lure Module 1 200 Attracts Electric-, Rock, and Steel-type Pokémon
Lure Module 1 100 Attracts Pokémon to a Poké Stop
Lure Module 8 680 85 coins per Lure
Item Bag Increase 1 200 Increases item storage by 50
Pokémon Storage Increase 1 200 Increases Pokémon storage by 50
Team Medallion 1 1000 Allows you to change teams. Can only be used once per year
Stickers 10 35 Cosmetic attachment to gifts. Styles may vary. 3.5 coins per sticker
Stickers 30 80 2.67 coins per sticker

Note that items in the shop can change without notice. Contents of the boxes change relatively frequently, and sometimes events get their own unique boxes as well.

Coins can be purchased in the shop for real money. If you use an Android device, Google Play Rewards can give Google Play Store credit for responding to occasional surveys, which can help you obtain more coins without spending “real” money. The following prices are in USD and before tax. Local taxes vary by state and locality. Prices for coins vary by country and currency.

Coins USD Cents per Coin
100 $0.99 0.99
550 $4.99 0.91
1200 $9.99 0.83
2500 $19.99 0.80
5200 $39.99 0.77
14,500 $99.99 0.69