Shiny Pokémon (GO)
A Shiny Pokémon (Japanese: 色違いポケモン differently colored Pokémon) is a specific Pokémon with different coloration to what is usual for its species. It is one of the many differences that a Pokémon can have within its species.
Overview
In Pokémon GO, Shiny Pokémon may be encountered randomly in all types of encounters: the wild, from hatching Eggs, by completing Field Research tasks, or by winning Raid Battles. During Community Day events, featured Pokémon have an increased chance of being Shiny in the wild. Shiny Pokémon are represented by a 
icon. When a Shiny Pokémon is encountered in the wild, the icon appears at the upper left of the Pokémon's CP. When browsing the Pokémon Box, the icon appears at the upper left of its sprite. Upon capturing a Shiny Pokémon in the wild, its name is shown in yellow text instead of white. Shiny encounters are random for each player, meaning that if two players attempt to catch the same Pokémon, one player may encounter a Shiny Pokémon and the other may not.
All Pokémon seen in the overworld appear non-Shiny, but when a player attempts to capture a Pokémon, it may appear as a Shiny Pokémon. Likewise, during a Raid Battle, the Raid Boss always appears non-Shiny during battle, but it may become Shiny during the bonus challenge. Similarly, all Shadow Pokémon used by Team GO Rocket members appear non-Shiny in battle, but certain ones have a chance of becoming Shiny during the bonus challenge. As of March 3, 2026, any Shadow Pokémon can be Shiny if it has already had its Shiny release in Pokémon GO.
Shiny Pokémon from Raid Battles and from Team GO Rocket have a 100% catch rate when successfully hit with a Premier Ball.
Only the Shiny forms of certain Pokémon have been released, often coinciding with a special event or update. Prior to March 3, 2026, for most evolutionary lines, only the first-stage Pokémon is obtainable as Shiny, including those with baby Pokémon; however, there have been several exceptions for evolutionary lines with baby Pokémon and during limited-time events.
Starting March 3, 2026, any evolved Pokémon in the wild can be Shiny if it has already had its Shiny release in Pokémon GO.
Shiny rates
Like the core series, Shiny rates are constant across different species but vary across different encounter methods. Historically, Pokémon that rarely or never spawned in the wild, such as Pawniard or Turtonator, would have a boosted shiny rate regardless of encounter method. However, as of the start of Memories in Motion, the vast majority of Pokémon encountered in the wild now follow the base rate regardless of any former boost, with only a few exceptions. Shiny rates specific to encounter methods have also been implemented, such as boosted Shiny rates from Eggs and Raid Battles.
The following lists the various Shiny rate estimates that have been observed.[1][2]
| Shiny rate | Applies to |
|---|---|
| 1 in 512 |
|
| 1 in 256 |
|
| 1 in 64 |
|
| 1 in 20 |
|
Event-boosted Shiny rates
|
This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. |
| Shiny rate | Applies to |
|---|---|
| 1 in 256 |
|
| 1 in 128 |
|
| 1 in 64 | |
| 1 in 40 |
|
| 1 in 25 |
|
| 1 in 10 |
|
Pokémon released as Shiny
- Main article: List of Shiny Pokémon in Pokémon GO
Trivia
- On June 2023, shiny rates for Legendary Pokémon were accidentally nerfed, but only for remote raids (1 in 64 for Uxie; 1 in 128 for Azelf).[6] Niantic has acknowledged this and compensated affected players.[7]
- During Kleavor Raid Day, players observed a unique, but statistically significant, rate of 8.7% (1 in 11.5).[8] Niantic has acknowledged this and compensated affected players.
References
- ↑ Reflecting on Pokémon GO Shiny Rates I: Boosted Wild Rates - The Silph Road
- ↑ Reflecting on Pokémon GO Shiny Rates II: Raids, Eggs, and Quests - The Silph Road
- ↑ Pokémon GO Fest 2020 Shiny Rates - The Silph Road
- ↑ Meltan Event: Unbolting the Limited Time Shiny Rate! - The Silph Road
- ↑ Swimming with the Feebas: Limited Research Shiny Rates - The Silph Road
- ↑ Lake Trio shiny rates from Remote Raids may have been nerfed, according to crowd-sourced data from Japanese website - The Silph Road
- ↑ Niantic Support on X
- ↑ Followup: Kleavor Raid Day's shiny rate was also different from previous raid days, might be due to a Remote Raid shiny nerf (from Japanese crowd-sourced data) - The Silph Road
Related articles
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This article is part of Project Sidegames, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon Sidegames. |