Pokémon Go Raid Battles: The Ultimate Guide

Raid Battles occur when a Boss Pokémon takes over a Gym. Your goal is to defeat this powerful Pokémon. If you and your fellow Trainers are successful, you’ll be rewarded with special items and a chance at catching that Pokémon.

Join forces with other Trainers to conquer Gyms and emerge victorious in battles. Team up for success in this collaborative gaming experience!

Pokémon Go Raid

Raid Battles aren’t your typical Gym Battle; your opponent is more difficult to defeat than most other Pokémon. Raids have several tiers of difficulty: tier 1, tier 3, tier 5, Mega Raids and Mega Legendary Raids.

FINDING A RAID BATTLE

You’ll receive a notification of Raid Battles happening nearby. You can also use the Nearby feature to locate raids happening around you or accept a raid invitation from a friend, no matter how far away you are from the Raid Battle.

Before the raid begins, a Raid Egg will appear on top of the Gym. A countdown will display the time until the Egg hatches and the battle begins.

If there are other Trainers in the Raid Lobby, you will also see a counter appear below the Raid Egg and in the Nearby feature. Don't worry if you miss a chance to join a Raid Battle as they happen frequently.

Pokémon Go Raid Picture

JOINING A RAID BATTLE

Once the Egg hatches, the raid begins and you have 45 minutes to defeat the Boss. Any number of Trainers can join a raid, but only in groups of up to 20 Trainers.

  1. Enter the Gym

Tap a Gym while a raid is in progress. To join remotely, you can also go to the Nearby screen and tap “View” under the raid you want to join.

  1. Join the Battle

Choose how you’d like to join: Tap Battle to be automatically matched with other players. Tap Join Privately to enter an existing group. You’ll be asked to provide a group code.

  1. Use Raid Pass

You’ll exchange your Pass for entry into the raid.

  1. Pick your Pokémon

Just like in a Gym Battle, you’ll choose 6 Pokémon to battle in the raid.

Raids with more than two participants will feature a Ready button. Tap this button when you have finalized your Battle Party to indicate that you are ready to enter the Battle.

  1. Begin Battle

Get ready to battle your way to the top and become a Pokemon legend!

Pokémon Go Raid Picture

AFTER THE RAID BATTLE

If you are not able to defeat the Boss in the battle, you may rejoin the raid and battle again. You won’t need to use another Raid Pass to rejoin; your pass will grant you access to the battle for the duration of the raid. You can join as many times as you’d like before the raid ends.

If you and your fellow Trainers are successful in defeating the Raid Boss, you’ll earn special items and a chance at catching the Pokémon. Special items may include Golden Razz Berries, Fast and Charged TM, or Rare Candy.

How to view a specific Pokémon?

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Pokédex Data