Shiny hunting is one of the most hardcore features in the Pokemon games, and in Pokemon Go, the odds are particularly different. Here’s all you need to know about Shiny Pokemon, spawn rates, and more in Niantic’s game.
The mainline Pokemon games can be pretty brutal when it comes to Shiny hunting. Players deal with base odds of either 1/4096 or 1/8192 and have to perform different – often time-consuming – methods to turn them into a reasonable amount.
But this act of doing the same thing over and over until a different colored sprite appears has become an addicting hobby for Pokemon fans, and luckily Pokemon Go allows trainers to hunt on the go.
While the Shiny odds for Pokemon Go haven’t officially been revealed by Niantic, a community of players has thoroughly tested the game’s mechanics to come up with a solid estimate for the base Shiny odds as well as several raised odds.
Contents
- All Pokemon Go Shiny odds
- Pokemon Go regular Shiny odds explained
- Pokemon Go event-boosted Shiny odds explained
- How to Shiny Hunt in Pokemon Go
- Alternative Pokemon Go Shiny hunting methods
All Pokemon Go Shiny odds
Pokemon Go Shiny odds are divided into two big groups: the regular Shiny rates and the event-boosted Shiny rates.
Pokemon Go regular Shiny odds
| TYPE OF POKEMON | SHINY RATE |
|---|---|
| Shiny base odds | 1/512 |
| Shadow Pokemon (Team GO Rocket Grunts) | 1/256 |
| One-stage or rare species / Mega Raid Pokemon | 1/128 |
| Shadow Pokemon (Team GO Rocket Leaders) / Pokemon with rare or no wild spawns | 1/64 |
| 5-Star Raid battle Pokemon (Legendaries, Mythicals, Ultra Beasts) | 1/20 |
Pokemon Go event-boosted Shiny odds
| TYPE OF EVENT | SHINY RATE |
|---|---|
| Pokemon Go Fest and Safari Zone global tie-ins | 1/128 |
| Some ticketed events / Event-boosted 7km Eggs | 1/64 |
| Some Limited Research Tasks and other events | 1/40 |
| Community Days / Some ticketed events | 1/25 |
| Other Limited Research Tasks | 1/20 |
| Raid Days / Hatch Day events | 1/10 |
Pokemon Go regular Shiny odds explained
The base odds of finding a Shiny in Pokemon Go is 1/512. That means most Pokemon that can be encountered in the wild have a 1/512 chance of being Shiny. However, there are some Pokemon that fall into different groups that have higher odds.
Shadow Pokemon rescued from the grasp of the Team GO Rocket Grunts have a 1/256 chance of being Shiny.
Medium-rate Pokemon are rare spawns that have an increased chance of being Shiny. Their odds are raised to around 1/128. This group of Pokemon is limited to Gible, single-stage ‘mons like Pinsir, Sableye, or Absol, and a few more that can be obtained through Mega Raid battles.
There is another group that has an incredibly low Shiny rate of around 1/64. This is a decent-sized group of Pokemon that rarely or never spawn in the wild such as Pineco, Alolan Marowak, or Baby Pokemon. Also, the Shadow Pokemon from Team GO Rocket Leaders, Jessie, and James are included.
Finally, there are some that belong to the 1/20 Shiny rate group, which are the ones obtained from 5-Star Raids or Limited Research events. This includes the Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, along with the Ultra Beasts from the Alola region, which are extremely hard to find in their Shiny variations as the Raid process requires Remote or Premium Raid Passes and enough players to take down the beast.
Pokemon Go event-boosted Shiny odds explained
The particular thing with event-boosted rates is that some of them vary depending on the Pokemon and the magnitude of the event in question.
Some Pokemon from a Go Fest might get a 1/128 rate, while some others can be assigned to the 1/25 group, and the same happens with the Limited Research Tasks. However, the odds for Community Days and Raid Days do stay the same.
Pokemon Go Community Day Shiny odds
Community Days are a special event that happens once every month and features specific Pokemon. During the time the event is live, the Pokemon has increased spawn rates and its Shiny odds get higher.
Every Pokemon Go Community Day so far has had their Shiny odds set at 1/25. This could change in the future if Niantic wants to raise or lower the odds, but it’s safe to assume Community Days going forward will share these 1/25 Shiny odds.
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Pokemon Go Raid Days Shiny odds
Raid Days go through regular rotations, keeping the roster of available ‘mons fresh for players. During the Raid Days, which usually last for 3 hours, the Pokemon you’ll encounter will have a 1/10 chance of being Shiny.
The same happens during the Hatch Day events, where for 3 hours, special Eggs will be available featuring a specific Pokemon with elevated Shiny rates.
How to Shiny Hunt in Pokemon Go
Hunting Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Go is actually pretty simple. All trainers need to do to check if they’ve found a special variation is tap on a wild Pokemon to see its colors on the 1-1 battle/catching screen. If it’s not what you’re looking for, back out of the encounter and tap on the next Pokemon.
However, there are quite a few Pokemon that are Shiny locked (Pokemon that cannot appear Shiny). These include almost every second and third-stage evolution as well as a handful of first-stage Pokemon. As a rule of thumb, most newly introduced Pokemon can’t be Shiny until later.
That being said, there are a few Pokemon that might actually be a Shiny Ditto in disguise. Here is a list of all the Pokemon Ditto is currently using as a disguise. It might be worth catching these just to make sure you don’t miss any blue blobs.
Alternative Pokemon Go Shiny hunting methods
There are a few particular methods that will help trainers find a Shiny Pokemon faster than normal. However, there is still a lot of luck involved.
The first one is fighting and defeating Team GO Rocket Leaders. These include Arlo, Cliff, Sierra, and their boss Giovanni.
By using a Rocket Radar, players can fight these tough trainers and capture a Shadow Pokemon. Shadow Pokemon from these Team Leaders have an increased chance of being Shiny: 1/64. However, they need to have a currently available Shiny form, or else it won’t appear.
The second method is one we’ve already discussed. Legendary Raids are by far the most reliable method of hunting as they offer the highest odds and are always accessible via the use of Remote Raid Passes.
The issue here is that players will have to spend money on raid passes and they will need to team up with trainers strong enough to take down the boss.
The third method is by hatching Eggs, as there is a chance the creature hatched will be Shiny. The odds can be increased if you use multiple incubators simultaneously.
Finally, the best way to find Shiny Pokemon is during events. Whether this be Raid Day/Hour, Pokemon Go Community Day, Go Fest, or Region Tours; Shiny hunters won’t want to miss these events.
They often offer the best chance of getting dozens of Shiny Pokemon in a single session of play and you can keep track of which event is next by checking out the official Pokemon Go event calendar.
That’s all you need to know about Shiny hunting in Pokemon Go. Make sure to check how to get Remote Raid Passes, as well as Pokemon catching tips. If you’re into rankings, don’t miss our Best competitive Pokemon in Pokemon Go or the Best Mega Evolutions.