Raid Battle (GO)

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This article is about the feature in Pokémon GO. For the feature in Pokémon Sword and Shield, see Max Raid Battle.

A Raid Battle (Japanese: レイドバトル Raid Battle) is a type of battle in Pokémon GO that takes place at a Gym. The goal of a Raid Battle is for players to collaboratively defeat the Raid Boss, a giant Pokémon with significantly inflated stats, within the time limit. Each Raid Boss is stationed at a particular Gym for a limited period of time, and players must use a Raid Pass to challenge it. As with other battles at Gyms, up to twenty trainers can join to fight the Raid Boss. After defeating the Raid Boss, players receive a variety of rewards and are given the opportunity to catch the Raid Boss.

Promotional artwork featuring Raid Battles
050Diglett.png This article is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Shadow Raid Battles

In Pokémon GO

Description

A raid is a battle where you and up to 20 other Trainers work together to defeat the Raid Boss—an extremely powerful Pokémon. Win to receive fantastic rewards and a chance to catch a stronger-than-normal Pokémon of your own!

List of Raid Bosses

140Kabuto.png This article contains old or outdated information, or has not been updated in a while.
Please check the content of this article and update it as required.
For a list of all past Raid Boss rotations, see List of Raid Boss changes.

The following lists all the available Raid Bosses as of February 19, 2022. The Shiny icon indicates Raid Bosses that have a chance of becoming Shiny during the bonus challenge.

GO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
5795 1039 - 1100

1298 - 1376

6340 1107 - 1172

1384 - 1465

GO263G.png

Shiny possible

Zigzagoon
Galarian Form
1742 258 - 290

323 - 363

2656 409 - 449

512 - 562

3755 669 - 719

837 - 899

GO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
4012 670 - 720

838 - 901 </noinclude>

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
19393 1736 - 1816

2170 - 2270

12739 877 - 934

1096 - 1167

13160 851 - 909

1064 - 1136

18606 1487 - 1561

1859 - 1951

GO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
4012 670 - 720

838 - 901 </noinclude>

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
GO386A.png

Shiny possible

Deoxys
Attack Forme
41036 1372 - 1474

1716 - 1842

GO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
4012 670 - 720

838 - 901 </noinclude>

GO Mega Raid icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
GO181M.png

Shiny possible

Ampharos
Mega Ampharos
55876 1554 - 1630

1943 - 2037

GO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
4012 670 - 720

838 - 901 </noinclude>

Mechanics

Nearby Raid Battles

From 5:00 a.m. to 8:59 p.m. local time, a Raid Egg may randomly spawn at any Gym, which does not already have a Raid Egg or Raid Boss, with a timer counting down until it hatches. Raid Eggs normally have a one-hour timer, but it may be shortened during certain in-game events. Once the egg hatches, the Raid Boss appears, and a new timer begins counting down until the Raid Boss disappears. Normally, Raid Bosses have a 45-minutes timer, but this can also vary during some in-game events. Effectively, a raid may begin any time from 6:00 a.m. to 9:59 p.m., and the latest a raid may be challenged is 10:44 p.m.

While a Raid Boss is present, a player may join a raid to challenge it by spending one Raid Pass. And during this time, Gym defenders cannot be challenged, cannot be fed Berry treats, and will not experience motivation decay. Players will also not be able to deploy any more Pokémon to defend the Gym.

When a player uses a Raid Pass to join a raid, they enter a lobby with a two-minute countdown (from when the first player in that challenge entered the lobby), after which the Raid Battle immediately begins. While in the lobby, players can choose their team of six Pokémon to battle, use items from their Bag, or invite friends to raid remotely. The game automatically recommends a party to use based on the Raid Boss's weaknesses, as well as resistances against its move set. In the lobby, the player can see the other players currently waiting in that same lobby, along with which teams they belong to and whether their party has any Mega-Evolved Pokémon. Each lobby can hold up to 20 players; once a lobby has 20 players, newly joining players will instead be placed in a separate lobby for a separate challenge of that Raid Boss. If a player specifically chooses to quit a Raid Battle, either from the lobby or after the start of the Raid Battle, they cannot rejoin that same challenge*. Players can also opt to join a private group using a specific group code.

A Raid Pass is not removed from the Bag until the Raid Battle officially commences. After spending a Raid Pass, a player may repeatedly attempt that same raid until either they defeat the Raid Boss or the raid's timer expires. Raid Passes are not refunded if the player fails to complete a raid.

Difficulty

The difficulty of a Raid Battle varies depending on its level (also referred to as its ‘tier’ or ‘star rating’). A raid’s difficulty can be seen before the raid boss hatches, as soon as the Raid Egg spawns on the gym, as the difficulty also determines the Raid Egg’s color and pattern.

Raid Bosses of the same tier all have in common a fixed HP value, Attack and Defense multiplier, and time limit for the raid. The following table details the Raid Eggs and values associated with Raid Bosses at each raid level.

Rating Egg Raid Boss HP Multiplier Time limit (s)
GO Raid Boss icon.png GO Raid Egg Normal.png 1-star raid 600 0.5974 180
1-star shadow raid
(local only)
? ?
GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png GO Raid Egg Rare.png 3-star raid 3,600* 0.73
3-star shadow raid
(local only)
? ?
GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png GO Raid Egg Event.png Community Day raid
(local only)
9,500* 0.79
GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png GO Mega Raid Egg.png Mega Raid 9,500* 0.79 300
GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png GO Legendary Raid Egg.png Legendary raid 15,000*
Legendary shadow raid
(local only)
GO Ultra Raid Wormhole.png Ultra Wormhole
GO Elite Raid Egg.png Elite Raid
(local only)
20,000
GO Primal Raid Egg.png Primal Raid 22,500
GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png GO Legendary Mega Raid Egg.png Legendary Mega Raid 22,500

A Raid Boss's CP, as displayed during the raid, is determined using the standard CP formula. Note that the Attack and Defense multipliers are not factored into this calculation.

where

  • is a fixed Boss HP value based on the raid level
  • = base Attack + 15
  • = base Defense + 15
1-star Raids

A one-star raid typically has a basic Pokémon, and can often by defeated by a single player.

1-star raid bosses always have an HP of 600 and an Attack and Defence multiplier of 0.5974. These battles last for 180 seconds.

Prior to the changes to the Raid tiers on August 27, 2020, there were also 2-star raids, which were between 1-star and 2-star in difficulty. With the retirement of the 2-star tier, the 1-star raid rewards were increased to match the previous 2-star rewards.

3-star Raids

A three-star raid typically has either a stronger single-stage Pokémon, or an evolved (middle or final evolution) Pokémon.

3-star raid bosses always have an HP of 3,600 and an Attack and Defence multiplier of 0.73. These battles last for 180 seconds.

4-star Raids

Four-star raids only appear during Community Day events. After the Community Day ends, 4-star Raid Eggs will begin to spawn on gyms for up to five hours. These can only be battled locally, and Remote Raid Passes do not work for these raids. Once a Community Day raid is defeated, featured Pokémon from that Community Day will spawn in a 300-meter radius around the Gym for 30 minutes.

4-star raid bosses always have an HP of 9,500 and an Attack and Defence multiplier of 0.79. These battles last for 180 seconds.

Prior to the changes to the Raid tiers on August 27, 2020, 4-star raids were a standard tier of raids available most of the time, like 1- and 3-star raids. With the retirement of standard 4-star raids, the rewards for defeating a 3-star raid were increased to match the former 4-star raids’ rewards.

5-star Raids

Five-star raids feature Legendary or Mythical Pokémon or Ultra Beasts as their raid bosses. These usually require several players to work together to defeat them, and they have a longer battle timer than 1- to 4-star raids do. When the 5-star Raid Boss is an Ultra Beast, the Raid Egg is replaced with an Ultra Wormhole.

Standard Legendary, Mythical and Ultra Beast Raid Bosses have an HP of 15,000 and an Attack and Defence multiplier of 0.79. These battles last for 300 seconds.

Elite Raids are a special category of 5-star raids introduced in 2022. These Bosses can only be battled locally, and Remote Raid Passes cannot be used. They are scheduled as a special event, appearing at 11am, 2pm, and 5pm local time on a specific day at EX Raid Gyms. There is a uniquely-styled Raid Egg for these raids, and these spawn up to 24 hours before the raid. Elite Raid Bosses have a higher HP than standard Legendary Raid Bosses: 22,500 HP.

During various in-game events, Legendary Raid Bosses sometimes use different HP values than normal, while still being classified as a 5-star raid and giving the same rewards as standard 5-star raids:

Mega Raids

Mega Raids feature Mega Evolved Pokémon as their Raid Bosses, and award Mega Energy based on how fast the Boss was defeated, instead of additional Premier Balls.

Standard Mega Raids feature non-Legendary Pokémon, and these bosses have an HP of 9,500, and an Attack and Defence multiplier of 0.79, equivalent to those of a 4-star raid. Unlike 4-star raids, these battles last 300 seconds. Prior to April 28, 2022, standard Mega Raids were instead equivalent to 5-star raid bosses, with an HP of 15,000.

Legendary Mega Raids feature Legendary or Mythical Pokémon, and these bosses have an HP of 22,500, and an Attack and Defence multiplier of 0.79. These are classified as 6-star raids, and last for 300 seconds.

Primal Raids feature Primal Groudon or Primal Kyogre, and are otherwise the same as Legendary Mega Raids.

Legendary Mega Raids usually take the place of both Legendary and Mega Raids in the raid rotation, and so will usually be the only boss of either type available at a time.

Shadow Raids

Shadow Raids are a variation on 1-star, 3-star, and 5-star raids, featuring Shadow Pokémon and Team GO Rocket grunts taking over gyms. These raids can only be participated in locally, and Remote Raid Passes may not be used.

1-star Shadow Raids are mechanically very similar to standard 1-star Raid Bosses.

In 3-star and 5-star Shadow Raids, the Shadow Raid Boss will become enraged during the battle, receiving a boost to its Attack and Defence stats. It can be quelled using Purified Gems, an item crafted from Shadow Shards dropped by Team GO Rocket members after Shadow Raids and trainer battles.

Former Tiers

There have been a few types of Raid Battles that have since been retired from Pokémon GO:

  • Until August 27, 2020, there were standard 2-star and 4-star raid pools. When these tiers were removed, their Pokémon and rewards were merged into the 1-star and 3-star pools respectively.
  • Until March 13, 2020, “Exclusive Raids” (EX Raids) were 5-star raids that required an invitation and an EX Raid Pass to join. These were open to players who had completed a raid at the designated EX gym in the previous week. They were indefinitely suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They have seemingly been succeeded by Elite Raids.

Raid Battle

During the Raid Battle, all normal battle techniques from Gym battles are available to the players. The Raid Boss attacks similarly to a Gym defender. As such, when a Raid Boss attacks, the damage is applied to all Pokémon on the battlefield. If a Raid Boss knows Hidden Power, it will always be set to Fighting type. The moves that a Raid Boss knows is randomly selected from its standard move pool and will remain the same throughout the entire raid. Therefore, different lobbies of players challenging the same Raid Boss will all battle against the same move set.

The group of players must defeat the Raid Boss within the time limit, otherwise the Raid Battle is lost. If all six of a player's Pokémon faint, the player is returned to the lobby, where they can heal their Pokémon using items from their Bag and choose six Pokémon to use to reenter the battle with; meanwhile the players who still have conscious Pokémon in their party continue to battle the Raid Boss.

Players who raid with friends may deal extra damage depending on their highest Friendship level with another player. These bonuses are

  • 3% for Good Friends
  • 5% for Great Friends
  • 7% for Ultra Friends
  • 10% for Best Friends

Additionally, if any Mega-Evolved Pokémon are present on the battlefield on the players' side, then every Pokémon will deal bonus damage.

  • 30% for all moves of the same types as any of the Mega-Evolved Pokémon's
  • 10% otherwise for all other moves

Damage bonuses do not stack for having multiple Mega-Evolved Pokémon present at once, and only the highest damage bonus will be used.

Bonus challenge

After being defeated, a Raid Boss will shrink down to normal size and can be captured during the bonus challenge. In Mega Raids, a Mega-Evolved Raid Boss will also revert to its normal form. Its stats will be reduced to normal, powered up to level 20 (or 25 if its type has a Weather Boosted), and like Pokémon hatched from Eggs, it will have random IVs of at least 10 per stat. The moves are also randomly re-rolled, so once captured, the Raid Boss may not necessarily know the same moves it used during the raid. Gender is the only fixed property, so different players winning the same raid will always encounter the Pokémon with the same gender. Raid Bosses have a chance of becoming Shiny during the bonus challenge if its Shiny form is obtainable by encounter. Since March 2018, with the introduction of Shiny Pokémon in Legendary raids, a Shiny Pokémon is guaranteed capture when successfully hit by a Ball.

For the bonus challenge, players are given Premier Balls to capture the defeated Raid Boss. These Premier Balls are the only Poké Balls that can be used, but players may still use Berries from their Bag. If the player runs out of Premier Balls, the Raid Boss will flee, but will not flee otherwise. Even if the player fails to catch the Raid Boss, once they have successfully completed a Raid Battle, they cannot participate in it again.

Each player may receive between 6 and 24 Premier Balls for their bonus challenge, in which amount rewarded depends on the player's individual contribution to damage dealt, highest Friendship level with another participant, whether the Gym was under the player's team's control, and how quickly the raid was completed. Any leftover Premier Balls will be discarded and cannot be used for future raid challenges. In Mega Raids, the speed bonus rewards Mega Energies corresponding to the Raid Boss; all other raids reward bonus Premier Balls instead.

Quantifier Premier Balls
Boss Defeated Premier Ball+6
Damage
(Individual contribution)
0% 5% 10% 15% 20%
Premier Ball+0 Premier Ball+1 Premier Ball+2 Premier Ball+3 Premier Ball+4
Gym Control Premier Ball+2
Friendship level Friend Good Friend Great Friend Ultra Friend Best Friend
Premier Ball+0 Premier Ball+1 Premier Ball+2 Premier Ball+4
Speed
(% of time used)
≤100% <75% <50% <25% <10%
Premier Ball+2 Premier Ball+3 Premier Ball+4 Premier Ball+6 Premier Ball+8
Mega Energy150* Mega Energy175* Mega Energy200* Mega Energy225* Mega Energy250*
Groudon Primal Energy60 Groudon Primal Energy70 Groudon Primal Energy80 Groudon Primal Energy90 Groudon Primal Energy100

Rewards

Upon completing a first attempt of a raid, participants are rewarded GO Stardust icon.png1,000 regardless of victory. Winning a raid rewards all participants:

  • Trainer level XP (amount depends on raid level)
  • 1,000 Gym Badge XP
  • Various item rewards

The following table was last updated November 15, 2020. It shows the quantity per bundle and an estimated probability based on empirical data.[1]

Since December 5, 2019, four-star raids guarantee a Charged TM as one of the reward bundles.[2] Following the retirement of two- and four-star raids, the prizes for one- and three-star raids have been increased to match what used to be given from two- and four-star raids, respectively. [3]

Six-star Legendary Mega Raids yield the same rewards as four-star Mega Raids.

Quantity (Probability) per reward bundle
Reward GO Raid Boss icon.png GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png GO Mega Raid icon.png
Guaranteed
XP Experience 3,500 XP 5,000 XP 10,000 XP
GO Golden Razz Berry.png Golden Razz Berry ×1 ×2 ×3 ×2
GO Charged TM.png Charged TM ×1 ×1
Random
Super Potion Super Potion ×1 (39.41%) ×2
Hyper Potion Hyper Potion ×2 ×3 (35.71%) ×2
Revive Revive ×2 (19.70%) ×3 (18.35%) ×3 (17.86%) ×3
Golden Razz Berry Golden Razz Berry ×1 (19.70%) ×1 (18.35%) ×2 (17.86%) ×1
Silver Pinap Berry Silver Pinap Berry ×2
Rare Candy Rare Candy ×1 (19.70%) ×2 (18.35%) ×3 (17.86%) ×2
Fast TM Fast TM
(Lv. 15+)
×1 (0.99%) ×1 (4.59%) ×1 (5.36%) ×1
Charged TM Charged TM
(Lv. 25+)
×1 (0.49%) ×1 (3.67%) ×1 (5.36%) ×1

The number of random bundles rewarded depends on the raid level and scales upward with the number of Premier Balls earned. The following table shows the number of random bundles rewarded based on the Premier Balls earned from:

  • Damage
  • Gym Control
  • Speed (this does not apply to Mega Raids, in which speed does not reward Premier Balls)
Number of random bundles
Premier Balls GO Raid Boss icon.png GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png GO Mega Raid icon.png
Premier Ball+0 ×2 ×3 ×4 ×4
Premier Ball+1 ×3 ×4 ×5 ×5
Premier Ball+2 ×3 ×5 ×6 ×6
Premier Ball+3 ×3 ×5 ×7 ×6
Premier Ball+4 ×3 ×6 ×7 ×7
Premier Ball+5 ×3 ×6 ×7 ×8
Premier Ball+6 ×3 ×6 ×8 ×8
Premier Ball+7 ×3 ×6 ×8
Premier Ball+8 ×4 ×7 ×8
Premier Ball+9 ×4 ×7 ×9
Premier Ball+10 ×4 ×7 ×9
Premier Ball+11 ×4 ×8 ×9
Premier Ball+12 ×4 ×8 ×10
Premier Ball+13 ×4 ×8 ×10
Premier Ball+14 ×4 ×8 ×10

Trainer Achievements

050Diglett.png This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Mechanics on how/which achievements are awarded

Raid Battle Trainer Achievements is a feature that was added to Raid Battles on June 24, 2021. Upon successfully completing a Raid Battle, a screen will display any individual achievements earned by players during that raid. Trainer Achievements have no effect on the other rewards earned from a raid. Each type of achievement can only be awarded to at most one player, and each player can only earn at most one achievement.

The following lists all the Trainer Achievements that can be awarded from a raid:

  • Charged and Ready — Performed ___ Charged Attacks
  • Final Strike — Delivered the final attack
  • Flush with Friends — Battled with ___ friends in the raid
  • Hardest Hitter — Dealt ___ damage
  • Mega Master — Used a Mega-Evolved Pokémon in battle
  • Raid Buddy — Brought a Buddy Pokémon into battle
  • Stamina Specialist — Battled for ___ seconds
  • Style Savant — Dressed to Impress
  • The Big One — Brought the largest Pokémon into battle
  • Traveler — Joined from ___ km away
  • Walk Star — Walked ___ km yesterday before the raid

Special events

EX Raids

An EX Raid invitation

Exclusive Raids (abbreviated as EX Raids) are five-star raids that require an EX Raid Pass to join. EX Raid Passes are given out to players that have completed a raid at a chosen EX Raid Gym in the previous week. These EX Raid Gyms are generally situated at sponsored venues or in parks, and they can be identified by an "EX Raid Gym" label on the top right-hand corner of the Gym screen and by a darker green shade on the map. The EX Raid Pass is a one-time offer, and should a player not be present, the pass will expire and disappear from their inventory. During an EX Raid, players without passes cannot see the Egg or Raid Boss, and if they attempt to interact with the Gym, they will be informed that the Gym is closed and will reopen when the EX Raid has ended.

With few exceptions, EX Raids typically occur once every calendar week, on no particular day of the week, with the respective EX Raid Passes automatically distributed at least one week in advance. Each player can only receive one EX Raid Pass per distribution, even if they have raided at multiple Gyms selected for an EX Raid that week.

If a player receives an EX Raid Pass from a scheduled distribution, they may invite only one Ultra Friend to the EX Raid; however, even if the friend declines, they will not be able to issue another invitation. Although a player may hold multiple EX Raid Passes at once, they may only have one EX Raid Pass via invitation at a time. If a player wishes to invite a friend who already has an EX Raid invitation, the game will not allow it until that invitation is first used, expired, or declined. Players also cannot send invitations to EX Raids that have already started.

Very rarely, EX Raids may be cancelled for various reasons (such as a Gym being removed or major real-world incidents). Players with the respective EX Raid Passes usually have been compensated with GO Stardust icon.png50,000 and five Premium Raid Passes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, EX Raids have been indefinitely suspended since March 2020. Genesect, which was originally scheduled to be the next EX Raid Boss, has since been featured in standard five-star raids instead.

The following lists all the EX Raid Bosses by availability dates in reverse chronological order.

GO EX Raid icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP Availability
55480 2389 - 2483

2987 - 3104

Nov 18, 2019 - March 13, 2020
54148 2294 - 2387

2868 - 2984

Oct 5 - Nov 12, 2019
Event move: Shadow Ball
GO386S.png


Deoxys
Speed Forme
45802 1568 - 1645

1960 - 2056

Jul 1 - Sep 28, 2019
GO386D.png


Deoxys
Defense Forme
36170 1228 - 1299

1535 - 1624

Mar 27 - Jun 24, 2019
GO386A.png


Deoxys
Attack Forme
41036 1372 - 1474

1716 - 1842

Dec 28, 2018 - Mar 19, 2019
GO386.png


Deoxys
Normal Forme
45891 1485 - 1570

1857 - 1963

Oct 1 - Dec 17, 2018
49430 2184 - 2275

2730 - 2844

Aug 14, 2017 - Aug 28, 2018

Elite Raids

Elite Raids are a special type of five-star raids that only appear during certain events. They are the apparent successor to EX Raids.

  • Like with EX Raids, Elite Raids will only spawn at EX Raid Gyms.
  • Elite Raid Eggs have a hatch timer of up to 24 hours. Once hatched, the Elite Raid Boss will remain at the Gym for 30 minutes.
  • Elite Raids can only be challenged locally, using a free Raid Pass or Premium Battle Pass. Remote Raid Passes cannot be used to enter an Elite Raid, and remote invitations cannot be sent.
  • Elite Raid Bosses have more HP than those of standard five-star raids.

The first Elite Raids took place on October 16, 2022 at 11:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m., featuring Hoopa Unbound.[4]

Shadow Raids

Shadow Raids were introduced into Pokémon GO on May 22, 2023. They feature Team GO Rocket grunts taking over gyms, and 1-star, 3-star, and 5-star Shadow Raid Bosses appearing at those gyms. These raids can only be participated in locally, and Remote Raid Passes cannot be used.

In 3-star and 5-star Shadow Raids, the raid boss will become enraged during the battle, receiving a boost to its Attack and Defence. It can be quelled by using Purified Gems, an item crafted from Shadow Shards dropped by Team GO Rocket members after Shadow Raids and trainer battles.

Pokémon GO at Pikachu Outbreak

During the Pikachu Outbreak event on August 9–15, 2017, special Raid Bosses were available at Pokémon GO Park events in Japan. These Raid Bosses have not been made available since the event. These were all classified as level 4 Bosses.

Mewtwo was also available as a level 5 Raid Boss during the event on August 14, 2017, at Yokohama Stadium, marking the first time that it had become available to players. Players who win the raid will also receive a minimum of 50 Premier Balls (instead of 6) for their bonus challenge.

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
11845 410 - 450

512 - 562

9079 329 - 364

411 - 455

35383 1961 - 2046

2451 - 2558

7144 531 - 585

664 - 731

27409 1501 - 1577

1877 - 1971

21604 1237 - 1305

1547 - 1631

27302 1373 - 1445

1716 - 1806

GO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
4012 670 - 720

838 - 901 </noinclude>

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
49430 2184 - 2275

2730 - 2844

GO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
4012 670 - 720

838 - 901 </noinclude>

Raid Days

Raid Days (also known as Special Raid Challenges) are time-limited events which allow players to defeat a Raid Boss within a three-hour window. Most Gyms during this period of time will have the Boss active for the one* hour, and if the Boss is defeated, the Pokémon encounter afterwards will have a 10% chance of becoming Shiny.[5] After the Raid time is up, Raid Boss gets renewed for another hour. Players may receive up to five free Raid Passes from Gyms during the three hour window. Raid Days often include event-exclusive moves, which may be known by the featured Pokémon if obtained during the raid hours (including via evolution or capture outside of raids).

Professor Willow's Global Challenge 2018

The first three Raid Challenges, the Legendary birds, were unlocked as part of Professor Willow's Global Challenge 2018, which ran over six days over the period from June 30 to September 2, 2018. As all three parts were successfully completed, all three legendary birds were available to players again from September 13 - 20, 2018 as part of the Ultra Bonus Event.[6]

The times for these raid challenges have so far been held at the same time:

  • Asia-Pacific: 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. JST (GMT +9)
  • Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. UTC (GMT +0)
  • The Americas and Greenland: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8)
GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP Event moves Date
29127 1599 - 1676

1999 - 2095

GO Flying.png Hurricane* July 7, 2018 (except Japan)
August 4, 2018 (Japan)
33068 1820 - 1902

2275 - 2378

GO Electric.png Thunder Shock July 21, 2018
32496 1788 - 1870

2235 - 2337

GO Flying.png Sky Attack September 8, 2018
Gengar Special Raid Challenge

Gengar was the first non-legendary Pokémon to be featured in a Special Raid Challenge on November 3, 2018.[7]

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP Event moves
31256 1420 - 1496

1776 - 1870

GO Ghost.png Lick
GO Psychic.png Psychic
Extraordinary Raid Week

Lapras was featured for a Raid Day as part of Extraordinary Raid Week 2019. The Lapras Raid Day took place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time on May 25 or, for Asia-Pacific only, May 26, 2019.

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP Event moves
23476 1435 - 1509

1794 - 1886

GO Ice.png Ice Shard
GO Ice.png Ice Beam
Professor Willow's Global Challenge 2019

For Professor Willow's Global challenge 2019, which ran in conjunction with GO Fest, the Legendary beasts were featured, but without any event-exclusive moves. These Raid Days all took place from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time.[8]

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP Date
45435 1889 - 1972

2361 - 2466

June 29, 2019
41758 1900 - 1984

2375 - 2480

July 14, 2019
37761 1627 - 1704

2033 - 2130

August 17, 2019
Evolution Event Raid Day

During the Evolution Event, a Raid Day featuring all three stages of the Kanto starter Pokémon took place on December 7, 2019, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time.

GO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
3656 590 - 637

737 - 796

3334 516 - 560

645 - 700

3113 497 - 540

621 - 675

GO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
4012 670 - 720

838 - 901 </noinclude>

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
8852 912 - 970

1141 - 1213

8715 887 - 944

1109 - 1180

7799 795 - 850

995 - 1063

GO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
4012 670 - 720

838 - 901 </noinclude>

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
28861 1480 - 1554

1851 - 1943

30958 1574 - 1651

1968 - 2064

26291 1338 - 1409

1673 - 1761

GO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
4012 670 - 720

838 - 901 </noinclude>

Valentine's Day 2020

A Raid Day featuring Lickitung with the event-exclusive move Body Slam was included as part of the Valentine's Day 2020 event. Any Lickilicky evolved from Lickitung during the event period also knew Body Slam. The Lickitung Raid Day took place on February 15, 2020, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time.

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP Event moves
14386 752 - 806

940 - 1008

GO Normal.png Body Slam
Pokémon Day 2020

As part of the Pokémon Day 2020 celebration, a Raid Day featuring both Gengar and Nidorino wearing party hats took place on March 1, 2020, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time. Like with the previous Gengar Raid Day, any Gengar caught or evolved into during the event period knew the event-exclusive moves Lick and Psychic.

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
GO033P20.png

Shiny possible

Nidorino
Party hat
7238 743 - 796

929 - 995

GO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
4012 670 - 720

838 - 901 </noinclude>

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP Event moves
GO094P20.png

Shiny possible

Gengar
Party hat
33531 1566 - 1644

1958 - 2055

GO Ghost.png Lick
GO Psychic.png Psychic
Alolan Marowak Raid Day

As part of the Halloween 2020 celebration, a Raid Day featuring Alolan Marowak took place on October 31, 2020, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time. Any Alolan Marowak caught during the event period knew the event-exclusive move Shadow Bone.

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP Event moves
GO105A.png

Shiny possible

Marowak
Alolan Form
13525 988 - 1048

1235 - 1311

GO Ghost.png Shadow Bone
Pokémon Day 2021

As part of the Pokémon Day 2021 celebration, a Raid Day featuring Legendary birds took place on February 28, 2021, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. Any Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres caught during the event period knew the event-exclusive moves Hurricane, Thunder Shock and Sky Attack respectively. During this event players could use Charged TMs on Shadow Pokémon to forget the move Frustration and the appearance of Team GO Rocket grunts at Pokéstops and in balloons was increased.

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP Event moves
29127 1599 - 1676

1999 - 2095

GO Flying.png Hurricane
33068 1820 - 1902

2275 - 2378

GO Electric.png Thunder Shock
32496 1788 - 1870

2235 - 2337

GO Flying.png Sky Attack
Mega Kangaskhan Raid Day

During the Mega Moment event, a Raid Day featuring Mega Kangaskhan took place on May 1, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time.

GO Mega Raid icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
GO115M.png

Shiny possible

Kangaskhan
Mega Kangaskhan
37140 1405 - 1477

1757 - 1847

Hisuian Braviary Raid Day

During the Hisuian Discoveries event, a Raid Day featuring Hisuian Braviary took place on July 31, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. For this event, chance for receiving Rare Candy XL from in-person Raid Battles was increased and players would get 50% more XP for winning raids.

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
GO628H.png

Shiny possible

Braviary
Hisuian Form
16865 1531 - 1608

1914 - 2010

Hoenn Mega Raid Day

A Raid Day featuring Mega Sceptile, Mega Blaziken and Mega Swampert took place on December 3, 2022, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time. Any Sceptile, Blaziken and Swampert caught or evolved into during the event period knew the event-exclusive moves Frenzy Plant, Blast Burn and Hydro Cannon respectively.

GO Mega Raid icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP Event moves
GO254M.png

Shiny possible

Sceptile
Mega Sceptile
45057 1500 - 1575

1876 - 1969

GO Grass.png Frenzy Plant
GO257M.png

Shiny possible

Blaziken
Mega Blaziken
44147 1550 - 1627

1938 - 2034

GO Fire.png Blast Burn
GO260M.png

Shiny possible

Swampert
Mega Swampert
43153 1622 - 1699

2027 - 2124

GO Water.png Hydro Cannon
Hisuian Avalugg Raid Day

During the Winter Holiday Part 2 event, a Raid Day featuring Hisuian Avalugg took place on December 24, 2022, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time.

GO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.pngGO Raid Boss icon.png
Pokémon Boss CP Catch CP
GO713H.png

Shiny possible

Avalugg
Hisuian Form
21854 1892 - 1975

2365 - 2469

Legendary Raid Hour

Legendary Raid Hours were introduced to increase opportunities for more players to participate in Legendary Raids. Initially as an experiment, the event was known as Legendary Lunch Hour, in which level 5 Raid Bosses spawned in many Gyms all at once from 12 p.m. and remained for an entire hour until 1 p.m. After receiving player feedback, the hour was changed to start at 6 p.m. and remain until 7 p.m. Raid Eggs will also spawn with a 20-minute timer before the start of the raids. Only Gyms that do not currently have Raid Bosses or Eggs may spawn a raid for Legendary Raid Hour.

  • Dialga - Mar. 13, 2019, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. [9]
  • Giratina (Origin Forme) - Apr. 10, 2019, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. [10]
  • Latios - Apr. 19, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (unannounced)
  • Groudon - May 1, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (unannounced)

Since June 5, 2019, there has been a Legendary Raid Hour every Wednesday from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time.[11] Exception were on July 10 and July 31, 2019, when the Raid Hour was skipped due to the Legendary Raid Boss rotating the same day, which would have resulted in different Raid Bosses depending on the time zone. The Raid Hour for Mewtwo, on September 18, 2019, was also cancelled for most nations following reports of raids not appearing in New Zealand and appearing 30 minutes ahead of schedule in South Australia and Northern Territory; a makeup date was rescheduled for October 8, 2019, with players being able to obtain two additional free Raid Passes during the hour.

Due to the gathering restrictions put into effect because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Raid Hour on March 18, 2020, was cancelled, and no Raid Hours took place until May 6.

Updates

  • On February 3, 2019, the HP of three-, four-, and five-star Raid Bosses were increased by 20%. This adjustment was made to account for the recently increased multiplier for super effective moves.
  • On August 27, 2020, Raid Battles have been consolidated from five levels to three; level 2 Raid Bosses were added to the level 1 pool, and level 4 Raid Bosses were added to the level 3 pool.[12]
  • On September 3, 2020, the amount of Mega Energies earned from a Mega Raid was significantly increased.[13]

In the anime

A Raid Battle in the anime

A Raid Battle was first seen in Legend? Go! Friends? Go!, where a group of Trainers, including Ash, teamed up to battle a Lugia that appeared in Vermilion City. However, Lugia was able to easily withstand all of the attacks thrown at it and defeat its opponents with little effort.

Another Raid Battle took place in Raid Battle in The Ruins!, where Ash, Goh, Kira, the excavation leader, and Shane Seeker participated in one against a giant Golurk in the Colossus Ruins. After Golurk was defeated, it was caught by Goh.

In A Crackling Raid Battle!, Ash, Goh, Jessie, and James fought a Zapdos in a Raid Battle at the Kanto Power Plant. However, Team Rocket soon abandoned the Raid Battle in favor of trying to steal Ash's Pikachu, leaving Goh to battle Zapdos alone. Despite managing to land some hits on it, Goh ultimately failed to capture the Legendary Pokémon.

In Battling in the Freezing Raid!, Ash, Goh, Gary, and Horace took part in a Raid Battle against an Articuno at the Seafoam Islands. For the last three, the Raid Battle served as a Project Mew Trial Mission. While they failed to defeat Articuno, they still fared well enough to pass the mission.

In Heroes Unite!, Lugia reappeared before Ash and Goh while they were camping, and they challenged it to a Raid Battle. The battle took place in the next episode, with Ash and Goh failing to deal any visible damage on Lugia, despite giving it their best efforts.

Gallery

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 團體戰 Tyùhntái Jin
Mandarin 團體戰 Tuántǐ Zhàn
Finland Flag.png Finnish Raid-ottelu
France Flag.png French Combat de Raid
Germany Flag.png German Raid-Kämpfe
Italy Flag.png Italian Battaglie Raid
South Korea Flag.png Korean 레이드배틀 Raid Battle
Poland Flag.png Polish Bitwa Grupowa
Brazil Flag.png Brazilian Portuguese Batalha de Reide
Russia Flag.png Russian Рейд Reyd
Spain Flag.png Spanish Combates de incursión
Sweden Flag.png Swedish Rädstrid
Thailand Flag.png Thai แบตเทิลตีบอส Battle Ti Boss
Turkey Flag.png Turkish Akın Maçı

References


Project Sidegames logo.png This article is part of Project Sidegames, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon Sidegames.