Pokemon GO Shiny Guide – Odds & Rates

Here’s everything you need to know about shiny odds in Pokemon GO, including the shiny rate for different types of Pokemon and what events boost your chances of catching shinies!

Pokemon GO players want to catch ’em all, but there’s not just one version of every Pokemon. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a shiny version of a Pokemon which is a different color to the standard one.

However, catching a shiny Pokemon isn’t easy. In fact, the odds of encountering a shiny Pokemon are very small and vary depending on what Pokemon it is.

What Are Shiny Odds & Shiny Rate in Pokemon GO?

Shiny odds or shiny rate in Pokemon GO are used to measure the probability of encountering a shiny version of a Pokemon.

It is measured using a percentage or fraction. We will provide both of these numbers for you so you can choose to use whichever you prefer.

For instance, the odds of Pikachu being shiny in Pokemon GO are 0.2% or 1 in 500. This means that, on average, if you encounter a Pikachu 500 times, you will find 1 shiny Pikachu.

However, different Pokemon have different shiny rates depending on their rarity. Plus, in-game events can also boost the likelihood of encountering shiny Pokemon.

Base Shiny Rate in Pokemon GO

The base shiny rate in Pokemon GO is 0.2% or 1 in 500. This means that you will most likely have to encounter any Pokemon with this shiny rate 500 times before you find one.

Most Pokemon in the game have this base shiny rate, but there are a few exceptions.

Best Ways to Get More Shiny Pokemon

Increasing your chances of catching shiny Pokemon relies on when and how often you’re playing the game.

• Play Pokemon GO more. The more Pokemon you encounter, the more chances you have to find a shiny Pokemon.
• Play during Pokemon GO events that have boosted shiny odds. There are a few times where the chance of catching shinies is boosted.
• Make sure to tap on every Pokemon you see. Even if it might not be a Pokemon you are after, there’s always the chance of it being shiny. You can always back out if it turns out to be a standard version you don’t want to catch!

Pokemon With Medium Shiny Rate

A handful of Pokemon have a slightly boosted shiny rate of 0.8% or 1 in 125. These are reasonably rare Pokemon that you would be lucky to encounter in the wild.

According to estimates from The Silph Road, some Pokemon with a 0.8% shiny rate include:

• Gible
• Galarian Stunfisk
• Shinx

Pokemon With Permanently Boosted Shiny Rate

There are some rare Pokemon that have a shiny rate of roughly 1.6% or 1 in 62.5. These Pokemon are ones that very rarely or never spawn in the wild.

Pokemon that have 1.6% shiny rate include:

• Baby Pokemon
  • eg. Togepi, Mime Jr, Happiny
• Very Rare Wild Spawn Pokemon
  • eg. Sneasel, Bronzor, Farfetch’d
• Evolved Pokemon that can be caught in Mega Raids
  • eg. Blastoise, Charizard, Venusaur
• Shadow Pokemon with shiny forms

Legendary Shiny Rate

The Legendary shiny rate in Pokemon GO is 5% or 1 in 20.

Therefore, finding a shiny version of a Legendary Pokemon or Ultra Beast is a lot more common than every other Pokemon as you should, on average, find a shiny Legendary every 20 encounters.

Community Day Shiny Rate

The featured Pokemon on Community Days gets a boosted shiny rate of 4% or 1 in 25.

If you want to catch a shiny version of the featured Community Day Pokemon, there is no better time to catch one.

Spotlight Hour Shiny Rate

The shiny rate for Pokemon is not boosted during Spotlight Hours. This means that the featured Pokemon will have its standard shiny rate, usually 0.2% or 1 in 500.

Despite this, Spotlight Hours are still a great time to find shiny Pokemon (providing the featured Pokemon has a shiny form) due to the sheer number of the particular Pokemon spawning.

Raid Day Shiny Rate

The shiny rate is boosted on Pokemon GO Raid Days. The featured Raid Pokemon has a shiny rate of 4% or 1 in 25.

This means that if you beat a featured Pokemon Raid on the Raid Day, there is a 1 in 25 chance of it being shiny.

Pokemon GO Shiny Odds List

*Featured Pokemon only
**Unchanged, same as base rate

Good luck catching shiny Pokemon and adding them to your Pokedex. You’ll need a lot of luck (and Pokeballs) if you want to catch ’em all!