Posted in: Games, Mobile Games, Niantic, Pokémon GO | Tagged: Memories in Motion, pokemon, shiny pokemon

Major Changes Are Coming to Shiny Pokémon in Pokémon GO

The way that Shiny Pokémon will be encountered and released in Pokémon GO all changes this March, with Memories in Motion.

Ever since Magikarp first sparkled in Pokémon GO, Shiny encounters have been one of the most exciting aspects of the game. Shinies have always worked in very specific ways, though. With only a few exceptions, evolved species could not be encountered in their Shiny forms. Instead, you would have to catch the first stage of a species and evolve it up to obtain that evolved Shiny. Further, Shadow Pokémon had their own dedicated Shiny releases. Shiny rates were also largely set to species rather than encounter types. This March, all of that, and more, changes…

Here's what's changing for the Memories in Motion season in Pokémon GO:

• Date and time: March 3 at 10:00 a.m. to June 2, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. local time
• Changes to Shiny Pokémon: This is the big one. Here is everything we know along with commentary.
  • Any evolved Pokémon in the wild can be Shiny if it has already had its Shiny debut in Pokémon GO
    • Previously, only Mega-capable evolved species have been able to be Shiny in the wild outside of special event bonuses. This is a major change that impacts how we've understood wild encounters for the entire time Shinies have been obtainable in the game.
  • In addition, Trainers will have an increased chance of encountering Shiny Pokémon from Raid Battles and hatching them from Eggs compared to wild encounters.
    • Same here. Previously, outside of special event bonuses, Shiny rates were assigned to species rather than type of encounters. It remains to be seen just how boosted a Shiny rate we will see for Raids and Eggs.
  • Any Pokémon rescued from Team GO Rocket that has made its Shiny debut can also be Shiny—if you're lucky!
    • Another big change. This essentially is a mass release of Shiny Shadows when, in the past, we only saw Shiny Shadows released initially either through Shadow Raids or by being the encounter of a Leader battle, which then enabled it to be Shiny permanently when encountered through Grunts. This changes everything.
  • Trainers will have an increased chance of rescuing Shiny Pokémon from Team GO Rocket leaders and Giovanni compared to Grunts.
    • This now means that the Legendaries Giovanni features can be Shiny from the very start. Wow.

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