Pokemon GO is full of rare Pokemon that can be caught by different means. Participating Events, Raids, or just walking around could, at any moment, get you into an encounter with an ultra-rare Pokemon to add to your collection. However, some Pokemon are more rare than others in Pokemon GO and that’s because of how the game is designed.
Since Pokemon GO is largely based around RNG things can be harder for some players and less hard for others. Though some Pokemon are hard to find because they need to be found during special events, or special weather conditions, some can only be found in certain parts of the world. In this guide we’re going to go over some of the rarest Pokemon in Pokemon GO.
Pokemon GO – Rarest Pokemon in No Particular Order
The list below is a comprehensive list of rare Pokemon in Pokemon GO. For the most part, luck is going to play a huge role in how rare a Pokemon is, especially for those that can be found in the wild. But as you’ll read in this list of rare Pokemon it doesn’t matter how much you play it’ll be impossible to find Pokemon in some cases.
Unown
This Psychic-type Pokemon is purportedly the rarest Pokemon in Pokemon GO. It has many different forms which are ultimately letters in the Latin alphabet. This Pokemon was released all the way back in 2017 but it’s still as hard as ever to catch an Unown and even harder to get a Shiny Unown. This is mainly because Unown is only available during events. There have been numerous events that Unown has been released during.
One of the best times to catch an Unown in Pokemon GO is during the annual Pokemon GO Fest event. This has seen Unown spawning for ticket holders during the festival. But it’s not the only times you can catch an Unown. Bigger events in different regions have also seen the release of Unown. This includes events like the Game Developer’s Conference, New York Comic-Con, E3, and more.
In May 2021, Unown could be caught during Special Weekend.
Tirtouga
Tirtouga is a Water, Rock-Type Pokemon that has been available since January 2020, but that was during a special event. Since then, Tirtouga has only been able to be found in the wild. That is, up until the recent season of Alola. Which is currently going on now, but it’s going to depend on your location for this Pokemon. During the Season of Alola you will need to live nearby Beaches and Water to find a Tirtouga in Pokemon GO.
Pancham
This Fighting-Type Pokemon was released in 2018 and could be hatched via a 12km egg or it could also be found in Raids and hasn’t traditionally appeared in the wild making it very hard to find. More recently Pancham was added to the game which gave more players time to catch it during the Luminous Legends X and Y events.
If you missed out, this Pokemon is still a very rare find.
Goomy
Goomy is a Dragon-Type Pokemon that is rare because of the lack of encounters with this Pokemon in the wild. Goomy was available for a short time during the Luminous Legends event, but for most Pokemon GO players that’s the last time this Pokemon has been easy to find. Goomy can be hatched from a 10km Egg, but because of the Egg Pool rotations in Pokemon GO this one can still be really hard to get.
Even during the Luminous Legends event players were having a hard time catching Goomy, even with increased dragon spawns, incense & lures.
Noibat
Noibat is a Flying, Dragon-Type Pokemon that has seen a number of different methods to catch, yet still remains one of the rarest Pokemon in Pokemon GO. The Noibat can be hatched from 10km Eggs, and it can be found in the wild. While you might want to go out and play Pokemon GO on nice days, if you head into a windy day you might have a better chance at catching a Noibat.
Since 2020, Noibat has been a weather boosted Pokemon, meaning that your chances of an encounter go up when it’s a certain weather condition. In the case of Noibat, you want to venture out when it’s windy to have an increased chance to catch it.
The Lake Trio – Azelf, Mesprit, Uxie
Azelf, Mesprit, Uxie make up The Lake Trio, and the Lake Guardians collection is almost impossible to achieve unless you’ve got a private plane. Uxie is only available in Asia, Mesprit is locked to Europe, and Azelf is available in the Americas. Talk about an expensive collection if you were looking to collect all three. Beating the Raid during the event is really the only way to get just one Pokemon that corresponds with your region.
While during certain events for the Lake Trio it was hoped by many that Niantic would rotate the Pokemon during the event, it turned out that this would not be the case.
Meltan
Meltan is one of the rarest Pokemon that isn’t specifically tied to an event so it’s very possible to still catch it. But, you’re going to need to have a Nintendo Switch and a copy of Pokemon Let’s Go. Completing a transfer between Pokemon Let’s GO and Pokemon GO will give you a Mystery Box. Getting this Mystery Box will make Meltan spawn around you for a period of 30 minutes. During that time you can catch as many Meltan as possible.
But, if you don’t have a Nintendo Switch and a copy of Pokemon Let’s GO Eevee or Let’s GO Pikachu you’re going to have wait until Meltan is included in an event to catch it. Most recently, Meltan could be gotten in a similar Mystery Box fashion for the release of Pokemon Home.
Pikachu Libre
This ultra-rare Pokemon is only attainable if you get to the top ranks of the GO Battle League. That means, only a small handful of POGO players actually have the opportunity to get them because while Pikachu Libre is technically always available you must meet those requirements to get this rare Pikachu Costume.
If you reach the Legend Rank in GO Battle League you will be guaranteed an encounter with Pikachu Libre, however, that will be the one time you can actually find this Pokemon with a chance to catch it.
Region Locked Pokemon
There’s an obvious problem for region-locked Pokemon in completing your Pokedex. The only way you’re ever going to find one is if you are in a certain part of the world. This list of region-locked Pokemon are some of the hardest to find unless you’re a world traveler that’s also on the lookout when in these areas.
- Bouffalant (NYC and surrounding areas)
- Chatot (Southern Hemisphere)
- Carnivine (Florida and South Carolina)
- Corsola (Near the equator)
- Heracross (Southern U.S. and South America )
- Klefki (Mainly France but found in other areas of Europe surrounding France)
- Maractus (Southern U.S. and South America)
- Mime Jr. (Europe)
- Pachirisu (Alaska, Canada, Russia)
- Panpour (North and South America)
- Pansage (Asia Pacific)
- Pansear (Europe, Africa, India, Middle East)
- Relicanth (New Zealand)
- Sawk (Europe, Asia, Middle East, Australasia)
- Sigilyph (Albania, Egypt, Greece, Israel)
- Throh (North America, South America, Africa)
- Torkoal (Southern Asian countries)
- Tropius (Africa, Southern Spain)
Raid Based Legendary Pokemon
Niantic doesn’t just lock some Pokemon behind regions or events, some are tied to very specific game modes. Many Legendary Pokemon are only available during specific Raid events. Being tied to specific events these Pokemon are hard to get because if that event is going on, you can’t get them any other way.
Raids can be a pretty tough way to catch the Pokemon that you want, but it might be the only way possible. When completing a Raid you will get the opportunity to catch the Pokemon and some of these Raid bosses can be shiny encounters. Raids do rotate out, so there are many Pokemon on this list and not included that aren’t available depending on when you are reading this.
- Articuno
- Zapdos
- Moltres
- Mewtwo
- Mega Latias
- Mega Charizard
- and more
Shiny Pokemon
Shiny Pokemon are just as hard to get as some of these other rare Pokemon because the spawn rates are so low. Looking for Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon GO is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. We’ve got a number of Tips and Tricks for you to use to try and catch more shinies, but at the end of the day a lot of it is going to come down to luck.
And that’s the full list of the rarest Pokemon in Pokemon GO. If you think we missed one, let us know on Twitter.
