Are Shadow Raids coming to Pokemon Go?

Ezequiel Leis
Shadow Pokemon in Pokemon Go

A new Pokemon Go leak suggests there will be a new type of Raid for players to tackle soon, so here are all the details on these Shadow Raids so far.

The Pokemon Go community has been very active lately thanks to different events, some very daunting leaks, and returning Elite Raids. A new leak suggests Niantic are planning to bring a new type of Raid and players are equally excited and worried about what’s coming to the mobile game.

While a leak doesn’t necessarily mean a new feature is coming, new information matches previous leaks and experts suggest that new Shadow Raids are coming soon.

What are Shadow Raids in Pokemon Go?

The PokeMiners community found new assets in the latest Pokemon Go update that suggest Shadow Raids are coming. “There are new Shadow Raids. There are 5 levels, and there is a new raid ticket specifically for these new Shadow Raids. You get additional XP from these Shadow Raids and they appear to be remotable,” the dataminer explained in a Twitter post.

PokeMiners also mentioned there was a new purple Raid ticket added back in September, which suggests it might have a connection with these new Shadow Raids.

To sum the news up, the leak suggests there will be a new type of premium ticketed Raid featuring powerful Shadow Pokemon. Players will have the possibility of tackling them remotely at the cost of earning less XP than in-person.

Niantic announced that they’ll be focusing on in-person activities for the rest of the year, so this might be one of their main efforts. PokeMiners also found data suggesting changes to Raids and Gym battles that include new form changes, attack modifiers, and usable items. It seems Pokemon Go Raids are ready for an overhaul.

Players think the five levels mentioned above might work similarly to Team Go Rocket mechanics. Players will have to tackle different low-level bosses before going against a very powerful one.

While not all players are excited about the premium aspect of the leak, many are okay with it as long as the rewards are powerful Shadow Pokemon, including some Legendaries.

When are Shadow Raids expected to arrive in Pokemon Go?

Shadow Raids haven’t been announced officially in Pokemon Go yet, so we don’t know when they’re coming. Niantic might be planning on releasing this feature with a new in-game event, so be on the lookout for official announcements in the coming months.


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Image Credits: Niantic / The Pokemon Company

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About The Author

Ezequiel is a Writer at CharlieIntel. With a great knowledge on gaming, movies and TV, he's focused on Pokemon and Games stories in general. With a journalism degree, Ezequiel has worked on La Cosa and Infobae, two of the most prestigious outlets in Argentina. He joined CharlieIntel in 2023. You can reach Ezequiel at [email protected], or via his Twitter @ExoLeis.