How to get shiny Meltan in Pokemon Go: Mystery Box explained

Ezequiel Leis
Multiple Meltan in Pokemon Go

Meltan is a sought-after Pokemon, but players have an interesting method to catch it in Pokemon Go. Here’s everything you need to know about the Mystery Box and how to use it to catch shiny Meltan in the mobile game.

Pokemon Go players met Meltan in 2018 with the release of Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee, but not many know how to get it in their games beyond special events and Research.

In this article, you’ll find everything you need to know about Meltan in Pokemon Go, including the Mystery Box, its shiny availability, and how to evolve it into Melmetal.

What is the Mystery Box in Pokemon Go?

The Mystery Box is an item that players can get in Pokemon Go and it works the same way as an Incense, but it only attracts Meltan. Pretty much like the Coin Bag that attracts Gimmighoul introduced after Pokemon Scarlet and Violet‘s release.

Once activated, the Mystery Box attracts Meltan for 60 minutes and has a cooldown of three days, so be ready to make the most out of it.

Meltan and a Mystery Box in Pokemon Go
The Mystery Box is like an Incense focused only on Meltan.

How to get the Mystery Box in Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go players must transfer one of their Pokemon from the mobile game to Pokemon Home or Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu/Eevee to get the Mystery Box. If you’ve never done this, we’ve got you covered.

If you want to transfer a Pokemon to Pokemon Home, you should first download the app on your mobile device. You don’t need to pay for any premium plan to transfer Pokemon and get the Mystery Box. Once you have the app, follow these steps:

  1. Open Pokemon Go and tap the Poke Ball at the bottom.
  2. Tap Settings at the top right corner of the screen.
  3. Tap ‘Connected Devices and Services.’
  4. Tap ‘Pokemon Home.’
  5. Sign in using the same Nintendo Account you used to set up Pokemon Home.

Once you do that, the ‘Sign In‘ button will be replaced with the ‘Send Pokemon‘ button. Every time you need to send a Pokemon from Go to Home, just tap it and select the Pokemon you want to send via the Go Transporter. You’ll receive the Mystery Box in your Item Bag right after your first transfer.

Do note that Pokemon sent to Pokemon Home can’t be sent back to Pokemon Go, so only do this with Pokemon you don’t want in your game anymore.

How to catch Meltan in Pokemon Go

The only way to get Meltan in Pokemon Go is through the Mystery Box. So, once you have it in your Item Bag, open it and Meltan will spawn around you for 60 minutes. Catch as many as you can until the time runs out.

After the 60 minutes pass, players need to wait three days until they can use the Mystery Box again. This cooldown is reduced during some special events. Once the cooldown time is over, players need to transfer another Pokemon to get a new chance at catching Meltan.

Evolving Meltan into Melmetal requires 400 Candy, so make sure you use Pinap berries when catching Meltan to increase the amount of Candy earned. Of course, setting Meltan as your Buddy can also help a lot.

Can Meltan be shiny in Pokemon Go?

Shiny Meltan is available in Pokemon Go, but it only appears during special events, so be on the lookout for news and announcements.


For more Pokemon content, check out our other guides:

Pokemon Go Timeless Travels: Start date, Hisuian debuts, events, moreBest Pokemon for PvP battles in Pokemon Go | How to get revives in Pokemon Go | Pokemon Go best attackers ranked | All Pokemon Go Timeless Travels Special Research tasks & rewardsPokemon Go Winter Wonderland: Date, bonuses, Wyrdeer debut, more | How many Pokemon types are in Scarlet & Violet?

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About The Author

Ezequiel is a Games Writer at CharlieIntel. With a great knowledge of gaming, he's focused mostly on Pokemon, Fortnite, and HoYoverse titles such as Genshin Impact and Honkai Impact. With a journalism degree, Ezequiel has worked on La Cosa and Infobae, two of the most prestigious outlets in Latin America. He joined CharlieIntel in 2023. You can reach Ezequiel at [email protected]