Pokemon Go devs nerf Remote Raid Passes with new prices & limitations
Niantic officially announced changes to Pokemon Go Remote Raid Passes that include a price raise and new limitations.
After some rumors and leaks anticipated changes to one of Pokemon Go‘s most used items, Niantic officially announced that Remote Raid Passes will receive a major update in April.
Remote Raid Passes were introduced in 2020 when players couldn’t get out of their homes to play the popular mobile game, but have increased in popularity even after the Pandemic.
“Since their introduction in 2020, Remote Raid Passes have come to dominate the experience of playing Pokémon GO in a way we never intended”, states the official Pokemon Go blog. While many players kept using this item to participate in Raids all over the world, Remote Raid Passes also helped rural players tackle Raids, which is something they couldn’t do before.
New Remote Raid Pass prices in Pokemon Go
According to the official Pokemon Go blog, the price of a single Remote Raid Pass will increase to 195 PokeCoins. It currently costs 100 PokeCoins. The price of the Remote Raid Pass three-pack will increase from 300 PokeCoins to 525 PokeCoins on April 6, 2023, at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET / 7 PM BST.
Additionally, Niantic revealed that a Premium Battle Pass three-pack will be added to the shop for the price of 250 PokeCoins. This change will try to encourage players to participate in more in-person Raids.
New Remote Raid Pass limitations in Pokemon Go
The official Pokemon Go blog post also announced that trainers will be able to participate in a maximum of five Remote Raids per day. It also notes that the maximum may change and increase for special events.
Pokemon Go players were planning a boycott when this information leaked and they aren’t very happy with the new changes now. However, Niantic announced other changes to the Pokemon Go dynamics that look to balance out the Remote Raid Pass nerf.
From now on, Remote Raid Passes will be included in the pool of potential rewards for Research Breakthroughs. This will only work if trainers have less than the maximum allowed of three Remote Raid Passes in their inventories.
The blog post also notes that “if a Trainer earns a Remote Raid Pass from a Research Breakthrough while at the three Remote Raid Pass limit, they will receive a Premium Battle Pass instead.”
Niantic also revealed that trainers who participate in 5-Star Raids in person will earn more Candy XL than before. While the developers hope this will bring more people to in-person Raids, we’ll have to wait and see players’ reactions to these controversial updates in the coming days.
If you’re looking for more Pokemon content, make sure to check if Shadow Raids are coming to Pokemon Go and the best Pokemon to use in Master League.
Image Credits: Niantic / The Pokemon Company