Shiny Pokémon are the ultimate prize for most players in the franchise. These rare, alternate colorations first appeared as a feature in Pokémon Gold and Silver, and they act as trophies for those who spend days searching for the elusive creatures.
In the main series games, starting with Pokémon X and Y, there is a 1/4,096 chance of encountering a Shiny Pokémon in the wild, a rate that can be altered slightly with means such as the Shiny Charm. Game-specific factors like the Poké Radar, chain fishing, Massive Mass Outbreaks, and the Friend Safari can increase this rate.
In the mobile title Pokémon Go, the Shiny rates of Pokémon vary depending on in-game events. Special opportunities like Community Days normally feature specific Pokémon who can be more frequently found in their Shiny forms for a handful of hours, with the rates then returning to normal after the event concludes. Passes that can be bought for real-life currency can even provide players with access to Shiny Pokémon that are not available in the main series.
Pokémon Go also locks specific Shiny forms of Pokémon behind these events, then removes them shortly thereafter. There is no rate increase in these cases: they simply encourage fans to play the game during the event’s duration for the off-chance that sparkles will appear on their screen.
Rarest Shiny Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Mew
The ancestor of all Pokémon, Mew, could only be legitimately found in its Shiny coloration in the main series games if players received an event ticket in Pokémon FireRed, LeafGreen, or Emerald to travel to Faraway Island, where they would then have to soft-reset for the blue hue of Shiny Mew to appear. The modern method of obtaining a legitimate Shiny Mew is nearly just as difficult, and is now no longer available.
Shiny Mew was the reward for completing Pokémon Go’s first Masterwork Research in conjunction with 2021’s Pokémon Go Tour: Kanto event. After completing pages of arduous tasks, such as obtaining every Pokémon from the Kanto region and catching over 1,500 Pokémon, players would get the chance to catch a Shiny Mew for themselves.
However, this research required an in-game purchase, which is no longer available. It is unclear if and how Shiny Mew will appear in Pokémon Go in the future.
Meltan and Melmetal
The Shiny availability of these two Mythical Pokémon isdetermined solely by Niantic. During events such as the game’s anniversary, Shiny Meltan becomes available to encounter through the Mystery Box without boosting rates.
Since the Mystery Box can only be opened for one hour every three days, players only have two or three attempts to encounter Shiny Meltan during the specific event periods . Evolving Meltan into Melmetal requires 400 Meltan Candies and cannot be done in the main series titles, so once players have their Mystery Boxes open, it’s best to use some Pinap Berries for extra Candies.
Celebi
Shiny Celebi changes the Time Travel Pokémon from a light green coloration to various shades of pink, which players of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky may remember fondly. Like Mew, the Shiny version of this Pokémon has rarely been obtainable in the main series titles except through distributions.
Luckily, Pokémon Go players in late 2020 got an opportunity to add a Shiny Celebi—and the then-new Mythical Pokémon, Zarude—to their rosters with new Special Research commemorating the release of the new movie, “Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle.”
Unfortunately, players that missed the window of obtaining this Special Research cannot obtain it anymore, thus locking the chance to get these two Mythical Pokémon—including the Shiny version of one—in the past.
Jirachi
Similarly to Shiny Mew, Shiny Jirachi is locked behind a Pokémon Go Tour-exclusive purchasable Masterwork Research. It was released earlier this year to commemorate the Pokémon Go Tour: Hoenn, which added all of the remaining Shiny Pokémon from the Hoenn region to the mobile title.
Unlike the previous Masterwork Researches, the path to Shiny Jirachi is blocked by having to catch thousands of Pokémon, locating the elusive Kecleon, and raising your level significantly. Only then can players catch the alternate coloration of the Wish Pokémon, then either keep it in Pokémon Go or transfer it to the main series titles through Pokémon HOME.
The purchase period for the Shiny Jirachi Masterwork Research just ended, so players who missed out on buying this ticket have since lost their opportunity to obtain a Shiny Jirachi.
Various costumed Pokémon
Most events introduce Pokémon in themed costumes, and unless it is an annual one, they are never to be made available again. Some of these Pokémon were Shinies, so if players could catch some, they are some of the rarest Shiny Pokémon in the game.
The list of these costumed Pokémon is expected to grow exponentially as service for the mobile title continues, leaving it up to the most dedicated players to find their Shiny forms during their limited availability periods.
Unowné
These mysterious Pokémon can be found in the wild much like any other Pokémon, but their appearance rate is significantly lowered outside of specific event periods, normally involving Legendary Pokémon or worldwide celebrations.
With 28 separate forms based on the letters of the alphabet and two punctuation marks, most Pokémon Go players will have a difficult time completing their collection. Shiny hunters are even worse off, as only a handful of Unown’s forms can be found Shiny, with more being added on an irregular basis.
A complete collection of Shiny Unown in Pokémon Go is not currently possible, though if players want their best chance to find a Shiny version of this Pokémon, they should look towards events like Pokémon Go Fest.
Smeargle
The Painter Pokémon is already difficult to find in Pokémon Go due to its exclusivity to the snapshot mode, but its Shiny form is even harder to acquire. Normally, Shiny Smeargle can appear in snapshots taken during events based on fashion and photography, which normally occur once or twice a year. After that, players will need to keep an eye on official Pokémon Go social media channels to see if Shiny Smeargle will be making a reappearance any time soon.
Darkrai
The Pitch Black Pokémon has been recognized as one of the most popular and elusive ones in the franchise since its debut in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.
In Pokémon Go, Darkrai only normally appears as a Raid boss during the annual Halloween event, which normally lasts for about two weeks every October. After defeating it in these Raids, lucky players may encounter the midnight-blue coloration of its Shiny form.
Genesect
Yet another Mythical Pokémon on this list is Genesect, the Paleozoic Pokémon, who first appeared in Pokémon Black and White as a creation of Team Plasma.It has rarely been available to players of the main series titles outside of limited distribution periods, with its Shiny form being even more elusive—only appearing as a distribution in certain regions to commemorate the release of the movie “Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened.”
While Shiny Genesect can be found in Pokémon Go—including Shiny versions of its different Drive forms—this Mythical Pokémon does not often appear in Raids where it can be battled and caught. It has been nearly three years since any form of Genesect has been featured as a Raid boss, with no indication as to when it will make a return.
Region-exclusive Pokémon
Pokémon Go treats the real world as if it were the actual world of Pokémon. Therefore, just like in the games, certain Pokémon can only be found in certain places, being referred to as “region-exclusive Pokémon.” This can mean that a Pokémon can only be found on a certain continent, country, or even a specific city.
Occasionally, Niantic holds events where region-exclusive Pokémon can be obtained outside of their normal habitat, such as through Raids or in specific Eggs. However, these events are not held often, and they normally run for about a week at a time.
Players should also note that not all region-exclusive Pokémon can yet be found Shiny, and more of them are likely to be added in the near future.
