Trainers, a major change is coming to Pokémon GO: Remote Raiding is coming to Shadow Raids, Max Battles and Gigantamax Battles! Read on to find out when and how these changes will be applied.
We hope in-person communities who have worked hard to create communities to participate in Max Battles won’t be too badly affected by these impending changes, whilst equally we are thrilled for rural trainers who previously couldn’t partake in these battles now being able to!
Summary of the changes
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| From May 13, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. PDT (GMT −7) | Remote Shadow Raids go live |
| Increased Daily Limit for Remote Raids goes live (10 per day) | |
| From May 19, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. PDT (GMT −7) | Remote Max Battles go live |
| Increased Max Particles limit goes live (1500 particles) |
Updates to Shadow Raids
From May 13, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. PDT (GMT −7)
Starting with the Crown Clash: Taken Over event on May 13, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. PDT (GMT −7), Trainers can participate in a Shadow Raid remotely with a Remote Raid Pass. This change will remain in effect after the event ends.
Hint: Shadow Raids will count towards the daily limit of Remote Raids.
Remote Raid Daily Limit Increase
From May 13, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. PDT (GMT −7)
Starting on May 13, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. PDT (GMT −7), the daily Remote Raid limit will increase from 5 to 10. This maximum may increase for special events in the future. Both Shadow and normal Raids will count towards the Remote Raid Daily limit.
Max Battles Update
From May 19, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. PDT (GMT −7)
Beginning on May 19, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. PDT (GMT −7), ahead of Gigantamax Machamp Max Battle Day, Trainers will be able to join Max Battles remotely by using both a Remote Raid Pass and the usual number of Max Particles. (*)
The ability to join Max Battles remotely will remain in effect after the end of the event. Trainers who participate in Max Battles in person will earn more Premier Balls and XP than before as an incentive to battle in person. More Premier Balls will be a very welcome addition!
The limit of Max Particles Trainers can hold will increase from 1,000 to 1,500. This maximum may increase for special events.
(*) The Remote Raid limit will increase to 20 from Saturday May 24, at 5:00 p.m. to Sunday, May 25, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. PDT.
Pokémon GO Web Store – Remote Raid Pass Bundle
A Remote Raid Pass bundle is now available on the Pokémon GO Web Store for US$2.99 (or the equivalent pricing tier in your local currency). The Remote Raid Pass bundle will include two Remote Raid Passes.
Our thoughts on these changes
Niantic has been ignoring the Remote Raiding community for far too long, and we think these changes are coming just in time. Some aspects of the game need a little push in terms of accessibility, especially Max Battles, which are the newest form of group combat, and by what we see, the format with lowest player participation.
Remote Shadow Raids are probably going to skyrocket into the most popular type of Raids out there, especially if new and exciting Shadow Bosses are added into the pool. We predict that they will be on par with Mega Raids in terms of popularity, with special Shadow Raids featuring Shadow Mewtwo taking the number 1 spot on the hype chart.
With that being said, we were a bit worried that these changes will impact some of the real world communities, but the developers shared in a press briefing that they do not expect any negative impact. They tested this change with the recent remote Ho-Oh Shadow Raids that were live during Fashion Week, and they saw a positive trend both in remote and in-person participation.
Infographic
The post Remote Shadow Raids and Max Battles launching in Pokémon GO this May appeared first on Pokémon GO Hub.
