Mega Evolutions allow you to power-up existing creatures into a much more powerful form in Pokémon Go.

First introduced in the mainline games with Pokémon X and Y, Mega Evolutions took place by using specific stones in battle.

Introduced into Pokémon Go in August 2020, Mega Evolutions remain a temporary transformation, and requiring the use of a new item type - Mega Energy.

The game underwent a significant Mega Evolution update in April 2022, which allowed you to evolve without Mega Energy after the first use - and more Mega Evolution bonuses by increasing your Mega Evolution levels.

This page explains how to Mega Evolve a Pokémon in Pokémon Go, how to get Mega Energy and all available Mega Evolution Pokémon.

Pokémon Go Mega Evolutions update explainedMega Levels list and new Mega Evolution bonusesWhich Mega Evolutions are currently battled in Pokémon Go?How to Mega Evolve in Pokémon GoHow to get Mega Energy in Pokémon GoWhere can you use Mega Evolutions in Pokémon Go?Mega Evolutions listTo see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings Watch as battle Guzzlord - one of the Ultra Beasts in Pokémon GoWatch on YouTube

Pokémon Go Mega Evolutions update explained

In April 2022, Mega Evolutions underwent a significant update. Though the core concepts remained the same - that certain Pokémon could Mega Evolve once you have collected enough Mega Energy - you can now Mega Evolve for free after the first use and level up Mega Evolutions for additional bonuses.

The Mega Evolution update is now available worldwide.

The new changes include:

Once you have Mega Evolved a Pokémon once, it is free to evolve again in future, once a cooldown has ended.Mega Energy can be spent to Mega Evolve that Pokémon before the cooldown ends. The shorter the rest period, the less Mega Energy is required. Each time you Mega Evolve a Pokémon, it will increase in Mega Level. This will introduce additional bonuses across several tiers - including increased Candy XL drop rate, an XP catch bonus and a reduced rest rate. (These are all detailed in the next section.) Mega Raids "will be easier", according to Niantic.You can now Mega Evolve from the raid and battle prep screens.

In summary - the existing bonuses still remain, and though you still need to find Mega Energy to evolve a Pokémon in the first place, beyond that, the ability to evolve without needing more is a welcome one. The bonuses from higher levels are well worth working towards too - which we'll discuss in the next section.

You can read more about the changes, and Niantic's thinking about them, in the April 2022 Dev Diary:

Mega Levels list and new Mega Evolution bonuses in Pokémon Go

Introduced in the April 2022 update, Mega Evolutions now have levels. To increase your Mega Level, you must Mega Evolve that Pokémon, and after a certain number of evolutions, you will reach the next level.

Each level has a number of bonuses. The evolution requirement and bonuses are as follows:

LevelEvolves requiredRest periodBonusesBase Level17 daysCatch Candy bonusBoosted Ally bonusReduced Mega Energy to evolveHigh Level75 daysCandy Candy bonusBoosted Ally bonusGreat Candy XL chance increaseCatch XP bonusGreatly reduced Mega Energy costMax Level303 daysEnhanced Catch Candy bonusBoosted Ally bonusExcellent Candy XL chanceEnhanced Catch XP bonusMassively reduced Mega Energy cost

Note on the above - the Catch XP, Catch Candy and Candy XL bonuses only apply to Pokémon of the same type as the Mega Evolution. Though this initially seems restrictive, it is particularly useful for Community Day and Spotlight Hour events where you might want to maximise the amount of Candy or XP you'd like to earn from catching one particular Pokémon.

Which Mega Evolutions can be currently battled in Pokémon Go?

During the Season of Hidden Gems, there will be one Mega Evolution appearing in Mega Raids at a time.

Currently, the Mega Evolution available in Raids is Mega Banette, appearing until Friday 3rd November.

We now know which Mega Evolutions will be following Mega Banette throughout November 2023:

Mega Houndoom: November 2nd - November 12thMystery Pokémon: November 12th - November 16thMega Kangaskhan: November 16th - November 30th

Why is this important to know? While you can get Mega Energy for a number of Pokémon at any given time through quests, field research or walking as your buddy, raids continue to be the easiest and fastest source.

How to Mega Evolve in Pokémon Go

Mega Evolutions are an additional, more powerful evolution that certain Pokémon - such as the original Kanto starters - can undertake.

To Mega Evolve a Pokémon in Pokémon Go, you need a resource named Mega Energy. Once a Pokémon has been Mega Evolved, it will stay in that form for a limited amount of time (which was increased to eight hours in October 2020) and can be used in a variety of battles.

Mega Evolutions require Mega Candy, and you can see on their CP screen how long they will remain in a Mega Evolved form.

You will be able to see how much time your Mega Evolution has remaining on its CP screen.

Mega Evolutions will debut in Mega Raid encounters.

Once it has returned to its normal form, the Mega Energy you need to Mega Evolve it again later will be decreased.

This amount was further decreased on Thursday, 3rd September as Niantic performed a number of adjustments to the Mega Evolution system.

Other things you should know about Mega Evolutions:

You can only Mega Evolve one Pokémon at a time. If you Mega Evolve a second Pokémon, the other one will return back to normal.Shadow Pokémon cannot undergo a Mega Evolution.Clone Pokémon cannot undergo a Mega Evolution.Mega Evolutions will be listed in your Pokédex under the 'Mega Pokédex'. So that's another thing to collect!There will be two new Medals added to the game - one for collecting Unique Mega Evolutions, the other for total Mega Evolutions. (Thanks to martycochrane on reddit for revealing this.)

How to get Mega Energy in Pokémon Go

Mega Energy is specific to each individual Pokémon - similar to how Candy works in the game. So if you want to Mega Evolve a Bulbasaur into Mega Bulbasaur, you need Bulbasaur Mega Energy.

Mega Energy is primarily found from completing Mega Raids, a type of Raid encounter featuring Mega Pokémon. The faster you win a Mega Raid, the more Mega Energy you receive.

You can also earn Mega Energy through a number of other ways, including:

Certain Special Research rewards, such as Mega Energy for Beedrill from completing A Mega Discovery.Research tasks from PokéStops, which update monthly or are event-specificWalking with your buddy

Where can you use Mega Evolutions in Pokémon Go?

While a Pokémon is in its temporary Mega Evolved form, you can use it in the following areas of the game:

Battling in RaidsAll other Pokémon in the Raid will receive an attack boost. A further boost is added that Pokémon shares the same type of attack. (These boosts don't stack, so you can only benefit from one Mega Evolution at a time.) Mega Evolutions can be used as your Buddy and in battles.Battling in GymsBattle in Team Go Rocket encountersBattling against FriendsUsed as a Buddy

Meanwhile, Mega Evolutions cannot be used to:

Defend GymsIn the Go Battle League (though Niantic has teased this might change in future, perhaps for specific Leagues or Cups)

The Season of Adventures Abound is here! The Halloween event has returned, bringing with it Greavard and Houndstone.Party Play - Pokémon Go's multiplayer feature - is here, along with the Welcome Party quest.You can also work on the Timed Investigation: Master Ball quest and compete in the Go Battle League.Be sure to compete in Shadow Raids, complete Routes, use Daily Adventure Incense for the chance of encountering Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos and Galarian Moltres. This incense may also give you encounters with other rare Pokémon in Pokémon Go.

Mega Evolutions list: Which Mega Evolutions are available in Pokémon Go?

As with regular Pokémon, you can track how many Mega Evolutions you've encountered in your Mega Pokédex.

Though the main games span 48 Mega Evolutions (including the two Charizard and Mewtwo each have access to each) on the feature's debut in Pokémon Go, there are only four Mega Evolutions available.

Pokémon Go Mega Evolution list

Mega EvolutionTypeSourceMega Venusaur Grass / PoisonMega RaidsMega Charizard X Fire / DragonMega RaidsMega Charizard Y Fire / FlyingMega RaidsMega Blastoise WaterMega RaidsMega Pidgeot Normal / FlyingMega RaidsUnlocked September 2020 following a community eventMega Beedrill Bug / PoisonField Research and Special ResearchUnlocked September 2020 following A Mega Discovery Special ResearchMega Houndoom Dark / FireMega RaidsUnlocked September 2020 following the Mega EventMega Gengar Ghost / PoisonMega RaidsUnlocked in October 2020 as part of the Halloween eventMega Abomasnow Grass / IceMega RaidsUnlocked in December 2020Mega Ampharos Electric / DragonMega RaidsUnlocked in January 2021 as part of the Hoenn Celebration eventMega Gyarados Water / DarkMega RaidsUnlocked in February 2021 as part of the Lunar New Year eventMega Manectric ElectricMega RaidsUnlocked in March 2021 as part of the Charge Up! event eventMega Lopunny Normal / FightingMega RaidsUnlocked in April 2021 as part of the Spring eventMega Altaria Dragon / FairyMega RaidsUnlocked in May 2021 as part of the Swablu Community DayMega Slowbro Water / PsychicMega RaidsUnlocked in June 2021 as part of the A Very Slow DiscoveryMega Absol DarkMega RaidsUnlocked in October 2021 as part of the Halloween eventMega Steelix Steel / GroundMega RaidsUnlocked on Wednesday, 1st December 2021Mega Aerodactyl Rock / FlyingMega RaidsUnlocked on Friday, 7th January 2022 as part of the Mountains of Power eventMega Kangaskhan NormalMega RaidsUnlocked on Friday, 29th April 2022 as part of the Mega Evolution reworkMega Latias Dragon / PsychicMega RaidsUnlocked on Tuesday, 3rd May 2022 as part of the Air Adventures eventMega Latios Dragon / PsychicMega RaidsUnlocked on Tuesday, 3rd May 2022 as part of the Air Adventures eventMega Scizor Bug / SteelMega RaidsUnlocked on Wednesday, 10th August 2022 as part of the Bug Out! eventMega Alakazam PsychicMega RaidsUnlocked on Tuesday, 6th September as part of the 2022 Psychic Spectacular eventMega Aggron SteelMega RaidsUnlocked on Friday, 16th September as part of the 2022 Test Your Mettle eventMega Banette GhostMega RaidsUnlocked on Thursday, 20th October as part of the Halloween 2022 eventMega Sceptile Grass / DragonMega RaidsReleased on Saturday, 3rd December 2022 as part of the Hoenn Mega Raid DayMega Blaziken Fire / FightingMega RaidsReleased on Saturday, 3rd December 2022 as part of the Hoenn Mega Raid DayMega Swampert Water / GroundMega RaidsReleased on Saturday, 3rd December 2022 as part of the Hoenn Mega Raid DayMega Glalie IceMega RaidsReleased on Thursday, 15th December 2022Mega Salamence Dragon / FlyingMega RaidsReleased on Tuesday, 10th January 2023Mega Gardevoir Psychic / FairyMega RaidsReleased on Wednesday, 8th February 2023Mega Medicham Fighting / PsychicMega RaidsReleased on Wednesday, 8th March 2023Mega Pinsir Bug / FlyingMega RaidsReleased on Thursday, 11th May 2023Mega Sableye Dark / GhostMega RaidsReleased on Thursday, 29th June 2023Mega Tyranitar Rock / DarkMega RaidsReleased on Tuesday 25th JulyMega Rayquaza Dragon / FlyingMega RaidsInitial release on Friday 4th August as part of the in-person Go Fest 2023 eventsGlobal release on Sunday, 27th August 2023Mega Diancie Image credit: The Pokémon CompanyRock / FairyInitial release as part of the ticketed Go Fest London, Osaka, New York and pay-to-play Go Fest Global experience in August 2023

All Mega Evolution in Pokémon explained

Meanwhile, here are all the Mega Pokémon ever released in the mainline games in a single image, courtesy of a tier list (thanks to gerbetta33 on reddit for this).

To clarify - these are not currently in Pokémon Go, and there's no guarantee they will appear in the game.

However, this list might be useful to learn what could be coming to the game one day:

Image credit: gerbetta33 on reddit

Good luck on your hunt for Mega Evolutions!

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