Pokemon Go's Gold Bottle Cap: Pay To Win or Worth $20?

CNET

5 hours ago

I've been playing Pokemon Go since its release in 2016, and I've never caught a perfect shiny legendary. They're absurdly rare, because you need to roll the right stats and the alternate pigmentation on the same Pokemon.
I suspect I'll be seeing a lot more shiny legendary Pokemon with max stats (or shundos, as the community calls them) soon, though, since developer Niantic has released the first Gold Bottle Cap into Pokemon Go.
This powerful item lets you have total control over your Pokemon's stats for the first time in the game's history, but there are a couple nasty catches -- the biggest one being that it's locked behind an additional $20 battle pass, and you only have one week to complete it.
Is it worth it for you to buy that pass and grind out the tiers until you have that sweet Gold Bottle Cap? Here's what you need to know about this hot commodity.
The Gold Bottle Cap has shown up in every Pokemon game since Sun and Moon came out on the 3DS.
Niantic/Screenshot by CNET
What is Pokemon Go's Gold Bottle Cap?
The Gold Bottle Cap might be a new item in Pokemon Go, but it has made multiple appearances in mainline Pokemon games.
The first Gold Bottle Caps appeared in the Generation 7 games Sun and Moon, where they were used to max out all of a single Pokemon's individual values (IVs). These IVs are hidden stats that are intrinsic to a Pokemon -- you can manipulate them through breeding techniques, but the only way to change them on an already-generated Pokemon is through using the bottle caps.
The Gold Bottle Cap in Pokemon Go serves the same purpose as it does in the mainline games. This item will boost a single Pokemon's Attack, Defense and HP IVs to 15 (the max value in Pokemon Go), assuming you're able to complete the Hyper Training tasks the Gold Bottle Cap unlocks.
The current way to manipulate a Pokemon's IVs in Pokemon Go is to trade it with a friend (and each Pokemon can only be traded once), so the Gold Bottle Cap is the only true guarantee that you'll get a specific perfect Pokemon.
The Gold Bottle Cap debuts alongside Go Fest Global 2025, the biggest Pokemon Go event of the year.
Niantic/Screenshot by CNET
How to earn the Gold Bottle Cap in Pokemon Go
Currently, the only Gold Bottle Cap available to you in Pokemon Go is locked behind the final tier of a premium battle pass. Much like the Lucky Trinket gets locked behind the monthly Go Pass, the Gold Bottle Cap is the big draw of the special Go Fest 2025 Go Pass -- so you'll have to shell out cash and then put in the work to reach tier 100 in order to unlock this IV-maxing item.
Since this is only the first Gold Bottle Cap Pokemon Go players have had a chance to earn, it's hard to say whether or not there will be alternative acquisition methods in the future. An item this absurdly powerful will definitely stay rare, just like the Master Ball.
If and when more Gold Bottle Caps are added to the game, it'd be a safe bet to assume they'll remain out of reach of free-to-play players.
The Go Pass: Ancients Recovered has a strong focus on the Regi line of legendary Pokemon. In addition to the Gold Bottle Cap, you'll encounter a whole lot of these guys.
Niantic/Screenshot by CNET
Is it worth it for you to buy the Ancients Recovered Go Pass?
The Ancients Recovered Go Pass is an event battle pass designed to run in tandem with Go Fest Global 2025. That means it's extremely time limited -- you can start making progress right now, but the whole battle pass will disappear after June 29. That means you have less than a week to knock out every tier.
You can earn a maximum of 10 tiers a day until June 28, and then the daily battle pass experience point limit will be uncapped. Essentially, if you don't have a weekend to dedicate to playing Pokemon Go, there's no way you're going to unlock everything on this Go Pass (including the Gold Bottle Cap).
The pass also costs $20, which is a much steeper price than the $8 Niantic asks for in exchange for the monthly Go Pass.
Even if you make it to tier 100 of the event battle pass and unlock the Gold Bottle Cap, there are some strings attached to its usage. You can only use this item once, in order to boost a single Pokemon's IVs -- and if you don't use your Gold Bottle Cap by July 6, it'll simply disappear from your inventory. Tough luck.
You can't use this item on Shadow Pokemon, and the Pokemon you want to use it on has to be your Good Buddy (or higher). If you don't have a Pokemon already in mind to use the Gold Bottle Cap on, it's probably not worth your time and money to invest in the pass.
Of course, if you are on the fence about whether or not to purchase this (very expensive) Go Pass, there are rewards on every other tier as well.
If you're gunning for that Gold Bottle Cap tier, you'll also pick up bonus experience points, lure modules, a lucky egg, an incense, an incubator and encounters with the legendary Pokemon Regirock, Regice, Registeel, Regieleki and Regidrago. You'll also collect candy and candy XL for those legendaries.
If you progress the pass to the extra tiers past the Gold Bottle Cap, you can even earn upwards of 100,000 stardust -- which goes far when it comes to powering up your Pokemon.
The value offered by the Gold Bottle Cap is completely subjective. Pokemon Go thrives off of FOMO -- think about how long ago it was that Armored Mewtwo and the clone Pokemon from Pokemon: The First Movie last appeared in raids -- but you shouldn't feel compelled to buy into every new thing that gets added to the game. The difference between a couple IV points is negligible, and you can build a meta team of 'mons without the Gold Bottle Cap.
FAQs
How many Gold Bottle Caps are in the Go Pass?
There are no Gold Bottle Caps in the monthly Go Pass, and only a single one in the special Go Fest Ancients Recovered Go Pass.
Can you buy more Gold Bottle Caps?
No, you can't directly purchase Gold Bottle Caps in Pokemon Go. There is only one Gold Bottle Cap currently obtainable in the game, and that one is at the end of the premium track for the Ancients Recovered Go Pass.