08-05-2025
Pokémon Go is Finally Adding Remote Shadow Raids and Max Battles
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The developer of Pokémon Go has announced that the game is finally going to be adding long-requested features aimed at improving access to some of its more desirable features.
In a post on the official Pokémon Go website, the development team revealed that it would soon allow players to join Shadow Raids and Max Battles remotely using Remote Raid Passes. The daily remote raid limit is also being increased from five to 10, and a new bundle for Remote Raid Passes has been added to the Pokémon Go web store, which includes two Remote Raid Passes for $2.99.
Key art for Dynamax Max Battles in Pokémon Go, showing multiple trainers and their Pokémon staring down a large Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise.
Key art for Dynamax Max Battles in Pokémon Go, showing multiple trainers and their Pokémon staring down a large Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise.
Niantic / Scopely
Shadow Raids will open up to remote raiding starting with the Crown Clash: Taken Over event, which starts on May 13, 2025 – with the increased remote raid limit going into effect on the same day – while Max Battles will open up to remote raiding starting on May 19, 2025, just before the Gigantamax Machamp Max Battle Day. Remote raids will continue for both features permanently following their introduction, and in-person Max Battle raiders will now earn more Premier Balls and XP than before.
The change comes after years of frustration from the player base about the lack of availability for remote raids in certain features, with Gigantamax Battles in particular drawing significant ire due to their difficulty. It can often take up to 40 players to take down a Gigantamax Pokémon, a task that was logistically challenging to achieve in-person, especially outside of big cities.
It also comes after the announcement that Pokémon Go developer Niantic would sell its game division to Monopoly Go publisher Scopely, itself a subsidiary of Savvy Games, which is owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. At the time, the Pokémon Go development team assured players that no major changes to the game would take place due to the acquisition, and according to an interview with Eurogamer, these changes are not evidence of the team going back on its word.
"These changes take a long time to get into the game," Pokémon Go senior producer John Funtanilla told the outlet. "These are things we take measured approaches to, and it's entirely a Pokémon Go decision. These are things we have looked at for years - we've looked at the data, we've looked at the community feedback. It's entirely the leadership here, internally, and definitely 100 percent our decision to make these changes."
