Can shiny Meltan be caught in Pokemon GO?

Being one of only two Pokemon originals to Pokemon GO (and Let's Go), Meltan is an exceptionally unique Pokemon. And it's only fitting that such a unique addition also has an equally unique method of obtaining its shiny variant.

Can shiny Meltan be caught in Pokemon GO?

The short answer is: not anymore. Shiny Meltan has been available for a few week-long events over the years, sharing a close relationship with its spiritual successor Pokemon Let's Go. At the moment, however, shiny Meltan is not available and there have been no recent announcements that it will be available in the foreseeable future. That doesn't mean that Meltan itself is unattainable right now, though.

Players will first need a Pokemon Home account linked to their Nintendo account, then they'll need to link their Pokemon GO account to their Nintendo account. After that, players will need to transfer a Pokemon to Pokemon Home (be careful; anything sent will not be able to return to Pokemon GO). Then players will receive a mystery box in Pokemon GO. After opening this box, Meltans will appear for an hour afterwards. Players can receive a new box once every 72 hours.

However, during the special event weeks mentioned, these Meltans had a chance to be shiny. This may no longer be the case, but there is certainly no guarantee that shiny Meltan will never come back. It's already made a reappearance once before, so the odds are good that the mythical Pokemon's colorful variant will be back once again sometime in the future.

Players looking to catch a shiny Meltan (should another event featuring the rarity ever occur again) should keep an ear out for any upcoming collaboration events between games that feature Pokemon Go. It would be good to save up a few incenses for the event, as well as many Razz Berries, Pinap Berries (evolving Meltan takes a whopping 400 candies), and Ultra Balls that the player can muster.