How to tell if a Pokemon is Shiny in Pokemon GO

Shiny Pokemon shown in Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)
Shiny Pokemon shown in Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon GO are seen by players as the rarest of the rare. Even in the main series games, Shiny Pokemon are held in high regard, and offer bragging rights that are only held by veteran players.

Players in Pokemon GO looking to pursue these rare variants of their favorites may not know how to tell these special and rare Pokemon from the regular ones.


What is a Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon GO?

A Shiny Mewtwo in Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)
A Shiny Mewtwo in Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

For the majority of Pokemon, it will be obvious if it is Shiny as it will be a different color than it normally is. When a Shiny Pokemon appears on the screen, it will be accompanied by a flash of sparkles around it. For other Pokemon like Gengar or Garchomp, their Shiny forms are less obvious as they are only slightly darker shades of their original color. For Pokemon like these, players are going to have to pay attention to those sparkles that show up when a Shiny Pokemon are first encountered.

For players that are determined to find a Shiny Pokemon, there are some helpful things to keep in mind. First, the standard spawn rate for any common Pokemon is 1 in 500. To ensure you do not miss any chance of finding a Shiny Pokemon, it is best to start an encounter with every Pokemon you find as Shiny Pokemon do not appear on the map. For Pokemon that have had a recent community day, the Shiny Rate is close to 1 in every 25 spawned. Certain Pokemon are also granted a "permaboost" for their Shiny odds. These odds are close to 1 spawning for every 64 Pokemon on the list for spawning. This is constantly changing as more information comes out so its always a good idea to check The Silph Road's Shiny list before going out for a hunt.

Sadly, there is no guaranteed way to receive a Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon GO as of now. In the past, there were special research events that had Shiny Pokemon as a reward such as the Shiny Eevee given in the Jump Start special research.