Pokemon GO Primal Rumblings 2023: Rayquaza appears in Five-Star Raids, featured Attack, wild encounters, and more

Primal Rumblings will appear later this month (Image via Pokemon GO)
Primal Rumblings will be released later this month (Image via Pokemon GO)

February 2023 will see the addition of the Primal Reversion mechanics in Pokemon GO with the GO Tour: Hoenn - Las Vegas and Global events. The Primal Rumblings event is designed to allow players to stock up and appropriately prepare for the Global version of the GO Tour: Hoenn, which includes battling against Rayquaza in Five-Star Raids.

This article jots down all the revealed details for Primal Rumblings 2023 in Pokemon GO for players to be aware of.


Everything you need to know about Primal Rumblings 2023 in Pokemon GO

The Primal Rumblings event is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at 10:00 am local time and will conclude on Friday, February 24, 2023 at 10:00 pm local time. This allows players all over the world to participate in the event at their own leisure in their respective time zones.

The event will feature a 2x Evolve XP for players to engage in. The wild encounters for Primal Rumblings in Pokemon GO are as follows:

  • Treecko (shiny variant will be available)
  • Torchic (shiny variant will be available)
  • Mudkip (shiny variant will be available)
  • Wurmple (shiny variant will be available)
  • Whismur (shiny variant will be available)
  • Numel (shiny variant will be available)
  • Barboach (shiny variant will be available)
  • Grovyle [rare encounter]
  • Combusken [rare encounter]
  • Marshtomp [rare encounter]
  • Absol [rare encounter] (shiny variant will be available)

The following Pokemon are expected to appear in the game's different Raid tiers:

  • One-Star Raids: Treecko (shiny variant will be available), Torchic (shiny variant will be available), Mudkip (shiny variant will be available)
  • Three-Star Raids: Grovyle, Combusken, Marshtomp
  • Five-Star Raids: Rayquaza (shiny variant will be available)
  • Mega-Star Raids: Latias (shiny variant will be available), Latios (shiny variant will be available)

If players encounter Rayquaza between Wednesday, February 22 at 10:00 am local time and Wednesday, March 1 at 10:00 am local time in Raids, the Sky High Pokemon will know the Charged Attack Breaking Swipe. In Trainer Battles, the move has 50 Power and lowers the opponent's Attack stat whenever it's used.

In gyms and Raids, Breaking Swipe has 35 Power. Additionally, Primal Rumblings will feature Hoenn-themed Field Research tasks for Pokemon GO players to complete, rewarding them with items to prepare for the GO Tour: Hoenn - Global. There will also be an Evolution-themed Collection Challenge, with players being rewarded with Ultra Balls and a Rocket Radar upon completing it.

The GO Tour: Hoenn - Global event is slated to be held on Saturday, February 25 and Sunday, February 26 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm local time. It will see the debuts of Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon, along with the Ruby vs Saphhire Challenge. Players will also be able to purchase a Special Research story to stand a chance at encountering a Shiny Jirachi.