When will Shadow Zapdos return to Pokemon GO?

Image via Niantic
Image via Niantic

Pokemon GO players that have gone toe-to-toe with Giovanni know that he always keeps a Shadow Legendary on-hand, but Zapdos is no longer in his rotation. When will it be back?

Team GO Rocket's boss, Giovanni, is always a tough fight, thanks to the Legendary Shadow Pokemon he keeps on his team. Just this year, he's hosted Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. He's also hosted the Legendary Beasts Entei, Suicune, and Raikou, as well as the coveted and dreaded Mewtwo. Niantic has tended to change Giovanni's lineup in Pokemon GO during the months of January, February, and March, with more switches taking place later in the year.

But back to Zapdos. When is it coming back?


Pokemon GO: Shadow Zapdos will be back in June

Image via Niantic
Image via Niantic

Pokemon GO's more consistent players will recall Team GO Rocket's disappearance for a brief time during the month of April. Because of this, beating Giovanni and acquiring Shadow Zapdos was more difficult during that timespan, as Rocket encounters were removed from Pokemon GO to address in-game bug concerns. Now that the month of May is here, Giovanni has switched his Shadow Legendary back to Moltres, making Zapdos temporarily unavailable again.

The Pokemon GO community has voiced its frustrations about this, and Niantic has heard them out. In an apologetic post via Niantic's official Pokemon GO site, the developers have stated that they will make it up to the player base. To that end, Shadow Zapdos will once again be available by defeating Giovanni from June 1, 2021 at 12:00 a.m. to June 17th, 2021 at 12:00 a.m. local time.

This is great news for players who have missed out on catching the powerful Electric/Flying-type Pokemon, as the bug issues regarding Team GO Rocket were nothing the community had any control over. Niantic fortunately has a finger on the pulse of its player base and understands that when mistakes happen, it doesn't hurt to reach out to the Pokemon GO faithful.

With Moltres being available for the remainder of this month and Zapdos' return in June, players have an outstanding opportunity to catch both Legendary Birds if they're able to reach Giovanni. This will entail using Rocket Radars to defeat Team GO Rocket's Leaders first, with the boss himself waiting in the wings and ready to confront trainers he considers a worthy match. Be sure to bring forward the best Pokemon team and keep an eye on which counters are best.

Read More: Is Xerneas good in Pokemon GO?