Looking to catch ’em all in Pokemon Go? Well, here are some of the rarest creatures available in Pokemon Go as well as how you can get hold of them to help complete the Pokedex.
In the story-driven mainline Pokemon games, the rarest creatures that you can add to your team are pretty much always Legendaries, as there is normally only one of them available, and you’ll often need to complete the game to encounter them.
But in the non-linear world of Pokemon Go, things are a little different. Some Pokemon can only be caught during special events, some only spawn in specific regions of the world, and others need to be beaten as Raid Bosses before you can get a chance to catch them.
If you’re wondering what the rarest Pokemon in Pokemon Go is, we’re going to look at some of the most elusive creatures, such as Salazzle and Sandile. We’ll also cover some tips and tricks on how you can find them to help you get one step closer to completing your Pokedex.
This list does not include the region-locked Pokemon.
Contents
- Kecleon
- Jangmo-o
- Sandile
- Frigibax
- Gholdengo
- Galarian Legendary Birds
- Volcarona
- Melmetal
- Pikachu Libre
- Salazzle
- Vivillon
- 100% Zygarde
- Unown
- Archen
- Keldeo, Zarude, & Hoopa
15. Kecleon
After years of waiting, Kecleon finally made its Pokemon Go debut following the Chespin Community Day in January 2023. As expected, encountering this Color Swap Pokemon isn’t as simple as finding one on the overworld map, which means some players might miss it entirely.
How to get Kecleon in Pokemon Go
To get an encounter with Kecleon, you’ll need to spin loads of PokeStops until you find one that is blocked by an invisible creature. Tap it enough times and the creature will jump off, revealing itself to be none other than Kecleon! You’ll then get a chance to catch one.
14. Jangmo-o
Jangmo-o is part of the elusive Dragon-type Pokemon in Pokemon Go. Even though this tiny creature spawns in the wild, it’ll only do it while using the Daily Adventure Incense.
How to get Jangmo-o in Pokemon Go
Currently, players will be able to find Jangmo-o in the wild while using their Daily Adventure Incense, from 10km Eggs, or as an encounter from the Research Breakthrough as part of the Lunar New Year event. However, this expires on March 1, so be sure to grab it fast.
13. Sandile
You might not consider the Ground/Dark-type crocodile Sandile to be a particularly desirable catch, but in Pokemon Go, it’s gained a reputation for being incredibly hard to get. As a result, many Trainers will spend countless hours trying to get one for their collection.
How to get Sandile in Pokemon Go
The only way to get Sandile right now is to hatch it from a 12km Egg (otherwise known as a Strange Egg), and it’s got one of the lowest rates of all the potential hatches. Let’s not even get into how long it will take to fully evolve one into Krookodile thanks to the 125 Candies needed.
12. Frigibax
During the Ultra Unlock: Paldea event in September, Frigibax was added to the game as an extremely rare wild spawn. However, it’s so rare that only 1 in 10,000 players have one of these in their inventory.
How to get Frigibax in Pokemon Go
Frigibax has been added to the 10km eggs, in the fifth rarity tier, which means its hatch rate is close to nill. Also, you’ll need 125 Candies if you want to reach its final evolution, Braxcalibur, so you better keep those eggs cracking.
11. Gholdengo
Gholdengo is an extremely hard creature to get in Pokemon Go. To do so, players need to own a copy of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, and obviously a Nintendo Switch. That way, they can get its pre-evolution Gimmighoul.
How to get Gholdengo in Pokemon Go
Players need to get a Golden Lure Module by sending Postcards for five consecutive days. This module will be used to get the 999 Gimmighoul coins needed in order to evolve the Pokemon into Gholdengo.
10. Galarian Legendary Birds
The Galarian regional variants of Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos made a surprise debut in Pokemon Go in July 2022.
How to get Galarian Birds in Pokemon Go
The only way to encounter the Galarian Birds is to use the Daily Adventure Incense, which gives you a 15-minute window each day to try and find them.
What makes these Galarian Legendary Birds so rare is that they have a ridiculously high flee rate, so even if you are lucky enough to find one out in the wild, your chances of catching them are very low. Expect lots of frustration when they inevitably run away.
9. Volcarona
Volcarona is currently one of the hardest Pokemon to get in the game because of Larvesta’s low hatching rate in Eggs and its evolution requirements.
How to get Volcarona in Pokemon Go
Even though Larvesta is available in 2km, 5km, and 10 km eggs, its hatch level is 5, which is the hardest one. Plus, in order to evolve it into Volcarona, you’ll need 400 candies to do so, meaning players will need to use Rare candies and Buddy Walking to achieve the goal.
8. Melmetal
Meltan may be easier to get hold of, but its evolution can be a grind, with the candies proving to be extremely rare. You won’t see any of these around, and you’ll be lucky to get multiple Meltan to help grab those candies too.
How to get Melmetal in Pokemon Go
Perhaps the easiest way to get hold of Melmetal is by sending over Meltan from your Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu or Eevee. This will give you some more candies and will help you on your way. Alternatively, make Meltan your buddy for some extra candy, although that will certainly take time.
7. Pikachu Libre
This special costumed Pikachu might not be region-locked or exclusive to a specific event, but what makes it so rare is how difficult it is to obtain. As a result, you probably won’t be seeing many of them around.
How to get Pikachu Libre in Pokemon Go
In order to get Pikachu Libre, you need to reach Rank 24 in the Pokemon Go Battle League, which is quite an odyssey. Trainers who manage to get to this rank in a single season will be rewarded with an encounter with this rare Pokemon.
6. Salazzle
Salandit made its Pokemon Go debut during the All-Hands Rocket Retreat event in April 2022, where it was added to the 12km Egg pool – but there are loads of other species that can hatch from Eggs instead of Salandit, so it’s not guaranteed you’ll ever get one.
How to get Salazzle in Pokemon Go
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Trainers need to hatch a female Salandit to be able to evolve it into Salazzle, and the chance of getting one of those is only 12.5%. All in all, the likelihood of you ever being able to evolve a Salazzle is very low and will require a lot of patience. More so, it’s the only way to obtain this Pokemon, as it can’t be found in the wild.
5. Vivillon
Vivillon is quite a hard Pokemon to get, not only because its previous form Scatterbug doesn’t appear in the wild, but thanks to the 18 different patterns these ‘mon can have.
How to get Vivillon in Pokemon Go
To get Vivillon you need to spend 125 Candies, and that’s for each pattern. If you want to get them all, multiply that by 18! Plus, for each design, you’ll need to pin Postcards received from Gifts your friends send you and trigger the encounter.
4. 100% Zygarde
Zygarde may be easier to get hold of but to get its 100% form, you’ll need to take part in some pretty tedious features.
How to get 100% Zygarde in Pokemon Go
To get the 100% form of Zygarde, you’ll need to complete routes, which means you need to explore trails created by players. As you go along the Routes, you’ll come across a few Zygarde cells. Collect 250 cells, and you’ll have this incredibly rare Pokemon.
3. Unown
Unown is not particularly hard to find. However, it has 28 different forms, each for one of the 26 alphabet letters, plus both the exclamation and question marks.
How to get Unown in Pokemon Go
The different Unown variants can be obtained in the wild, from hatching Eggs, or by participating in Raid battles. But even with plenty of places to obtain them from, the spawn rate is extremely low and there are just too many.
2. Archen
Another rare Fossil Pokemon on our list is the Rock/Flying-type Archen, which also debuted in January 2020 alongside Tirtouga. Like that Pokemon, the main way to get Archen used to be through 7km or 10km Eggs. However, it was recently removed from the Eggs spawns, making it even harder to find.
How to get Archen in Pokemon Go
Finding an Archen in the wild is pretty hard as its spawn rate is close to none, making it one of the rarest Pokemon in the game. More so, it has an evolution called Archeops, which is even harder to obtain thanks to the amount of Candy you’ll need to evolve Archen.
Rarest Pokemon in Pokemon Go
1. Keldeo, Zarude, & Hoopa
While our number one spot for the rarest ‘mon is technically three Pokemon, that’s also part of what makes them so rare. Keldeo, Zarude, and Hoopa are Mythical Pokemon, and as such they cannot be traded in Pokemon Go. The only way to acquire any of them is by completing Special Research Quests.
How to get Keldeo, Zarude, & Hoopa in Pokemon Go
There is no current way to catch Keldeo, Zarude, or Hoopa in Pokemon Go, as their Special Research Quests were only available for a few weeks, so the three Mythical ‘mons will remain at the top of the list until Niantic re-activates their quests.