5 most difficult-to-catch Pokemon in Pokemon GO

Pokemon GO has a massive number of Pocket Monsters to catch in the wild, in raids, and elsewhere. However, not every species is easy to capture, and some are remarkably difficult to obtain. Regardless, trainers search for these creatures as often as possible and attempt to catch them. Fortunately, they are all still attainable.

When it comes to Pokemon GO's hardest catches, players can look squarely at many of the game's Legendary species (with just a few exceptions). There are certainly non-Legendary, non-mythical Pokemon that are tricky to catch, but they tend to have much higher catch rates and much lower escape rates by comparison.

When it comes to Pokemon GO's most difficult-to-catch creatures, there are a few notable picks that come to mind.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer

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Toughest creatures to catch in Pokemon GO as of August 2023

1) The Galarian Bird Trio

Galarian Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres have the lowest catch rates in Pokemon GO (Image via Pheonixmaster1/YouTube)

Catching a single Galarian regional variant of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres is already extremely tough without the Master Ball. Snagging all three of these Legendary birds is even more difficult. These creatures only appear as a Daily Adventure Incense spawn, and their catch and flee rates are astonishing.

The Galarian Bird Trio possesses a base capture rate of 0.3% and a 90% chance to run away from the encounter after a failed attempt. To put things bluntly, trainers who fail their first throw will often have to return to the game map and continue searching. This is exactly why the Master Ball is so vital for catching this group of Pocket Monsters.

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2) Togekiss

Trainers may be better off evolving Togetic than catching Togekiss in the wild (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Although Pokemon GO players can evolve Togepi into Togetic and then Togekiss, it's also possible to capture Togekiss as a raid boss and research reward on occasion. However, trainers may want to stick to the evolution route, as Togekiss has a 1% base catch rate and a 5% chance to flee after each failed catch attempt.

While this powerful Flying/Fairy-type creature is certainly worth obtaining due to its capabilities in PvP, obtaining it outside of the use of evolution is a good way to lose Pokeballs and berries.

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3) Mewtwo

The vicious Mewtwo remains a tough catch in some circumstances (Image via Niantic)

Although there are some situations where Mewtwo is easier to catch in Pokemon GO, a standard Mewtwo has a base catch rate of 2%. Fortunately, it only has a flee rate of 10%, but trainers will still want to be careful with their throws and berry usage.

The good news is that Mewtwo pops up quite often during events and alongside Team GO Rocket's Giovanni, so players have ample opportunities to encounter it via many different avenues.

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4) The Legendary Beasts

Pokemon GO's Legendary Beasts aren't as prone to fleeing as they are in the mainline series (Image via Niantic)

The Legendary Beasts are a trio made up of Entei, Raikou, and Suicune. Ever since their Generation II debut, they've been known for their propensity to run away from encounters. Fortunately, they're not quite as apt to run away in this mobile title, but they still have a considerably low catch rate regardless.

All three of these creatures possess a mere 2% base capture percentage, but they fortunately have a flee rate of only 4%. Compared to some of the mainline series games, trainers won't have to sweat these species fleeing after catch attempts all that often.

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5) The Tower Duo

Lugia and Ho-Oh are popular but are far from easy to catch (Image via Niantic)

Much like the Legendary Beasts, the other legendaries of Generation II are also quite tough to catch in Pokemon GO. The Tower Duo, consisting of Lugia and Ho-Oh, both possess a 2% catch rate and a 4% flee rate, much like their other counterparts in the Johto region.

While these Pocket Monsters won't run away often, trainers will likely have to use more than a few Pokeballs and berries to secure these two mascot Pokemon.