All Shiny Fossil Pokemon in Pokemon GO, ranked from worst to best

Shiny Fossil Pokemon are among the rarest attractions in Pokemon GO. Fossil Pokemon are one of the categories of Pocket Monsters in the main series games. They even get a week dedicated to them every year in Niantic's mobile game called Adventure Week, where their shiny forms are found more abundantly than usual. In 2024, it will last from August 2 - 12.

There are 21 Fossil Pokemon currently available in the game spanning five generations. This list ranks their shiny forms from worst to best (clubbing the same evolutionary lines together) based on their overall design and in-game utility.

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What is the best shiny Fossil Pokemon in Pokemon GO?

11) Shiny Anorith and Armaldo

Shiny Anorith and Armaldo (Image via Sportskeeda)

Anorith and Armaldo are originally from the Hoenn region. In Pokemon GO, they are among the weakest Fossil Pokemon, with virtually no utility in PvE or PvP settings.

Put that together with their lackluster shiny sprites, and they end up at the bottom of the Shiny Fossil Pokemon rankings in Pokemon GO. The regular form of Anorith has a pale green, white, and red body, while regular Armaldo is blue, yellow, and red. Both the shiny forms have a pale pink-orange coloration, which makes the critter look unattractive.

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10) Shiny Omanyte and Omastar

Shiny Omanyte and Omastar (Image via Sportskeeda)

Omanyte and Omastar are among the original Fossil Pokemon hailing from Generation I games. There is barely any feature in either stage's design that is anything to write home about.

The shiny forms of Omanyte and Omastar also don't help boost the creatures' popularity among Pokemon GO players.

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9) Shiny Kabuto and Kabutops

Shiny Kabuto and Kabutops (Image via Sportskeeda)

Kabuto and Kabutops are the other pair of Generation I Fossil Pokemon. The regular forms of the critters are mainly light brown in color, while the shiny forms are greenish.

Kabutops' Water and Rock-typing does it no favors in terms of viability in battles in Pokemon GO. Combined with its mediocre shiny forms, it is not particularly attractive to the larger playerbase.

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8) Shiny Shieldon and Bastiodon

Shiny Shieldon and Bastiodon (Image via Sportskeeda)

Shieldon and Bastiodon are critters from Generation IV of Pokemon. Their design is interesting as they have a direct correlation with their names. The fact that they are defense-oriented critters also does justice to their nature.

That said, their shiny forms are slightly underwhelming. The regular forms of both these critters are medium-gray and beige, while the shiny forms are dark blue and pale yellow. The latter combination looks out of place and unappealing and spoils the otherwise wonderful design of the critter.

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7) Shiny Lileep and Cradily

Shiny Lileep and Cradily (Image via Sportskeeda)

Unlike Lileep and Cradily's Generation III counterparts, these critters get some love in both the design and utility departments. Lileep and Cradily have unique and interesting designs and are viable options for Pokemon GO Battle League in special cups like the Fossil Cup or Element Cup.

Lileep and Cradily also have interesting shiny forms. Lileep's shiny form resembles Cradily's regular form, while Cradily's regular form has a very interesting pastel pink, yellow, and orange color palette.

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6) Shiny Archen and Acheops

Shiny Archen and Acheops (Image via Sportskeeda)

Archen and Archeops are cute and have a bird-like appearance. They are the perfect critters for the middle spot on this list because they are not particularly bad, but they don't offer anything to get excited about either.

Regular Archen and Archeops are bright and colorful critters as it is, so their shinies do them a favor by muting their colors.

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5) Shiny Aerodactyl

Shiny Aerodactyl and Mega Aerodactyl (Image via Sportskeeda)

Aerodactyl's shiny form is a fantastic take on the regular form. Additionally, the fact that it is the only Fossil Pokemon in Pokemon GO that has a Mega Evolution makes it a coveted critter to have in your collection.

Regular Aerodactyl has a light gray body with purple wings. Its shiny form has a lilac body with midnight blue wings.

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4) Shiny Tirtouga and Carracosta

Shiny Tirtouga and Carracosta (Image via Sportskeeda)

Tirtouga is one of the Fossil Pokemon from the Unova Region. It is based on an ancient turtle. Both Tirtouga and its evolution, Carracosta, have a blue and dark blue-gray color palate usually.

The rare shiny form of Tirtouga has a bright teal-colored body that gives it an icy look, and its shell turns dark gray. However, Shiny Carracosta has a different aesthetic that closely resembles the regular form.

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3) Shiny Tyrunt and Tyrantrum

Shiny Tyrunt and Tyrantrum (Image via Sportskeeda)

Tyrunt and Tyrantrum appear to be goofy creatures from their expressions. Their regular form is brown, white, and orange in color, while the shiny forms become bright blue and white.

Shiny Tyrunt was released during Adventure Week 2023, making it (along with shiny Amaura) the latest shiny Fossil Pokemon in Pokemon GO.

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2) Shiny Cranidos and Rampardos

Shiny Cranidos and Rampardos (Image via Sportskeeda)

Shiny Cranidos and Rampardos have two of the most drastically different and striking shiny forms in the game. Their regular forms have a blue stone on their head and a blue tail, both of which turn red in the shiny form.

The critters are also mean-looking, which sets them apart from the other Fossil Pokemon, most of which have a rather neutral expression.

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1) Shiny Amaura and Aurorus

Shiny Amaura and Aurorus (Image via Sportskeeda)

Another one of the shinies that debuted during Adventure Week 2023, Shiny Amaura and Aurorus take the crown of the best shiny Fossil Pokemon in Pokemon GO.

Regular Amaura and Aurorus have a light blue body with blue eyes. Shiny Amaura and Aurorus, however, have a white body with teal eyes. Combined with how adorable these critters' designs are in general, these Generation VI monsters are the best.

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Check out our other Pokemon GO guides:

• Ditto disguises
• Buddy Evolution Adventure Together guide
• Best Fast Attacks in Pokemon GO
• Sierra counters
• Cliff counters
• Arlo counters
• Giovanni counters