Can Beartic be shiny in Pokemon GO? (December 2022)

With the winter season in full swing for Pokemon GO, players around the globe are starting to get in the spirit, thanks to an increase in spawn rate for many Ice-type creatures. One of the many that players have familiarized themselves with is Unova's resident bear Pokemon, Beartic, and its pre-evolved form, Cubchoo.

The answer to whether or not players can find a Shiny Beartic in Pokemon GO is not a simple yes or no. While Shiny Beartic does exist in the game (and players can get one right now), it's unclear if it can be found in the wild.

This also remains true for the new costumed variant. Niantic has confirmed that players can find the shiny variant of the costumed Cubchoo in the wild. Thankfully, they will be able to catch a Shiny Cubchoo and later evolve it into a costumed Beartic, keeping its shiny color scheme.

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Tips for finding Shiny Beartic in Pokemon GO

Beartic as it appears in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Known for their cute quirk, the family of sniffling bears has been a staple among casual fans, thanks to their standard cute-to-terrifying designs. With this in mind, many trainers will aim to obtain the new seasonal-exclusive costumed variant of these creatures.

However, some Pokemon GO players may want to step things up a bit when it comes to their collection, aiming to go above and beyond by catching the shiny variations of the fully-evolved Beartic. With the introduction of the new costumed variant, players will want to try to find a shiny variation of it as well.

Since Cubchoo is a pure Ice-type, it has an even greater chance of spawning in areas currently experiencing snowy weather. However, since the Winter Holiday event boosts the general spawn rate of all Ice-type Pokemon, snowy weather does not guarantee the appearance of a Cubchoo.

Using spawn rate boosting items like Incenses and Lure Modules is a great way to theoretically decrease the time it would take for a Shiny Cubchoo to spawn. These items can be purchased in Pokemon GO's in-app store or can be found by spinning the photo disk at any Pokestop or Gym.

Once they catch a Shiny Cubchoo, players may want to skip the grinding process and focus on other aspects of the game. With this in mind, they can passively earn Cubchoo candies to evolve their Shiny Cubchoo into Beartic by using the Buddy feature with Adventure Sync. This way, players can earn candies as they go about their daily business.

In summary, Shiny Beartic can be obtained in Pokemon GO, but it most likely can't be found in the wild. The best way to go about finding a Shiny Beartic to add to one's collection is by first catching a Shiny Cubchoo and then evolving it into a Beartic.