How to get Inkay in Pokemon GO, and can it be shiny?

Inkay in Pokemon GO was introduced with the Psychic Spectacular event on September 8, 2021. During that event, the Dark- and Psychic-type Pokemon was featured in the wild, in photobomb encounters, one-star raids, and Research tasks. The Revolving Pokemon has returned to the game multiple times since its debut and will now be available as wild encounters during the Inkay Spotlight Hour event on February 18, 2025.

You can evolve Inkay into Malamar by feeding it 50 Candy and turning your device upside down. So, let's take a look at how you can acquire Inkay in Pokemon GO.

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How to get Inkay in Pokemon GO

Inkay as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

You can use the following methods to obtain an Inkay:

• Wild encounters
• Hatch Eggs
• Raid Battles
• Complete Research tasks
• Trade

Wild encounters

The Pokemon GO Inkay Spotlight Hour event will kick off on February 18, 2025, and run from 6 pm to 7 pm local time. During this hour, Inkay will appear more frequently in the wild, allowing you to get your hands on it regardless of your location.

You can encounter and catch several Inkay just by playing continuously during this event. The more Inkay you add to your collection, the more Candy you can make. It is even possible for you to evolve an Inkay in Pokemon GO into a Malamar on the same day.

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Hatch Eggs

Inkay can be obtained from Egg hatches during Dual Destiny. It is included in 5 KM Eggs. The current Pokemon GO season is about to come to an end very soon. So, you may want to hatch 5 KM eggs to acquire an Inkay.

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Raid Battles

Inkay's maximum combat power is just 1048, with an Attack stat of 98, a Defense stat of 95, and a Stamina stat of 142 HP. These base stats mean it can only appear in one-star raids, which are beatable for even solo players.

As a one-star Raid Boss, Inkay sports a combat power of 2,903. It takes double super-effective damage from Bug-type attacks and super-effective damage from Fairy-type moves. You can get an Inkay in Pokemon GO by winning its raids.

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Complete Research tasks

There have been multiple instances of Inkay being rewarded as encounters for completing Field Research, Special Research, and Timed Research tasks in the title's history. For example, you can receive a Field Research task that asks you to get a win in the GO Battle League to earn an encounter with an Inkay during Dual Destiny.

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Trade

If all else fails and you still want an Inkay in Pokemon GO, you can ask your in-game friends to trade one with you.

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Can Inkay be shiny in Pokemon GO?

Shiny Inkay (Image via The Pokemon Company)

It is possible to encounter Shiny Inkay in Pokemon GO. The shiny variant of this Pokemon appeared for the first time during the Inkay Limited Research event on September 3, 2022. It has been featured in numerous events since then.

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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