Pokemon GO Mega Rayquaza Remote Raids reportedly possible in August 2024 special event

Pokemon GO's Mega Rayquaza Elite Raid Day didn't finish without some technical issues, and it appears Niantic is seeking to make things up to the playerbase. To that end, the developer announced a Mega Rayquaza Special Raid event taking place on August 3, 2024, with the beast appearing at 11 am, 1 pm, and 6 pm local time, and Mega Rayquaza may be accessible via remote raiding.

Niantic's announcement post for the event made no mention of Elite Raids at all, leaving Pokemon GO players to suspect that this makeup raid event will see Mega Rayquaza appearing in ordinary Mega Raids, which would make them remote raid-friendly, and there are a few added bonuses for the event that seem to support this assumption.

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Why Mega Rayquaza may be remote raidable during Pokemon GO's Mega Rayquaza Special Raid event

Mega Rayquaza's Elite Raid Day was a divisive event in Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

To make up for technical complications that occurred during Mega Rayquaza's recent spate of Elite Raids, Niantic announced on its news feed that it would be reintroducing Mega Rayquaza to raids on August 3, but not a single mention of Elite Raids can be found in the announcement. Moreover, one particular event bonus contradicts the idea of another set of Elite Raids:

"We apologize for the inconvenience our dedicated Trainers experienced during the initial appearance of Mega Rayquaza in June. To compensate for the technical issues that occurred during this event, we’re holding a special raid makeup event on Saturday, August 3, 2024. Thank you for your understanding, and we appreciate your continued passion for Pokémon GO!" - Niantic, July 29, 2024

Specifically, Niantic confirmed that this special Mega Rayquaza makeup event will provide Pokemon GO trainers with an increased Remote Raid Pass limit, allowing them to use up to 20 per day on August 2 at 5:00 pm PDT until August 3, 2024, at 8:00 pm PDT. If Mega Rayquaza appeared in Elite Raids in this event, Remote Raid Passes could not be used to battle it, making the bonus somewhat useless.

Coupling Niantic's vague lack of referencing to Elite Raids while also providing a bonus to Remote Raid Passes seems to suggest that Pokemon GO players will be able to battle Mega Rayquaza in standard Mega Raids come August 3. Additional confirmation by the developers may change this outlook, but having Mega Rayquaza in Mega Raids would certainly be a win for the community.

Two of the largest complaints about Mega Rayquaza's Elite Raids were that they were heavily time-restricted and inflexible to player schedules and couldn't be accessed via remote raiding. Adding Mega Rayquaza as a standard Mega Raid boss would address both of these issues and make the powerful legendary dragon much more accessible to a wider swathe of Pokemon GO players.

Throw in the fact that the event's free Timed Research offers the Meteorite item that is crucial for Rayquaza's Mega Evolution, and this Mega Rayquaza makeup opportunity could be the best chance to acquire the fearsome creature in Pokemon GO. Additional confirmation may still be necessary, but things are looking bright based on early indications.