Pokemon GO: How to catch shiny Pokemon

In Pokemon GO, shiny Pokemon are a hot commodity for collectors and Pokedex completionists, and rightly so considering their rarity.

First introduced in Generation II of the mainline Pokemon series in the games Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, shinies have been prized as rare catches. In Pokemon GO, shinies retain their rarity and popularity, and collecting them is often a point of pride, or at the very least, enjoyment, for much of the game's fanbase.

While there is no guaranteed means to catch them, there are ways to improve the chances of nabbing a shiny Pokemon.

---

Pokemon GO: Ways to improve shiny chances

Image via Niantic

When it comes to Pokemon GO, the chances of a shiny Pokemon are fixed at a certain percentage. Every time a player encounters a Pokemon that has a potential shiny form, the game essentially mathematically rolls the dice to determine if the Pokemon encountered will hit the low percentage of being shiny or not.

Because of the way this mechanic works, the best bet for Pokemon GO players to encounter shinies in normal non-event play is to increase the volume of Pokemon that are appearing. This primarily applies to encounters in the wild, but the more Research Task encounters and raid boss encounters players have, the more they increase the volume of potential shinies as well.

The bottom line is to get into as many Pokemon catch encounters as possible, and there are a number of means to do this:

• By using Incense, Pokemon GO players increase Pokemon spawns near them for one hour. The standard rate is one Pokemon per five minutes if the trainer is stationary, or one Pokemon per minute or every 200 meters traveled if they are mobile.
• Using Lure Modules at nearby Pokestops increase the spawn rates around the attached stop for 30 minutes. Certain Pokemon elemental types can be targeted specifically if desired by using different types of lures.
• Completing Research Tasks and encountering mystery Pokemon. By completing daily tasks and achieving breakthroughs players can encounter Pokemon to catch. This is often a set Pokemon or number of Pokemon chosen by Niantic for a particular time period, but they have the chance to be shiny nonetheless.
• Completing gym raids allows players to attempt to capture the Raid Boss Pokemon at the end of the battle. These Pokemon also have a chance at being shiny.

Put plainly, outside of things like Community Days, Spotlight Hours or other specific events, encountering as many Pokemon as possible is beneficial to spotting shinies. It may take a significant amount of time, but dedicated Pokemon GO players will eventually be rewarded for their time.