What are Shadow Raids in Pokemon GO? (March 2023)

Pokemon GO's developers at Niantic have recently taken aim at in-game raiding. They introduced a few positives, like Elite Raids, and some negatives, like the phasing out of Remote Raid Passes. However, a recent datamine indicates that Niantic isn't finished with assessing the raiding system.

According to a committed group of dataminers over at PokeMiners, Pokemon GO may soon receive a new raid type known as Shadow Raids.

Every leak or datamine has to be taken with some skepticism, but PokeMiners has a very solid track record when it comes to reporting new features.

Details are incredibly light on Pokemon GO's new Shadow Raids, but there were a few things that PokeMiners were able to glean from the in-game code.

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What we know so far about Pokemon GO's Shadow Raids

Since the information on Shadow Raids was acquired from code and file changes to Pokemon GO, not much is known despite PokeMiners' best efforts.

According to the group, the raids will possess their own ticket (presumptively purchasable) to access. They will be divided into five raid tiers and will reward bonus experience when completed.

Shadow Raids also appear to be compatible with the use of Remote Raid Passes. This was something that drew criticism against Niantic when these same passes couldn't be used for the new Elite Raids.

Though it's unclear what the bosses in these raids may be, there are indicators that Shadow Pokemon will take place as bosses. Obviously, the title of the raids themselves is one indicator.

However, PokeMiners also found signs of a new raid ticket back in September 2022 that was colored purple, which is a color that relates to Shadow Pokemon. Considering shadows are usually only obtainable in Pokemon GO via battling Team GO Rocket, Shadow Raids can expand upon access to shadow creatures for players.

The presence of shadow tickets dating back to last year may mean that Shadow Raids are close to arrival in Pokemon GO. However, it's important to note that many implementations into the game code or files can sit around for quite some time before Niantic decides to use them.

One perfect example is the presence of certain shiny Pokemon, who have had their game models in the game but still haven't appeared during ordinary gameplay.

Unfortunately, when it comes to determining a release date for Shadow Raids in Pokemon GO, there hasn't been any readily apparent information.

This is to be expected, as it wouldn't make a ton of sense for Niantic to add files or scripts to the game outright announcing a release date. This is especially true since the company’s developers are aware of just how thorough and determined the datamining and leaking communities are.

Hopefully, more details will be forthcoming on Niantic's part when it comes to Shadow Raids. While the efforts of groups like Pokeminers are a huge help, having absolute confirmation that these modes will arrive in the near future will be much more exciting for the community.

The writing is clearly on the wall, and all that's left to do is wait for official word from Niantic on the subject.