What are the odds of encountering shiny Pokemon in Pokemon GO?

Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon GO are tough finds, and that's part of what makes them so coveted and valued.

Ever since shiny Pokemon were introduced in Pokemon's second generation of games for the Game Boy Color (Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal), they've been discussed often and sought after even more. This has, of course, spread to Pokemon GO and its dedicated player base, and players have carried on the tradition of shiny hunting.

But what are the actual shiny appearance rates in Pokemon GO? The short answer is that chances are slim but better than they have been in the past.

Depending on the Pokemon being sought after, its chances of appearing as a shiny may be better or worse.

---

Pokemon GO: Shiny appearance rates by the numbers

Some vital information about shiny Pokemon and their appearance rates (Image via Niantic)

With so many shiny Pokemon currently in Pokemon GO, there are naturally many individual shiny appearance percentages. Instead of inspecting each of them individually, examining the shiny rates and their categorizations themselves is likely more beneficial.

Below is a primer of some of the more vital information about shiny Pokemon and their appearance rates:

• The standard shiny appearance chance is 0.2%, or one in 500 Pokemon. This applies to several Pokemon species.
• Pokemon that are exceedingly rare to spot in the wild have a boosted shiny rate of 1.6%. Examples of these Pokemon include baby forms such as Elekid or Magby, with rare Pokemon such as Alolan Marowak also in consideration. Additionally, evolved Pokemon that can be attained in Mega Raids (Slowbro, Houndoom, Ampharos, etc.) and certain Shadow Pokemon also receive this boost.
• There is also a slightly boosted increase of 0.8% that applies to certain species that are rare but not as rare. Pokemon receiving this benefit include Gible, Vulpix, Psyduck, Ponyta, Cubone, Magikarp, Shuckle, Lotad, and more.
• All Legendary Pokemon are given a flat shiny rate of 5% or one in 20.

These metrics apply to standard Pokemon GO play, but events shake things up a little bit:

• Pokemon featured during Community Day festivities receive shiny percentage boosts to 4%.
• Pokemon featured during Raid Days have their shiny chance increased to 10%.
• Pokemon that have made appearances in Limited Research Events have had varied shiny percentage boosts to minimums of 2.5% to a maximum of 10%.
• Down from 4% in 2018, Pokemon have been observed during Pokemon GO Fest and Safari Zone events having a boosted shiny chance of 1.6%.
• In situations where shiny Meltan has been available, it has also retained a shiny percentage of 1.6%.