A new month of Pokémon Go Max Battles is here, with brand new Pokémon making their way into Max Battles in your local neighborhood.
Max Battles are a unique mechanic added in September 2024 in Pokémon Go, introducing Dynamax Pokémon in unique Power Spots. These spots are minor four-player raids in random places in the overworld. Power Spots only appear in a certain location for a few days before disappearing and reappearing somewhere else entirely.
You can take part in Max Battles using Max Particles, which you get by walking, interacting with Power Spots, or defeating Dynamax Pokémon. If you successfully defeat a Pokémon at these Power Spots, you can capture it. You can only use Dynamax Pokémon you’ve already caught to take on Pokémon at Power Spots, so it’s a good idea to capture a few for future big releases.
Since October 2024, Gigantamax Pokémon have also started to appear during special events. While we won’t be sharing the Gigantamax Pokémon offerings here, be sure to check the events board in your game to know if a Gigantamax Pokémon is on its way, as you’ll need at least 10 trainers locally to take them on.
The Pokémon on offer in Max Battles changes monthly, with the current offerings including the following.
Pokémon Go Max Battles full schedule this month
| Max Battle boss | Raid schedule dates | Can it be Shiny? |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamax Machop | Start: Dec. 3 End: Dec. 9 |
Yes |
| Dynamax Wooloo | Start: Dec. 3 End: Dec. 9 |
Yes |
| Dynamax Falinks | Start: Dec. 3 End: Dec. 9 |
Yes |
| Dynamax Beldum | Start: Dec. 3 End: Dec. 9 |
No |
| Dynamax Bulbasaur | Start: Dec. 9 End: Dec. 23 |
No |
| Dynamax Charmander | Start: Dec. 9 End: Dec. 23 |
No |
| Dynamax Squirtle | Start: Dec. 9 End: Dec. 23 |
Yes |
| Dynamax Skwovet | Start: Dec. 9 End: Dec. 23 |
Yes |
| Dynamax Krabby | Start: Dec. 9 End: Jan. 6 |
Yes |
| Dynamax Cryoganal | Start: Dec. 23 End: Jan. 6 |
Yes |
| Dynamax Grookey | Start: Dec. 23 End: Jan. 6 |
No |
| Dynamax Scorbunny | Start: Dec. 23 End: Jan. 6 |
No |
| Dynamax Sobble | Start: Dec. 23 End: Jan. 6 |
No |
| Gigantamax Lapras | Dec. 8, 2pm to 5pm local time | Yes |
Max Monday Pokémon Go full schedule this month
On top of the Pokémon on the regular schedule, Niantic offers special events known as Max Mondays every Monday of each month.
During a set time, Max Pokémon spawn in abundance from 6pm to 7pm local time to give trainers the best chance possible at finding specific Dynamax Pokémon and increasing the odds of potentially finding a Shiny version, should it be available. The Pokémon on offer include the following.
| Max Battle boss | Raid schedule date | Can it be Shiny? |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamax Squirtly | Dec. 2 | Yes |
| Dynamax Krabby | Dec, 9 | Yes |
| Dynamax Charmander | Dec. 16 | Yes |
| Dynamax Cyrogonal | Dec. 23 | Yes |
| Dynamax Bulbasaur | Dec. 30 | Yes |
Max Battles are the only way to get Dynamax Pokémon, so if you already have a Shiny version of the Pokémon on offer, you can’t Dynamax it and need to recapture another Shiny from a Max Battle to have a Dyanamax-available Shiny form.
We don’t like this feature, as it means you must recatch many of the Pokémon you might already own to take part in Max Battles, making the Dynamax mechanic feel slightly more tedious. But for now, all we can do is wait to see which other Pokémon join the Dynamax lineup over the next few months.
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