Remote Max Battles and Shadow Raids are officially in Pokémon GO

Tom Bull

Tom Bull

A huge change is coming to Pokémon GO’s Shadow Raids and Max Battles.

Niantic have officially confirmed that you will be able to Remote into Max Battles in Pokémon GO. In addition, all Shadow Raids will also be remotable moving forwards too.

Both of these changes have been highly requested by the Pokémon GO Community for a long time and this news was incredibly well received. While these changes will of course encourage more spending, they also make these new features more accessible too.

Here's what you need to know about the news.

Max Battles and Shadow Raids can now be joined remotely in Pokémon GO

Both of these changes are being introduced over the next few weeks:

  • Remote Shadow Raids start on May 13, at 11:00 a.m. PDT
  • Remote Max Battles start on May 19, at 11:00 a.m. PDT

This will be the first time we've seen remote Max Battles in the game, however it isn't the first time we have seen remote Shadow Raids in Pokémon GO. This feature was temporarily introduced back in January, for Shadow Ho-Oh Raid Day. At the time, it was a really welcome and well used addition.

Smaller communities will benefit from this change

Both Shadow Raids and Max Battles have shared a common complaint. These features being in-person only, and difficult, has made them hard to access for players in remote areas. Gigantamax Battles often need over 20 players to complete.

That means that unless you are willing to travel, these features can be impossible to enjoy. Not everyone is able to visit a bigger area to complete these battles. Importantly, Gigantamax Pokémon are important to winning other Max Battles. Falling behind on this feature can make things really difficult.

Now, thanks to the introduction of Remote Max Battles into the game this feature will be a lot more accessible. However, some have raised their own concerns about this adjustment.

For those in big communities, Gigantamax Battles and Shadow Raid Days have been great for bringing local Trainers together. If you want to access these Pokémon, you have to work together. The worry is that this change might discourage that.

That said, not everyone has access to a big community. Overall this change will make these features more accessible, and Raiding or Max Battling in person will still be the better and cheaper option.

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