Pokemon GO: New Legendary Dynamax Raids Incoming

Summary

• Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno are slated to appear in Dynamax Raids from January 20th to February 3rd.
• This news, initially posted on the official Saudi Arabia Pokémon GO Twitter page, was quickly removed.

Pokémon GO has inadvertently revealed upcoming Dynamax Raids featuring the legendary birds Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno, starting in late January. While Dynamax Pokémon debuted in Pokémon GO in September 2024, these would mark the first legendary Dynamax Pokémon in the game.

The Kanto legendary birds remain hugely popular within the Pokémon community. Pokémon GO initially featured these three in raids, along with their Shiny forms. In 2023, the Galarian forms were added to Daily Incense spawns, albeit with lower spawn rates. Shiny Galarian versions became available in October 2024. A now-deleted official post suggests Pokémon GO is adding another iteration of the Kanto birds.

As discovered by Reddit user nintendo101, a tweet from the official Pokémon GO Saudi Arabia account announced the Dynamax Raids featuring Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno. The swift deletion of this tweet suggests the announcement was premature. If accurate, the addition of Dynamax legendary birds could boost the popularity of Max Battles, which have faced some player resistance.

Pokémon GO Accidentally Reveals Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno Dynamax Raids

The inclusion of these Dynamax legendary birds hints at the potential for more iconic legendary Pokémon to join Max Raids in the coming months. Pokémon Sword and Shield featured Dynamax forms of Mewtwo, Ho-Oh, and others, suggesting similar treatment for Pokémon GO's legendary roster. However, the difficulty of these legendary Max Raids remains unclear. Previous Max Raids in October faced criticism due to their difficulty, particularly the requirement of 40 players per battle. Whether these challenges will persist with the Dynamax legendaries is yet to be seen.

Pokémon GO has begun 2025 with a flurry of event announcements. Niantic has confirmed Ralts as the focus of the next Community Day Classic on January 25th. A Shadow Raid Day featuring Shadow Ho-Oh is scheduled for January 19th, offering up to seven free Raid Passes from Gyms. Finally, the host cities for Pokémon GO Fest 2025 have been revealed: Osaka, Jersey City, and Paris.