Pokemon GO Accidentally Reveals Upcoming Legendary Dynamax Raids

Summary

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

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

The Kanto legendary birds remain incredibly popular within the Pokémon community. Pokémon GO initially featured these birds, along with their Shiny forms, in raids during the game's early years. In 2023, the Galarian bird trio was added to Daily Incense spawns, albeit with a lower spawn rate. Since October 2024, Shiny Galarian legendary birds have also been available. 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 revitalize interest in Max Battles, which some Pokémon GO players have avoided.

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

The inclusion of the Dynamax bird trio hints at the potential arrival of other iconic legendary Pokémon in future Max Raids. Pokémon Sword and Shield featured Dynamax forms of Mewtwo, Ho-Oh, and others, suggesting Pokémon GO's legendaries could receive similar treatment. However, the difficulty of these legendary Max Raids remains unclear. In October, Pokémon GO faced criticism regarding the difficulty of Max Raids, particularly the requirement of 40 players per battle. Whether this issue will persist with Dynamax legendaries is yet to be seen.

Pokémon GO has begun 2025 with a flurry of event announcements. Niantic confirmed Ralts as the star 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.