Gigantimax Pikachu, Eevee, and Meowth Pokémon Sword and Shield event details and dates

Gigantimax Pikachu, Eevee, and Meowth will be made available for all players in Pokémon Sword and Shield to capture over the next three weeks thanks to a new Max Raid Battle event. 

The three previously exclusive Pokémon will be rotating in and out of the Wild Area, starting with Pikachu on May 12 and ending with Meowth on June 1. 

All three Pokémon will appear in every Event Den regardless of the raid level, ranging from Level 17 to 60 based on the difficulty set for each encounter. The Shiny forms of each Pokémon will also be available to catch for the first time in Gigantimax form, with Hidden Abilities unlocked too. 

That means you can catch a Pikachu that has Lightning Rod, an Eevee with Anticipation, and a Meowth with Unnerve if you get lucky. And while the details are scarce for Eevee and Meowth, high-level Gigantimax Pikachu raids also give you the chance to catch some Pikachu that know rare attacks like Surf. 

Here are the full dates for each Pokémon’s rotation for the remainder of the month. 

• Gigantimax Pikachu: May 12 to 18
• Gigantimax Eevee: May 19 to 25
• Gigantimax Meowth: May 26 to June 1

Prior to this event, all three Pokémon were locked behind various special circumstances that kept everyone from obtaining Gigantimax-capable Pikachu, Eevee, and Meowth. 

Pikachu and Eevee both required players to have save data from their respective version of Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! to obtain them, while Meowth was an early-purchase bonus for players who bought the game before Jan. 15. 

Now everyone can catch and train several of the Gigantimax-enabled Pokémon, but just make sure you don’t miss your chance when each rotation rolls around.