Image via Niantic

Cresselia, Heatran, and other legendary Pokémon return to Pokémon Go raids in September

Get ready for a massive raid rotation.

Pokémon Go players can expect four different legendary Pokémon to hold down the spot of five-star raid boss during the month of September, with Heatran leading the charge. 

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From now until Oct. 2, players can encounter one of Heatran, Cresselia, Articuno, and Zapdos when hunting for five-star raids. Each legendary Pokémon will rotate after a week of availability, so you better stock up on Poké Balls now. 

Heatran is actually already available as part of an extended return to the raid rotation that started on Aug. 21. The Fire/Steel-type will exit raids on Sept. 10, making way for the Lunar Pokémon Cresselia to return as well. 

Here are the official times listed for each of the returning legendaries. 

  • Heatran: Aug. 21 to Sept. 10
  • Cresselia: Sept. 10 to 18
  • Articuno: Sept. 18 to 25
  • Zapdos: Sept. 25 to Oct. 2

On top of each legendary being in raids for at least a full week, there will also be a Raid Hour every Wednesday throughout September featuring that week’s legendary Raid Boss in five-star raids.

Likewise, players will also have a chance to encounter another legendary Pokémon, the Mythical Victini, at the end of the month thanks to some new Special Research. Previously, Victini was a Pokémon Go Fest 2020 exclusive encounter. But now, it’ll be available for all players near the end of the month.


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Cale Michael
Lead Staff Writer for Dota 2, the FGC, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more who has been writing for Dot Esports since 2018. Graduated with a degree in Journalism from Oklahoma Christian University and also previously covered the NBA. You can usually find him writing, reading, or watching an FGC tournament.