Mega Houndoom raids unlock for Pokémon Go players at end of September

Players succeeded in completing Niantic’s challenge of clearing 275 million Mega Raids to unlock Mega Houndoom in Pokémon Go. As a result, the Mega Evolved Dark/Fire-type will be joining the raid rotation on Sept. 29. 

This was an added portion of the Mega September event where players needed to complete a certain number of Mega Raids to unlock new Mega Pokémon.

Mega Pidgeot was the first hurdle, but players blew by the two million Mega Raid goal that was set for the first week of September. The Mega Houndoom milestone was a bit of a closer call, but Niantic confirmed that players exceeded its expectations thanks to their “unparalleled strength and determination.”

Because Mega Houndoom is joining the raid rotation on Sept. 29, it’s likely that Mega Pidgeot, which is now available in five-star Mega Raids, will be leaving on the same date. Niantic hasn’t confirmed a timetable for the Mega Raid rotations yet, so both could easily remain in raids until further notice. 

Either way, it lines up with Mega Houndoom being included in the October raid rotation until the next Mega Evolved Pokémon is added in, which should be Mega Gengar during the Halloween event. 

More details about Mega Houndoom, including its potential movesets and stats, will be revealed closer to when the Mega Evolved Dark Pokémon joins raids on Sept. 29.