Can Helioptile and Heliolisk be Shiny in Pokémon Go?

Crackling Voltage is a new Pokémon Go event that pays homage to Electric types, featuring high-voltage species like Tapu Koko as Raid bosses, Egg hatches, and Research encounters. And one such Pokémon is Helioptile, an Electric and Normal dual-type from Kalos, first released in the mobile game a year ago.

Helioptile is one of the species getting the most visibility in the event, so it’s natural for players to wonder if it and its evolution Heliolish can be Shiny in Pokémon Go. And we have good news.

Can Helioptile and Heliolisk be Shiny in Pokémon Go?

Helioptile was released in Pokémon Go on Jan. 19, 2022, with the start of the Power Plant event, which also revolved around Electric-types. After spending just over a year in the handheld Pokémon game without a Shiny available, its alternate colors were released on Jan. 27, 2023 during the Crackling Voltage event.

The same goes for Heliolisk, which can only be acquired by evolution in Pokémon Go. That means your chance of getting a Shiny Heliolisk is catching a Shiny Helioptile—and thankfully, there are a lot of ways you can do that in the current event.

What do Shiny Helioptile and Shiny Heliolisk look like? 

In its original version, most of Helioptile’s body is a soft shade of yellow, with the top of its head and ears taking on a dark shade of gray. Evolving to Heliolisk keeps those same colors, but adds a few accents in a soft orange.

As for Shiny Helioptile, it keeps the dark gray, but trades most of the light yellow for a bright red. The yellow remains only at the tip of its ears and a tiny triangle between its eyes. Shiny Heliolisk turns the new orange accents yellow while turning the yellow part of its body the same bright red present in Shiny Helioptile.

How to easily get Shiny Helioptile and Shiny Heliolisk in Pokémon Go

There are several ways you can get Shiny Helioptile in Pokémon Go, all of them depending on some luck. The first is in the wild, as Helioptile appears more frequently during the Crackling Voltage event. It is also a one-star Raid boss, along with Alolan Grimer, Shinx, Bronzor, and Klink, and a Field Research task encounter, along with Voltorb, Hisuian Voltorb, Plusle, Minun, and Emolga. And finally, it can hatch from seven-kilometer Eggs.

You can only obtain Heliolisk by evolution. That is also the case for Shiny Heliolisk. The only way you can currently get Shiny Heliolisk is by hatching or encountering a Shiny Helioptile, gathering 50 Helioptile Candy and a Sun Stone, and evolving it.