Dynamax, Gigantamax symbols appear in Pokémon Go, hinting at an imminent release

There have been several debates between Pokémon Go players regarding when Niantic will launch Dynamax and Gigantamax max raids in the mobile game. The Pokémon Sword and Shield group raiding system has only been hinted at, but players can now find those raid symbols in-game, hinting at an upcoming release.

All Pokémon Go players can find these symbols when searching in their Pokémon collection as of Aug. 5. The symbols were released earlier today in an update to the mobile game. A few weeks ago, developer Niantic released official artwork celebrating the eighth anniversary of Pokémon Go, with a Dynamax Pokémon as the centerpiece. With that artwork and the symbols arriving in the game, we expect the system to launch well before the end of August, potentially during the Pokémon World Championships from Aug. 16 to 18.

Beyond the symbols appearing in the search section, we don’t have any further details on Dynamax and Gigantamax in Pokémon Go. Niantic has not officially announced this new system or explained how it works. We already have a raid system in Pokémon Go, where players can take on a variety of adversaries.

Dynamax and Gigantamax might be more closely associated with Mega Raids, where a special egg appears with a distinct symbol, or the Ultra Beasts raids that use wormholes. These might be similar in difficulty.

But in Pokémon Sword and Shield, connecting with four players to complete these encounters was much easier rather than having other players near you and being able to connect online. In contrast, Pokémon Go’s five-star and Mega Raid systems require five or more players to defeat these challenging adversaries, and the Remote Raid Passes are how players connect from other parts of the world but have become far more costly.

Regardless of how Pokémon Go players get Dynamax or Gigantamax raids, it’s been something the community has been heavily requesting for several years. The Niantic team has been saying they’re eagerly awaiting the opportunity to release more Pokémon from the Pokémon Sword and Shield region of Galar but have seemingly been waiting for the right moment. With Dynamax and Gigantamax looking to be right around the corner, we should expect the Galar region to be the next season featured in Pokémon Go, with those starters appearing in the wild before the end of 2024.