Shiny Celebi in Pokémon Go
Image via Niantic

How to catch Celebi in Pokémon Go

Hint: They are very... incredibly rare.

Pokémon Go’s dynamic world shelters a lot of rare ‘mons, but only a few of them are as scarce as the mythical Celebi. If you’re wondering how to catch one of these in the popular AR game, this is the guide you need. 

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Flaunting both Psychic and Grass powers, the Celebi is a Johtonian Pokémon known for powerful movesets like Magical Leaf and Leaf Storm. Unfortunately, Celebi can’t be found in the wild, nor can it be captured from Raid Battles. Instead, players must complete a Special Research to add this enigmatic ‘mon to their Pokédex. 

Here’s how you can catch a Celebi in Pokémon Go.

How to get Celebi in Pokémon Go

Celebi, a Grass and Psychic type Pokémon
Celebi anyone? Image via The Pokémon Company

At the time of writing, the only way for Pokémon Go players to get a Celebi is by completing the A Ripple in Time Special Research. To unlock A Ripple in Time, you must complete the seventh step of A Mythical Discovery Special Research. 

If you have completed the A Ripple in Time Special Research before and earned your Celebi already, you can’t activate it again to get another Celebi.

Here’s a rundown of the steps required to complete A Ripple in Time Special Research in Pokémon Go. 

StepRequirementsRewards
1Power up a Pokémon five times – 1,000 XP
Battle in a gym two times – 1,000 XP
Battle in a raid – 1,000 XP
10 Pokeball, one Fast TM, one Special Incubator
2Make three new friends – 1,500 XP
Catch a Pokémon three days in a row – 1,500 XP
Evolve an evolved grass-type Pokémon – 1,500 XP
One Sun Stone, 1,500 Stardust, one Premium Raid Pass
3Reach level 25 – 2,000 XP
Use a Sun Stone to evolve Gloom or Sunkern – 2,000 XP
Hatch nine eggs – 2,000 XP
Eevee encounter, one King’s Rock, one Premium Raid Pass
4Walk 10 km with Eevee as your buddy – 2,500 XP
Evolve Eevee into Espeon during the day – 2,500 XP
Send 20 Gifts to Friends – 2,500 XP
Eevee Encounter, 2,500 Stardust, and one Metal Coat
5Walk 10 km with Eevee as your buddy – 3,000 XP
Evolve Eevee into Umbreon at night – 3,000 XP
Trade a Pokemon – 3,000 XP
One Star Piece, 15 Pinap Berries, one Up-grade
6Visit Pokéstops seven days in a row – 3,500 XP
Use 25 Pinap Berries while catching Pokémon – 3,500 XP
Use special evolution items to evolve Pokémon two times – 3,500 XP
3,500 Stardust, one Dragon Scale, five Silver Pinap Berries
7Catch 40 Grass or Psychic-type Pokémon – 4,000 XP
Make an Excellent Curveball Throw – 4,000 XP
Earn a Gold Johto Medal – 4,000 XP
One Charge TM, 10 Silver Pinap Berries, Celebi encounter
8Claim rewards5,500 Stardust, one Super Incubator, 20 Celebi Candy

You may get a chance to catch more Celebis in upcoming Pokémon Go events, so stay tuned.

Can you get a Shiny Celebi in Pokémon Go?

Shiny Celebi is a thing in Pokémon Go, but if you missed the 2020 Distracted by Something Shiny Celebi event, unfortunately, you are out of luck for now.

Like its normal form, Shiny Celebis are extremely rare and can only be obtained from special events, so you will have to wait for one. Niantic doesn’t have any plans for hosting a shiny Celebi event up its sleeves right now, but it could happen in the future.


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Sharmila Ganguly
Staff Writer at Dot Esports. An enthusiastic gamer who bumped into the intricacies of video game journalism in 2021 and has been hustling ever since. Obsessed with first-person shooter titles, especially VALORANT. Contact: sharmila@dotesports.com