Why are Ultra Wormholes appearing in Pokémon Go?

After being introduced in June 2022 as a way to bring Ultra Beasts into Pokémon Go, Ultra Wormholes have become a somewhat frequent spectacle to encounter while playing the game. But just seeing one doesn’t really tell new players what they do. 

Each year, Niantic tends to use Pokémon Go Fest as a way to overhaul or add certain features to the game to excite fans and get older players to pick the game back up to try something new. For Go Fest 2022 that meant working in Ultra Beasts to the raid rotation and explaining their appearance in a way that makes sense with the franchise’s lore. 

As a result, Ultra Wormholes were added to Pokémon Go and signify when and where players can encounter Ultra Beasts in the game. 

What do Ultra Wormholes do in Pokémon Go? 

In Pokémon lore, Ultra Wormholes act as a gateway into Ultra Space, a world entirely different from our own that houses many mysterious beings—including Ultra Beasts. These creatures are appearing in our world using these Ultra Wormholes, but players are advised to approach them with caution since they can be very dangerous. 

In Pokémon Go, Niantic has turned these Ultra Wormholes into the entry points for raids that feature Ultra Beasts. In this instance, they replace the Raid Eggs that typically spawn the Raid Boss at Gyms when it is time for a raid to begin.

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Interacting with an Ultra Wormhole in the overworld will queue you up for a raid just like any normal Gym interaction. It is just a visual difference to give Ultra Beast raids a unique feel.