In Pokémon GO, you can finally find Team Rocket! The grunts are called Team GO Rocket and are now invading PokéStops. We will show you how to find and battle them.
What is Team GO Rocket? The villains you know from the anime and console games are now also in Pokémon GO. They lurk around PokéStops and will challenge you when you spin the photo disk.
The battle proceeds like a battle against Team Leaders. You will fight against the opponents in the new PvP mode.
All About Team Rocket – Here’s How the Battle Works
How do I find Team Rocket? At first glance, the affected PokéStops are not very recognizable. You need to look closely, as the blue stops are significantly darker and move a little.

When you approach the stop and spin it, a Rocket grunt suddenly appears and will challenge you to battle. Additionally, the stop will turn completely black, and Team Rocket will stand next to it.
If you cannot find an affected stop, it might be due to the rarity of these PokéStops. According to initial reports, Team Rocket is not encountered very often.
This is how the battle goes: When you face Team GO Rocket, your enemy will battle with 3 Pokémon of the same type. For example, we had a battle against Squirtle, Wartortle, and Blastoise.
You will battle them in the regular PvP mode, and they are similarly easy to defeat as the Team Leaders.
If you defeat the grunt, he will disappear, and you will receive 500 Stardust. Additionally, Team Rocket leaves a Shadow Pokémon that you can catch.
After the battle, you need to heal your Pokémon normally. It is not like in a regular Trainer battle, where you do not need to use potions and revives.
What do we know about Shadow Pokémon? These monsters can be purified after catching and added to your team normally. Detailed information about Shadow Pokémon will be available shortly on MeinMMO.
There are new medals: In line with Team Rocket, there are now also 2 new medals in the game. They are called:
- Hero: Defeat 10/100/1000 Team GO Rocket grunts
- Purifier: Purify 5/50/500 Shadow Pokémon
This is important when it comes to Team Rocket: If you see a PokéStop with the grunts, you should not dawdle. Team Rocket never stays long at a PokéStop.

Initial players suspect that they are on site for 30 minutes before disappearing. There is no timer indicating the time limit.
At the start of the feature, there were some issues with Team Rocket. Many players experienced crashes, and they were unable to battle the grunts. Even restarting the app did not help. The solution to the problem is still uncertain.
Have you made any initial experiences with the new feature? What do you think of Team Rocket?