Shinies are rare and popular in Pokémon GO. However, there is often the question of why other trainers get a shiny and you don’t. We debunk the myth.
This is what Shinies are: These shiny Pokémon are extremely rare and differ from regular monsters. Instead of the usual color, the Shinies are different in color. They don’t have any special effects from the shiny effect, but they are rare collectibles.
There are some myths surrounding Shinies. The shiny probability varies among different trainers, you get fewer Shinies than others, and generally, new trainers are favored when it comes to Shinies. But is that true?
Shiny probabilities and the background
Why am I not getting any Shinies? To briefly answer this question: Because you simply have no luck.
There is no data suggesting that certain trainers are favored over others. It doesn’t matter whether you just started or have been playing for years. Every trainer has the same chance of getting a shiny.
How likely is a shiny at all? It depends on the shiny. A normal shiny in the wild has a chance of about 1 in 450 to 1 in 512. Analysts are not entirely sure about this.
What is certain is that you have to click at least 450 potential Shinies to have an expected value of 1 for a shiny. This means that while you can get a shiny much earlier, it also means that you may not see a shiny on your screen until well after 450 checks.
However, there are also Shinies that are much easier to obtain. This is because they are only available in raids or hatch from eggs. There are also Pokémon in the wild that are significantly more commonly shiny. These include, for example, Scyther or Pidgeot.
For all details regarding the exact shiny chances of Pokémon and what exceptions exist, you can find out here:
With this probability, you can get Shinies in Pokémon GO
You need to understand this: Just because you clicked on 450 Pokémon of one kind does not guarantee you a shiny. It can also go much worse, and you might only get a shiny after 1000 Pokémon.
It often seems that you have clicked on hundreds of specimens and still did not get a shiny. For this, check the Pokédex before the introduction of a new shiny and remember how many specimens you have already seen. Then go shiny hunting, and if you think a shiny is really overdue, check the Pokédex again. Were those 450 Pokémon you clicked on? If not, then you are not unlucky; you are still well within the probabilities. If so, then you actually had bad luck. Unfortunately, you can’t change that.
Are there tricks for more Shinies? In the console games of Pokémon, you can increase the chance of Shinies. For this, you should only catch one species of Pokémon to increase the chance. Unfortunately, this is not possible in Pokémon GO.
You always have the same probability, which also varies among different monsters. However, you cannot change this chance.
The result is: If you want more Shinies, you have to play more. But even that doesn’t guarantee more Shinies.
Here, we at least give you a few tricks on how to get more encounters with Pokémon, so you generally have more chances for Shinies:
- Play in areas where many Pokémon generally spawn and plan your routes along these areas.
- Clicking is enough – if you’re not quick at catching, you should rather do shiny checks. Just click on the Pokémon and flee again if it is not shiny.
- If you still want to catch the Pokémon, use the catch trick – this helps you catch Pokémon faster and potentially allows you to click on more monsters.
Particularly rare are regional Shinies that you can only catch in specific locations around the world. An overview of all regional Pokémon in the game can be found here:
