Legendary Dynamax Raids Emerge in Pokémon GO

Pokémon GO Leak Hints at Dynamax Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno Raids

A prematurely released tweet from the official Pokémon GO Saudi Arabia Twitter account revealed the imminent arrival of Dynamax Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno in Dynamax Raids. The post, swiftly deleted, indicated a January 20th to February 3rd timeframe for the event. This would mark the first appearance of legendary Dynamax Pokémon in the game since the introduction of Dynamax Pokémon in September 2024.

The Kanto legendary birds remain immensely popular within the Pokémon community. While Pokémon GO previously featured these Pokémon (and their Shiny variants) in raids, and their Galarian counterparts in Daily Incense (with a lower spawn rate), this Dynamax iteration represents a significant new addition.

The leak, spotted by Reddit user nintendo101, suggests a potential boost to the popularity of Max Raids. These raids have faced criticism for their difficulty, particularly the requirement of 40 players for successful completion. Whether this challenge will persist with the Dynamax legendary birds remains uncertain. The possibility of more iconic legendary Pokémon receiving Dynamax forms in future Max Raids, mirroring the Dynamax forms of Mewtwo and Ho-Oh in Pokémon Sword and Shield, is also raised by this leak.

This leak follows a flurry of Pokémon GO event announcements for early 2025. These include a Community Day Classic featuring Ralts on January 25th, a Shadow Raid Day with Shadow Ho-Oh on January 19th (offering up to seven free Raid Passes), and the announcement of Osaka, Jersey City, and Paris as host cities for Pokémon GO Fest 2025.