20 Rarest Pokémon In Pokémon GO & How To Get Them
The main goal of Pokémon GO is to catch ’em all and complete your Pokédex, but some incredibly rare Pokémon often stand in the way of that goal. Aside from the fact that many Pokémon are only obtainable during special events, some elusive creatures only spawn in specific regions around the world, such as Klefki, which typically only appears in France.
Even if you’ve been playing Pokémon GO every day since it launched back in the golden days of 2016, there are likely still some Pokémon you haven’t managed to catch yet. To help you determine which creatures might be missing from your collection, take a moment to learn about some of the rarest Pokémon in Pokémon GO as of 2025.
Lucky Shadow Pokémon Can’t Be Acquired Anymore
You Could Only Trade For Them Briefly
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Shadow Pokémon were introduced in 2019 as special Pokémon with improved stats. And, for a very brief period, these Shadow variants could be traded. Before long, Niantic realized this allowed players to get perfect Pokémon way too easily, thanks to the existence of Lucky Pokémon.
Every time you trade, there’s at least 5% chance of getting a Lucky Pokémon, which improves the stats and reduces leveling requirements. Lucky Shadow Pokémon could be made very powerful very quickly. Today, they’re one of the rarest Pokémon in the game since you can no longer create new ones.
Kecleon Is Too Easy To Overlook
The Invisible Poké Stop Pokémon
While Kecleon is by no means the hardest Pokémon to obtain in the game, it can be one that many players miss. Kecleon, unlike most traditional Pokémon, does not spawn in the wild in Pokémon Go but instead at Poké Stops, specifically on the actual Poké Stop disc itself.
Thus, the only way to catch one is to find it on a Poké Stop disc, knock it off, then exit back to the main screen and tap on it once it jumps off. Unfortunately, it’s not incredibly common to find them, and often, players may not even notice them if they’re there unless they’re paying close attention. So, the next time you spin a Poké Stop, be sure to take a second look and see if a camouflaged friend is hanging around.
Dusk Form Lycanroc Is A Rare Catch
Catch A Specific Type Of Rockruff
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While most Pokémon have static evolution paths, the adorable Rockruff can evolve into one of three Pokémon: Midday Lycanroc, Midnight Lycanroc, or Dusk Form Lycanroc. While the first two are much easier to get, the latter form is much harder to obtain, as only a few Rockruff can evolve into it.
Unfortunately, there’s no way of telling which wild Rockruff has this special ability until you’ve caught them and checked their information page, so it’s simply a case of seeing and catching as many Rockruff as you can until you find one that can evolve into the Dusk Form.
Keldeo Was A Limited-Time Event Pokémon
This Mythical Creature Is A Costly Acquisition
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Like most Mythical Pokémon in Pokémon GO, the Water/Fighting-type horse Keldeo can only be obtained by completing a lengthy Special Research story. The problem is that this Special Research story, Something Extraordinary, was only available to purchase from the in-game shop in December 2022.
Keldeo is one of a few Pokémon that can’t be traded in Pokémon GO, so you won’t be able to get one even if you’ve got a friend who’s willing to share.
Since that time, there’s been no way to get Keldeo. Mythical creatures usually reappear eventually, but as it stands, Keldeo is still one of the rarest. However, many players still hold onto hope that it will become available again at some point.
Volcarona Requires A Lot Of Luck And Patience
400 Candy & A Lot Of Egg Hatching
Despite being available from 2km, 5km, and 10km Eggs, Larvesta remains an incredibly rare Pokémon in Pokémon GO. This is primarily due to its infuriatingly low hatch rate. So it stands to reason that its evolution, Volcarona, would be one of the hardest creatures to get in the game, full stop.
Not only is hatching Larvesta a nightmare in and of itself, but then throw in the fact that this evolution process costs a whopping 400 Larvesta Candy, and you’ve got an almost impossible Pokédex addition for most Trainers.
Salazzle Is An Even Rarer Hatch
You’ll Need To Hatch A Female Salandit
If you thought Volcarona was hard to get, wait until you hear about Salazzle. This elusive Pokémon can only be evolved from a female Salandit, which (surprise, surprise) is one of the hardest Pokémon to obtain in the game.
Salandit only has a small chance of hatching from 12km Eggs, which in turn can only be acquired by defeating Team GO Rocket Leaders Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra.
That’s a lengthy process already, but the chances of it being a female Salandit are even lower. You could hatch loads of Salandit and never get a female one, keeping that Salazzle just out of reach.
Unknown’s Many Forms Are Almost Impossible To See Under Good Circumstances
Over 20 Different Variants Only Show Up On Occasion
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In the mainline Pokémon games, Unknown is already an enigma, a Pokémon with 28 different forms players can catch. In Pokémon GO, Unknown is by far the creature with the lowest spawn rate compared to others, only appearing once in every million encounters. This ridiculous statistic means that players can hardly catch Unknown outside of special events that feature it, and even then, it doesn’t appear all too often.
Some of the common events you might find an Unknown at are GO Fests, Safari Zone encounters, or themed events around fellow Psychic-types like Unknown.
To make matters worse, Unknown’s rarer and specific variants are even harder to track down if you’re looking to gather all 28 types of the Pokémon. The “!” and “?” versions of Unknown in particular may only show up once in a blue moon, even with in-game items boosting their spawn rate. Catching every form of Unknown is a collector’s dream, but a challenge that might take years to accomplish.
Sandile Has Become Elusive Again After Its Hatch Day
Trades Might Be Your Only Option For This Pokémon
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The Unova region Pokémon Sandile was once among the most elusive Pokémon in the game, only appearing in 12km Eggs gained through Special Research. Traditionally, you could once could only get a Sandile through an Egg by defeating a Team Rocket Leader, such as Arlo, Cliff, or Sierra in Pokémon GO. As of October 2026, however, Sandile had time to finally shine in a Hatch Day event during that month.
That being said, with the event over, players who missed hatching their own Sandile are now forced to collect a 12km Egg again or trade for the Ground-type Pokémon. Sandile does not appear in the wild at all, instead showing up through Special Research like the kind associated with Team Rocket. You might have a chance to find a Sandile through GO Battle League Research task rewards, but this will take time like some of the other Pokémon on this List.
Regional Exclusive Pokémon Can Only Be Found In Specific Locations
How Many Of These Have You Managed To Catch?
There are loads of region-exclusive Pokémon to discover in Pokémon GO, meaning they only spawn in specific locations in the real world. For example, Tauros only appears in the United States of America, while Hawlucha only spawns in Mexico.
Some of these regional exclusives have become easier to obtain over time, like Kangaskhan, which can now be caught around the world by defeating Mega Kangaskhan in a Raid Battle.
Region-exclusive Pokémon sometimes appear around the world during special celebrations, such as the annual Pokémon GO Tour events, but this doesn’t happen very often. Keep your eyes peeled for them.
It’s hard to pinpoint a specific regional Pokémon that’s the rarest, as it depends on where you’re based in the world. If you live in New Zealand, you’ve probably managed to catch a Relicanth or two by now, but for trainers in any other part of the world, they remain a pipedream.
Based on the population and the length of time it’s been in the game, the Hawaii-exclusive Comfey is probably one of the hardest to obtain in Pokémon GO right now.
Zygarde (Complete Forme) Takes A Whole Lot Of Walking
Good Luck Collecting Enough Zygarde Cells For This One
The basic Zygarde (10% Forme) was given out for free as part of a Special Research story, making it a fairly common sighting in any Pokémon GO collection, but its Complete Forme is another story entirely.
To unlock Zygarde’s final form change, you’ll need to collect a total of 250 Zygarde Cells. That would be a huge ask if the process worked the same as regular old Candy, but Zygarde Cells are far more difficult to obtain, making this a god-like feat.
You’d need to complete routes every day for 84 days to gather enough Zygarde Cells to unlock Zygarde (Complete Forme).
To get Zygarde Cells, you’ll need to complete one of Pokémon Go‘s routes. These are user-created paths in the real world that can be followed to get bonuses and special encounters. At the end of every route, there’s a chance to find a Zygarde Cell, but there’s a limit of three per day.
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