Mega Evolution (GO)
Mega Evolution (Japanese: メガシンカ Mega Evolution) is a temporary transformations that certain Pokémon can undergo. Mega Evolution was introduced to Pokémon GO on August 27, 2020. Like in the core series, Mega Evolution significantly increase a Pokémon's stats and potentially change its type, but its moves will remain the same. However, rather than using a Mega Stone, an eligible Pokémon instead consumes Mega Energy to activate this temporary transformation. In addition, several type-based bonuses take effect while Mega Evolution is active, and become more powerful for Pokémon that have undergone Mega Evolution many times.
Primal Reversion (Japanese: ゲンシカイキ Primal Regression) was introduced on February 18, 2023. Rather than using the Blue Orb or Red Orb, eligible Pokémon consume Primal Energy to activate Primal Reversion. In Pokémon GO, Primal Reversion is treated as a special type of Mega Evolution. The two operate nearly identically, but Primal Reversion is more powerful: it grants bonus effects to more types than Mega Evolution, and its damage bonuses in Gym and Raid Battles remain active the entire time a Primal form is in the party, not just when it is the active party member.
Activation
Activating Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion for a Pokémon the first time costs a large amount of species-specific Mega Energy or Primal Energy. Mega Evolution and Primal Reversion last eight hours, after which that Pokémon will enter a rest period for several days. As the rest period counts down, the Energy cost to reactivate Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion decreases proportionally until it reaches 0 at the rest period's end. Mega Evolution and Primal Reversion can be activated anytime during the rest period, so long as the player has enough Energy.
Repeatedly activating Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion on the same Pokémon will increase its Mega Level or Primal Level. A higher Mega or Primal Level reduces both the initial Mega or Primal Energy activation cost and the length of the rest period, making frequent activation far cheaper and easier.
A player can only have one active Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion at a time. Activating Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion on a second Pokémon will revert the first to its base form and start its rest period.
On top of the Mega Energy cost, activating Rayquaza's Mega Evolution also requires that it know the move Dragon Ascent. Rayquaza can learn Dragon Ascent by consuming a Meteorite.
Shadow Pokémon and Clone Pokémon cannot Mega Evolve, but Purified Pokémon and other event forms can. Active Mega-Evolved Pokémon cannot be deployed to defend Gyms, stationed at Power Spots, traded, powered up, or Dynamaxed. Trading a Pokémon resets all progress towards Mega Levels or Primal Levels, and its recipient must pay the full initial amount to activate Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion.
Costs
The following shows the possible costs to activate Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion. The subsequent activation costs decreases with the Pokémon's Mega Level or Primal Level.
| Initial cost | Base Level
|
High Level
|
Max Level
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 20 | 10 | 5 |
| 200 | 40 | 20 | 10 |
| 300 | 60 | 30 | 15 |
| 400 | 80 | 40 | 20 |
Effects
Mega Evolution and Primal Reversion grant a variety of type-specific bonuses for an eight-hour period of time, with some having different types from their base forms. Activating Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion will restore a fainted or damaged Pokémon to full HP.
- For Mega Evolution, type bonuses match the Mega-Evolved Pokémon's types
- For Primal Reversion and Mega Rayquaza, type bonuses match their associated weather conditions:
- For Primal Kyogre, these bonuses are applied are to Bug, Water, and Electric types, the same types boosted by Rainy weather.
- For Primal Groudon, these bonuses are applied are to Ground, Fire, and Grass types, the same types boosted by Sunny weather.
- For Mega Rayquaza, these bonuses are applied to Flying, Dragon, and Psychic types, the same types boosted by Windy weather.
In battle
Mega Evolution and Primal Reversion temporarily boost the base stats of a Pokémon. They can be used in all types of battles, except in the GO Battle League outside of special events.
When used in Gym and Raid Battles, Mega Evolution and Primal Reversion provides special damage bonuses to all allies:
- ×1.3 damage for all moves whose types are boosted by Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion
- ×1.1 damage increase for all other ally Pokémon's moves
Mega Evolution typically requires the Mega-Evolved Pokémon to be present on the battlefield for the damage bonuses to be active. For Primal Reversion and Mega Rayquaza, they only need to be present within the party that has any member on the battlefield; the damage bonuses are active even if the transformed Pokémon is never sent out or has fainted.[1]
Multiple players can use Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion in the same battle, but the damage bonuses will not stack. Each attack only will receive the highest applicable damage bonus.
Note that the damage bonus is not applied to the user or, for Primal Reversion and Mega Rayquaza, its own party. However, if multiple players use Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion, they can boost each other.
Catching Pokémon
Outside of battle, special bonuses are applied for catching Pokémon that have at least one of the Mega Evolution's or Primal Reversion's boosted types:
- Bonus Candy
- This bonus also applies to any Pokémon caught from a raid, regardless of type
- Increased chance of Candy XL (unlocked at High level)
- This is a flat rate, depending on Mega Level, added to the success rate for each possible Candy XL.
- Bonus XP (unlocked at High level)
Walking a Buddy Pokémon
Once a Pokémon's Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion is registered to the Pokédex, walking any Buddy Pokémon from its evolutionary line will also yield its respective Mega Energy or Primal Energy whenever it finds Candy (at 5 Energy per km). Energy can be found this way regardless of whether there is a Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion active.
Level
Mega Levels were introduced on April 28, 2022, as part of an update to Mega Evolutions. As a Pokémon's Mega Level or Primal Level increases, the additional perks for Mega Evolving it improve. Each Pokémon can increase its progress towards the next Mega or Primal Level by undergoing Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion, up to once per day. Mega and Primal Levels are completely reset if a Pokémon is traded.
It takes at least 30 days for a Pokémon to reach Max Level, Mega Evolving it once each day. For a Pokémon that costs 
100/200/300 to initially Mega Evolve, it would take at least 406/783/1160 total to reach Max Level within the minimum 30 days required, and waiting exactly 24 hours in between. If the player chooses to only perform subsequent Mega Evolutions without using Mega Energy, it will take at least 157 days (about 5 months) after the initial Mega Evolution to reach Max Level. In both ideal cases, the player cancels the Mega Evolution immediately to initiate the rest period timer.
| Bonus | Base Level
|
High Level
|
Max Level
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Evolutions required | 1 | 7 | 30 |
| Rest period | 7 days | 5 days | 3 days |
| Mega Energy cost reduction | 80% | 90% | 95% |
| Catch Candy Bonus |  1 |
1 |
2
|
| Increased Candy XL Chance | — | +10% | +25% |
| Catch XP Bonus | — | +50 XP | +100 XP |
Mega and Primal Raids
- Main article: Raid Battle (GO)
Mega-Evolved Pokémon and Primal Reversions may appear as Raid Bosses for Mega Raids and Primal Raids, respectively. Upon completion, the raid rewards a large amount of Energy that correspond to the Raid Boss, and the amount depends on how quickly the raid was completed. Each Mega Raid yields between 150 to 250 Mega Energy, and each Primal Raid yields between 60 to 100 Primal Energy. Upon defeat, the Raid Boss will revert to its normal form and can be caught as such during the bonus challenge.
As Pokémon GO has not featured Mega Diancie in raids, Mega Diancie Energy was instead made available during GO Fest 2023 through Carbink raids and catching wild Carbink, with the 2024 Glitz and Glam Special Research allowing Mega Diancie Energy through the Special Research and quests.
List of Mega Evolutions and Primal Reversions
| Resource | Pokémon | Boosted Types | Initial Cost | Release date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Venusaur Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Venusaur |  
|
200 | August 27, 2020 |
|
Charizard Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Charizard X |  
|
200 | August 27, 2020 |
|
Mega Charizard Y | 
| ||||
|
Blastoise Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Blastoise | 
|
200 | August 27, 2020 |
|
Beedrill Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Beedrill | 
|
100 | August 27, 2020 |
|
Pidgeot Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Pidgeot | 
|
100 | September 18, 2020 |
|
Alakazam Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Alakazam | 
|
200 | September 12, 2022 |
|
Slowbro Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Slowbro |
|
100* | June 8, 2021 |
|
Gengar Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Gengar | 
|
200 | October 23, 2020 |
|
Kangaskhan Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Kangaskhan |
|
200 | April 29, 2022 |
|
Pinsir Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Pinsir |
|
200 | May 11, 2023 |
|
Gyarados Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Gyarados | 
|
300* | February 9, 2021 |
|
Aerodactyl Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Aerodactyl | 
|
200 | January 7, 2022 |
|
Ampharos Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Ampharos | 
|
200 | January 19, 2021 |
|
Steelix Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Steelix |  
|
200 | December 1, 2021 |
|
Scizor Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Scizor |
|
200 | August 10, 2022 |
|
Heracross Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Heracross | 
|
200 | April 13, 2024 |
|
Houndoom Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Houndoom |
|
100* | October 1, 2020 |
|
Tyranitar Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Tyranitar |
|
300 | July 25, 2023 |
|
Sceptile Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Sceptile |
|
200 | December 3, 2022 |
|
Blaziken Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Blaziken |
|
200 | December 3, 2022 |
|
Swampert Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Swampert |
|
200 | December 3, 2022 |
|
Gardevoir Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Gardevoir | 
|
200 | February 8, 2023 |
|
Sableye Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Sableye |
|
100 | June 29, 2023 |
|
Aggron Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Aggron |
|
200 | September 16, 2022 |
|
Medicham Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Medicham |
|
100 | March 8, 2023 |
|
Manectric Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Manectric |
|
100* | March 16, 2021 |
|
Altaria Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Altaria |
|
300* | May 15, 2021 |
|
Banette Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Banette |
|
100 | October 20, 2022 |
|
Absol Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Absol |
|
200 | October 22, 2021 |
|
Glalie Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Glalie | 
|
200 | December 15, 2022 |
|
Salamence Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Salamence |
|
300* | January 10, 2023 |
|
Latias Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Latias |
|
300 | May 3, 2022 |
|
Latios Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Latios |
|
300 | May 3, 2022 |
|
Kyogre Primal Energy | 
|
Primal Kyogre |
|
400 | February 18, 2023 |
|
Groudon Primal Energy | 
|
Primal Groudon |
|
400 | February 18, 2023 |
|
Rayquaza Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Rayquaza |
|
400 | August 4, 2023 |
|
Lopunny Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Lopunny |
|
200 | April 4, 2021 |
|
Garchomp Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Garchomp |
|
300 | November 11, 2023 |
|
Lucario Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Lucario |
|
200 | July 27, 2024 |
|
Abomasnow Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Abomasnow |
|
200 | December 1, 2020 |
|
Diancie Mega Energy | 
|
Mega Diancie |
|
300 | August 4, 2023 |
Updates
- Prior to September 3, 2020, subsequent Mega Evolutions required 25% of the initial Mega Energy (instead of 20%)
- Prior to October 15, 2020, Mega Evolution lasted four hours (instead of eight).
- Prior to 0.189.0 update, there was a bug that caused Mega-evolved Pokémon to be more powerful depending on the level the Pokémon was powered up from.
- Mega levels and its related perks were introduced on April 28, 2022.[2] Prior to this update:
- For a Pokémon with multiple Mega Evolutions, the cost reduction only applies to forms it has previously Mega Evolved into. So if a Charizard has previously evolved into Mega Charizard X for the first time, then it would cost
40 to evolve into Mega Charizard X again, but 200 to evolve into Mega Charizard Y. - A Pokémon that has previously Mega Evolved and is then traded will still cost a reduced amount to Mega Evolve.
- For a Pokémon with multiple Mega Evolutions, the cost reduction only applies to forms it has previously Mega Evolved into. So if a Charizard has previously evolved into Mega Charizard X for the first time, then it would cost
Trivia
- Costumes are not displayed on Pokémon that are Mega Evolved.
