Trainers, the Solstice is almost upon us, and Team GO Rocket has taken this opportunity to surprise us with a Take Over event! Well, at least that was their plan, but given you are already reading about it, their surprise has failed!
Starting on June 21, 2023, Giovanni is back, this time with Shadow Regirock under his wing. Giovanni is not the only TGR member with new Shadow Pokémon – Grunts and Leaders will also be using new Shadow Pokémon. And that’s not all… new Shadow Pokémon will be available in 12 KM Eggs, in Grunt encounters, and Shiny Pancham will be making it’s Pokémon GO debut!
For full information on the Solstice Horizons 2023 event that runs alongside this Takeover, check out our event guide. And now, get ready to save Shadow Regirock, meet new Shadow Pokémon, and get yourself a new shiny Pokémon!
Team GO Rocket Takeover: June 2023
Date and Time 📅
| Starts | Ends |
| Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at 12:00am local time |
Sunday, June 25, 2023 at 11:59pm local time |
Bonuses ⭐
Shiny Pancham makes their Pokémon GO debut!
Save Shadow Regirock from Team GO Rocket
Team GO Rocket will appear more frequently at Pokéstops and from balloons
New Shadow Pokémon will be appearing from grunts, and you may encounter new shiny Shadow Pokémon!
You can use a Charged TM to help a Shadow Pokémon forget the move Frustration
New Shadow Pokémon in TGR Battles and 12 KM Eggs 🍃
New Shadow Pokémon - Alolan Geodude, Ledyba, Hitmontop, Glameow, Gible and more!
12km Eggs - Salandit, Larvitar, Absol, Skorupi, Sandile, Scraggy, Pawniard, Vullaby, Deino, Pancham, Inkay and Skrelp
Save Shadow Regirock
Regirock (Shadow)
Giovanni is back and feeling rocky, and this time he is armed with Shadow Regirock! A new special research story will be available at the start of this event. Claim it to earn a Super Rocket Radar to chase down Giovanni. You can claim this special research story until the end of the Season of Hidden Gems on September 1, 2023 at 10:00am local time.
TM Frustration Away
You can use a Charged TM to help a Shadow Pokémon forget the Charged Attack Frustration during the event. Shadow Pokémon are incredibly powerful, so be sure to take advantage of being able to remove Frustration from them! This only happens a few times a year.
You can search ‘@frustration’ in your Pokémon search bar to discover which Pokémon currently have the move Frustration, so you know which to TM it away from.
You can also read our Best Shadow Pokémon to TM Away Frustration guide to help you out with figuring out which Shadow Pokémon to prioritise over others.
New Shadow Pokémon
Team GO Rocket Grunts and their Leaders are using different Shadow Pokémon! If you’re lucky, you may encounter brand new shiny Shadow Pokémon. Some Pokemon are available as shiny from Team GO Rocket Grunts, as well as the Leaders!
Team GO Rocket is armed with new Shadow Pokémon, including the following:
Shiny Pancham Debut
Pancham
Shiny Pancham will be available as a shiny for the first time in Pokémon GO, and will be hatching from 12km Strange Eggs. Pancham and Pangoro have quite an autumnal colour palette, changing to a dusky brown, with red accents. Lovely stuff!
| Shiny Pancham | Shiny Pangoro |
|---|---|
 |
 |
12 km Eggs
During the event the following Pokémon will hatch from 12km Strange Eggs:
Strange Eggs are Eggs collected by Team GO Rocket. These Eggs generally hatch Poison-type Pokémon, Dark-type Pokémon, or Pokémon that acquire one of those types via Evolution. Defeat a Team GO Rocket Leader to receive a Strange Egg, and walk 12km to hatch it.
Infographic
If you have not received the latest Team GO Rocket Special Research – read this!
Every single time there is a new Rocket Takeover event, we get a bunch of people wondering why they haven’t received the new Special Research, A Rocky Road, to go along with it (yet).
The most likely explanation is: You still have an unfinished Team GO Rocket research in your (right) Special Research tab.
If you have any of these Special Research stories, and you have progressed beyond the first page of it, you need to finish it, before you can receive any new Team GO Rocket Special Research:
- A Troubling Situation (This is the prerequisite research that you need to finish in order to receive any of the future Team GO Rocket Special Research storylines)
- Looming in the Shadows
- A Challenging Development
- The Take-Over Continues
- A Professor’s Work is Never Done
- The Shadowy Threat Grows
- An Inter-egg-sting Development
- The Higher They Fly…
- A Seven-Colored Shadow
- Silent Schemes
- Field Notes: Team GO Rocket
- Ultra Beast Protection Efforts
- Shadowy Skirmishes
- From the Shadows
