Mega Evolution Update: Super Mega Raids and Super Max Level
A new update to Mega Evolution in Pokémon GO arrives during Pokémon GO Tour: Kalos!
Ready to level up your adventures with Mega Evolution? A brand new update to Mega Evolution is coming to Pokémon GO, starting with Pokémon GO Tour: Kalos! New Mega Evolutions, like Mega Victreebel and Mega Malamar, are being discovered in Pokémon GO, and reports are showing that these Pokémon are appearing in an all-new kind of Raid Battle: Super Mega Raids! Plus, some Mega-Evolved Pokémon are showing signs of leveling up even more than before!
Trainers attending the in-person Pokémon GO Tour events in Tainan and Los Angeles this weekend will be among the first to experience these new updates, then Trainers all around the world can jump into the fun during Pokémon GO Tour: Kalos – Global on February 28 and March 1, 2026.
What’s new with Mega Evolution?
Get ready to take on new Super Mega Raids and discover the powers of a new Mega Level, Super Max!
Update Overview
- Super Mega Raids are a brand-new type of Mega Raid in Pokémon GO. You’ll need to band together with at least seven other Trainers to take on exceptionally powerful Mega-Evolved Pokémon.
- Using the new Link Holder, collect and use Link Charges to enter Mega Raids, including Super Mega Raids.
- Continue to Mega Evolve your Pokémon to reach new heights at the newly discovered Mega Level: Super Max!
Super Mega Raids
Team up with other Trainers to take on powerful Mega-Evolved Pokémon during select in-game events.
What are Super Mega Raids?
Super Mega Raids are a brand-new type of Mega Raid in Pokémon GO where you band together with fellow Trainers to take on exceptionally powerful Mega-Evolved Pokémon. These difficult battles are best taken on with at least seven other Trainers who all have at least one Mega-Evolved Pokémon in their battle party. Some Pokémon, like Legendary Pokémon, may require more Trainers to defeat.
While these battles may be tough, successfully defeating them with your fellow Trainers will yield substantially more rewards than standard Mega Raids, including more Mega Energy!
How are Super Mega Raids different from normal Mega Raids?
During Super Mega Raids, you may find that the opposing Mega-Evolved Pokémon becomes enraged and puts up shields, reducing the amount of damage it takes from normal attacks. You and your teammates will need to work together to take down its shields—but each Trainer can only take down one shield!
Once the opposing Pokémon becomes enraged and activates its shields, a Mega-Evolved Pokémon from your battle party will be automatically sent into battle if you do not have one out already.* Your Mega-Evolved Pokémon’s next attack will be powered up significantly, allowing you to break one of the opposing Pokémon’s shields easily! After you and other Trainers have broken enough shields, the opposing Pokémon will return to its normal state, and your attacks will do normal damage again until the end of the battle.
*Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon, and Ditto that have transformed into a Mega-Evolved Pokémon are not able to break shields in Super Mega Raids.
Where can I find Super Mega Raids?
Super Mega Raids will take great teamwork, so Niantic is making it easier to find nearby Gyms, Power Spots, and more using a new web-based map.
You can also filter the map to only show certain types of events and view events days in advance, allowing you to plan more seamlessly. To share a link to the map with a friend, you can tap on any Super Mega Raid or meetup and copy its unique link.
Plus, you’ll be able to view nearby community meetups through the map. If you’ve never attended a meetup before, Super Mega Raids are a great reason to go out and meet your local community of Trainers for the first time!
Stay tuned for more information!
How do I enter Mega Raids and Super Mega Raids?
Beginning with Pokémon GO Tour: Kalos, all Mega Raids, including Super Mega Raids, can be entered using a new type of resource, Link Charges. Depending on where you’re taking part in the raid, you’ll be able to use different resources to enter the battle.
- If you’re joining a Mega Raid or Super Mega Raid locally, you can use Link Charges or a Premium Battle Pass to enter. You will be able to select which resource you prefer to use before entering the lobby. In general, you’ll get much better value by using Link Charges for in-person standard Mega Raids compared to Premium Battle Passes.
- If you’re joining a Super Mega Raid remotely, you must use both a Remote Raid Pass and Link Charges to join. Standard Mega Raids will still only require a Remote Raid Pass.
Super Mega Raids during Pokémon GO Tour: Kalos
During Pokémon GO Tour: Kalos, Super Mega Raids will have a few additional bonuses to celebrate their launch!
- Increased chance of encountering Shiny Pokémon from Super Mega Raids.
- Pokémon caught from Super Mega Raids will be more likely to have high Attack, Defense, and HP.
Plus, at the start of the Road to Kalos event on Monday, February 23, 2026, all Trainers will have an opportunity to encounter a Beedrill via a new introduction to Mega Evolution that they can Mega Evolve! You’ll also receive enough Beedrill Mega Energy to test out Mega Evolution for yourself and take part in Super Mega Raids!
Link Charges
Using the new Link Holder, collect and use Link Charges to enter Mega Raids, including Super Mega Raids.
What are Link Charges?
Link Charges are a newly discovered energy source. You can collect Link Charges using the new Link Holder, which can only hold a certain amount of Link Charges at a time.
You will receive the Link Holder in your Item Bag automatically when you collect your first Link Charges. Please note that the Link Holder is a key item and cannot be removed from your Item Bag.
How do I collect Link Charges?
The best way to collect Link Charges is adventuring with friends, old and new! You will be able to earn Link Charges by completing weekly challenges, opening Gifts from friends, and checking into select community meetups via Campfire.
Link Charges will also be able to be purchased from the in-game shop or the Pokémon GO Web Store.
Collect more Link Charges during Pokémon GO Tour: Kalos!
To celebrate the debut of Super Mega Raids at Pokémon GO Tour: Kalos, you’ll receive additional Link Charges throughout the event!
- During Pokémon GO Tour: Kalos – Tainan and Los Angeles, ticket-holding Trainers will receive Link Charges as a part of the free GO Pass available during the event.
- During Pokémon GO Tour: Kalos – Global, you can check-in to a community meetup via Campfire once per day on February 28 and March 1, 2026, to collect Link Charges each day. Plus, you’ll receive some Link Charges as a part of the free GO Pass: Road to Kalos, and a significant amount in the upgraded GO Pass Deluxe!
As a one-time special introductory GO Tour celebration, the weekly challenge during the week of the global GO Tour event will be raid-focused and will award more Link Charges than normal. Additionally, for the duration of GO Pass: Road to Kalos, you’ll be able to exceed the normal Link Charge storage limit if you get the Link Charges from weekly challenges, Timed Research, Special Research, and the GO Pass. After the GO Pass concludes, Trainers will no longer be able to collect Link Charges past the normal maximum.
New Mega Level: Super Max!
Continue to Mega Evolve your Pokémon to reach new heights at the newly discovered Mega Level: Super Max!
What is the new Mega Level, Super Max?
Every time you Mega Evolve a Pokémon, you work toward increasing its Mega Level. Up until now, there have been three levels. You get more bonuses every time a Pokémon’s Mega Level goes up, and these bonuses stay active while your Pokémon is Mega Evolved.
Now, you’ll be able to increase your Pokémon’s Mega Level even higher, all the way up to Super Max Level! To help your Pokémon’s Mega Level reach Super Max, Mega Evolving alone won’t be enough—you’ll need to use that Pokémon’s Mega Energy to power it up.
Each Mega Level grants various bonuses. Bonuses vary by Pokémon, and select bonuses will improve as a Pokémon’s Mega Level increases. Once your Pokémon’s Mega Level reaches Super Max, you can take advantage of the following increased bonuses, in addition to the bonuses currently available at the third level.
- Greatly enhanced CP
- Greatly increased Catch Candy, Catch XP, and Candy XL chance for catching Pokémon that share a type with your Mega-Evolved Pokémon.
- The Pokémon’s rest period before it can Mega Evolve without Mega Energy decreases to 24 hours.
How can my Mega-Evolved Pokémon reach Super Max Level?
You must increase a Pokémon’s Mega Level to the third level, Max, before you can increase it to Super Max.
Trainers are still learning about this newly discovered Mega Level, including which Mega-Evolved Pokémon can reach it. In the future, this ability is expected to be discovered in more and more Pokémon! Will your favorite Mega-Evolved Pokémon be next?
To help your Pokémon reach Super Max Level, Mega Evolving alone won’t be enough—you’ll need to use that Pokémon’s Mega Energy to power it up! Participate in Super Mega Raids to earn lots of Mega Energy to help complete this task.
Future Updates
In the future, you will be able to use Mega Energy to quickly increase your Pokémon’s Mega Level for all levels! The amount of Mega Energy required to level up will depend on how many times you’ve Mega Evolved that Pokémon—the more times you’ve Mega Evolved it, the less Mega Energy it will cost!
Stay tuned for more updates on this upcoming feature!
Level up Mega Victreebel and Mega Malamar during Pokémon GO Tour: Kalos!
Take on Mega Victreebel and Mega Malamar in Super Mega Raids at Pokémon GO Tour: Kalos to get the Mega Energy you need to take them to Super Max Level!
You’ll be able to bring Mega Victreebel and Mega Malamar all the way to Super Max Level as soon as they debut!
Mega Victreebel
Mega Malamar
Have a mega time discovering more about the power of Mega Evolution!
These updates to Mega Evolution in Pokémon GO look exciting! Keep an eye on the blog for more news on Mega Evolution in the near future—who knows what exciting discoveries are on the horizon! There’s a feeling that even more discoveries about the power of Mega Evolution will be made this year…
