Evergreen
Mega Evolution in Pokémon GO: Mega Energy, Mega Levels and Bonuses
How Mega Evolution works in Pokémon GO: earning Mega Energy, why Mega Levels reward sticking with one Pokémon, and the catch and raid bonuses a Mega gives.
Mega Evolution temporarily turns certain Pokémon into a much stronger Mega form. In Pokémon GO an active Mega also improves your catches and lifts the damage of everyone you raid with. This guide explains how Mega Energy, Mega Levels and the bonuses fit together. It leaves out exact costs and timers, because the game's developer has changed them over time; the Pokémon's detail screen always has the current figures.
What Mega Evolution changes, and what it doesn't
A Mega Evolved Pokémon gets a large stat boost for as long as the Mega lasts, and some species change type too: Mega Charizard X becomes Fire and Dragon, and Mega Gyarados becomes Water and Dark. When the timer runs out, the Pokémon returns to normal with the same level, IVs and moves. Only species with a Mega form can use the mechanic, and those forms have arrived in the game gradually. Charizard has two Mega forms, X and Y, and you choose one when you Mega Evolve it.
Mega Energy: the resource behind it all
Mega Evolving spends Mega Energy, and every species has its own: Gengar Mega Energy only works on Gengar. There are three main ways to collect it.
| Source | How it works | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Mega Raids | Defeating a Mega Raid boss rewards Mega Energy for that boss's species. | The fastest source, but Mega bosses usually need a group. |
| Walking with your buddy | Once you have Mega Evolved a Pokémon, walking with it as your buddy can earn Mega Energy for its species. | Slow but free. |
| Research and events | Some Field Research, Special Research and event rewards include Mega Energy. | Field Research shows its reward up front, so hold on to tasks that give Mega Energy for a species you use. |
Because energy is tied to one species, focus pays: building up one or two Megas you'll actually use beats collecting a little for many.
How to Mega Evolve, step by step
- Pick the Pokémon. The Mega Evolve option appears on the detail screen of any species whose Mega form is available in the game.
- Check the cost. The first Mega Evolution of each individual Pokémon costs the most energy; after that the cost drops, and at the time of writing it keeps falling the longer you wait since that Pokémon's last Mega Evolution.
- Confirm and note the timer. The Pokémon stays in its Mega form for a limited time, shown on its detail screen.
- Put it to work. Bring it into raids, or keep it active while you catch.
The game also limits how many Pokémon can be Mega Evolved at once, so pick the Mega that suits your next session.
Mega Levels: why sticking with one Pokémon pays off
Each individual Pokémon has a Mega Level that rises the more often you Mega Evolve it, moving from Base through High to Max. The game paces this progress, so levelling up takes repeated Mega Evolutions spread over time rather than one long sitting.
Higher Mega Levels make that Pokémon cheaper to Mega Evolve again and strengthen the Candy bonus it gives while active; the Pokémon's Mega Level details in the game list the current perks, which can change. In practice, choose one copy of each species to be your Mega, ideally with good IVs and the moves you want, and keep using that one. Spreading Mega Evolutions across several copies means paying the expensive first cost each time and leaves every copy at a low Mega Level.
The bonuses while a Mega is active
Extra Candy from catches
While you have a Mega Evolved Pokémon active, catching a Pokémon that shares one of its types earns bonus Candy. A Mega Gengar, which is Ghost and Poison, rewards Ghost-type and Poison-type catches, making a matching Mega a great companion for a Community Day or Spotlight Hour featuring a species of the same type. Candy is what you spend on evolving and powering up, and the core guides linked from the Trainer Hub homepage explain both.
A damage boost for the whole raid
While your Mega Evolved Pokémon is battling in a raid, it boosts the attacks of everyone in the battle, and attacks that share a type with the Mega get a larger boost. A Mega whose type matches your group's attackers, and which also hits the boss super effectively, helps everyone finish faster. Our Raid Day and Raid Hour FAQ covers planning the kind of long raiding session where an active Mega earns its keep.
Where Megas can't go
Mega Evolved Pokémon can't be used in the GO Battle League, and they can't be left to defend a Gym. If player-versus-player battling is your focus, our guide to Great, Ultra and Master League covers what matters there instead.
Primal Reversion
Kyogre and Groudon have Primal forms that work in a similar way: a temporary transformation powered by species-specific energy, earned mainly from Primal raids, with bonuses while active. Their bonuses don't simply mirror their own types the way a Mega's do, so check the in-game details before relying on one.
Choosing which Mega to use
- For raids: pick a Mega that is super effective against the boss, since both its own attacks and the shared boost count. The type chart shows which attacking types hit a given boss hardest.
- For catching: match the types featured in the event you're playing to squeeze out extra Candy.
- On quiet days: set a previously Mega Evolved Pokémon as your buddy to trickle in energy while it also earns Candy and buddy hearts.
Mega Evolution questions
Does Mega Evolution permanently change my Pokémon?
No. The Mega form is temporary; what stays is its Mega Level.
Which Pokémon should be my first Mega?
One whose type is super effective against a lot of raid bosses and matches the events you play most, so it pays off in raids and in catching. Build that one copy up rather than starting several.