Raid Day and Raid Hour FAQ

Raid Day and Raid Hour are two recurring event formats built specifically around raiding. What each format involves, and how to make the most of one.

What is a Raid Hour?

A Raid Hour is a short, typically one-hour event where a specific raid boss appears more frequently at Gyms than usual, making it easier to find and battle without needing to search widely. It's a low-commitment way to focus raiding activity into a short, predictable window.

What is a Raid Day?

A Raid Day generally extends the same idea over a longer window, often several hours, and sometimes includes additional perks like bonus rewards for participating or a higher chance of a notable outcome such as a shiny encounter for the featured boss. It's built for players who want a more extended, focused raiding session rather than raiding spread thin across their normal schedule.

How do I prepare?

A few habits help make the most of either format:

• Free up Pokémon storage space ahead of time, since a successful raid day can mean catching several of the same species in a row.
• Check the featured boss's type in advance if it's announced ahead of the event, so you can bring appropriately-typed attackers.
• Have raid passes ready, since these events are specifically built around raiding repeatedly.
• Coordinate with other local trainers, since most raid bosses need a group. Our guide on finding local events and meetups covers this.

Do I need a group for these events?

Usually, yes, for anything beyond the lowest-difficulty raid bosses. The whole point of concentrating a specific boss into a short window is partly to make it easier to find other trainers raiding the same thing at the same time, which naturally helps with group formation even if you don't already know other local players.

How is this different from a regular raid rotation?

Outside of dedicated Raid Day and Raid Hour events, raid bosses rotate on the game's developer's normal schedule and appear at a standard rate across active Gyms. These special events temporarily boost one specific boss's appearance rate (and sometimes add bonus rewards), rather than changing how raiding itself works mechanically. Our broader legendary raids FAQ covers the underlying raid mechanics that apply regardless of the event format.

What about shiny odds?

Some Raid Day events have historically included boosted shiny odds for the featured species, though this isn't a universal feature of every event and varies. Checking the specific event's official announcement is the reliable way to know whether a boosted shiny rate applies.

Can I join remotely?

Where remote raid participation is available generally, it typically applies during Raid Day and Raid Hour events the same way it does for standard raids, though availability and any associated cost can vary and change over time. The raid screen for a specific Gym will show whether remote joining is an option at that moment.

Doing multiple raids in one Raid Day

Because a Raid Day extends over several hours, some players plan a small route between two or three nearby Gyms to fit in multiple attempts rather than staying at one location the whole time. This works best in areas with several Gyms within easy walking or short driving distance, and it pairs naturally with the kind of local coordination covered in our guide on finding local events and meetups.

Stocking up beforehand

Because these events concentrate raid activity into a short window, making sure you have enough raid passes, Poké Balls, and berries ahead of time avoids the frustration of running out mid-event. A quick supply check the day before is a small habit that pays off during a busy Raid Day.

Should beginners join?

Raid Day and Raid Hour events are actually a good entry point for newer raiders, since the concentrated player activity around the featured boss makes it easier to find a group than on an ordinary day. Even without strong attackers of your own, joining a group already gathered at a Gym is a low-pressure way to see raiding in action.

What to do afterward

Once the event window closes, it's worth reviewing your new catches the same way you would after any raiding session: checking for anything worth keeping for its individual values, and transferring or trading the rest so storage doesn't fill up before the next busy event.

Where to check what's currently featured

Because the specific boss featured in any given Raid Day or Raid Hour changes from event to event, the in-game events feed and official announcements are the accurate source for what's currently scheduled, rather than anything fixed in this guide.

How raids work outside of events, and how catching works once the boss is down, is covered in the mechanics guides on Trainer Hub.