Rarest Pokemon in Pokemon Go & how to get them

Wondering what the rarest Pokemon in Pokemon Go is? We’ve put together a list of the most elusive creatures in the game that only the most dedicated trainers will be able to find.

In the story-driven mainline Pokemon games, the rarest creatures that you can add to your team are pretty much always Legendaries, as there is normally only one of them available, and you’ll often need to complete the game to encounter them.

But in the non-linear world of Pokemon Go, things are a little different. Some Pokemon can only be caught during special events, some only spawn in specific regions of the world, and others need to be beaten as Raid Bosses before you can get a chance to catch them.

If you’re wondering what the rarest Pokemon in Pokemon go is, we’re going to look at some of the most elusive creatures in 2023, such as Archen and Tirtouga. We’ll also cover some tips and tricks on how you can find them to help you get one step closer to completing your Pokedex.

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The rarest Pokemon in Pokemon Go – 2023

• Kecleon
• Tirtouga
• Archen
• Axew
• Goomy
• Sandile
• Melmetal
• Salazzle
• Pikachu Libre
• Vivillon patterns
• Galarian Legendary Birds
• Unown
• Azelf, Mesprit & Uxie

13. Kecleon

After years of waiting, Kecleon finally made its Pokemon Go debut following the Chespin Community Day in January 2023. As expected, encountering this Color Swap Pokemon isn’t as simple as finding one in the overworld map, which means some players might miss it entirely.

How to get Kecleon in Pokemon Go

To get an encounter with Kecleon, you’ll need to spin loads of PokeStops until you find one that is blocked by an invisible creature. Tap it enough times and the creature will jump off, revealing itself to be none other than Kecleon! You’ll then get a chance to catch one.

12. Tirtouga

Fossil Pokemon have always been hard to get, regardless of which game you’re playing, but in Pokemon Go the word ‘rare’ takes on a whole new meaning. One of the most recent Fossil additions, Tirtouga,  was close to impossible to find for a while, although it’s now a little bit easier to get.

The Rock/Water-type made its debut in January 2020, and was briefly available to hatch from 7km Eggs during the February 2020 Fossil event. For a while after this, it was pretty much unavailable to get.

How to get Tirtouga in Pokemon Go

It’s now hatching from 10km Eggs so it’s moved lower down the rarity list.

11. Archen

Another rare Fossil Pokemon on our list is the Rock/Flying-type Archen, which also debuted in January 2020 alongside Tirtouga. Like that Pokemon, the main way to get Archen was previously in 7km Eggs, then it basically disappeared for a while before reappearing in 10km Eggs.

How to get Archen in Pokemon Go

Finding an Archen in the wild is pretty much impossible, so you’ll need to get hatching those 10km Eggs if you want enough Candy to evolve it into Archeops. It’s not as rare as it used to be, but it’s still a very uncommon encounter.

10. Axew

The Unova region’s Axew, which eventually evolves into the intimidating Haxorus, has a reputation for being one of the rarest non-Legendary and non-Mythical creatures in Pokemon Go, thanks to its incredibly low spawn rate in the wild.

How to get Axew in Pokemon Go

It is possible to hatch Axew from a 10km Egg, but it’s in a pretty high rarity tier, so the chances of this happening are very slim. It doesn’t help that 10km Eggs aren’t exactly common, either. Still, this is definitely your best chance to get one.

9. Goomy

Pokemon from the Kalos region are all pretty rare in general, but Goomy has been almost impossible to find since the Luminous Legends X event – where this Dragon-type creature made its Pokemon Go debut – ended back in May 2021.

How to get Goomy in Pokemon Go

Since wild spawns are so uncommon, the only way to make sure you get a Goomy now is to hatch a 10km Egg, although it’s one of the rarest hatches so the chances of getting one are very slim. This also means getting enough Candy to evolve it into Goodra will be an incredibly difficult task.

8. Sandile

You might not consider the Ground/Dark-type crocodile Sandile to be a particularly desirable catch, but in Pokemon Go, it’s gained a reputation for being incredibly hard to get. As a result, many Trainers will spend countless hours trying to get one for their collection.

How to get Sandile in Pokemon Go

The only way to get Sandile right now is to hatch it from a 12km Egg (otherwise known as a Strange Egg), and it’s got one of the lowest rates of all the potential hatches. Let’s not even get into how long it will take to fully evolve one into Krookodile!

7. Melmetal

Despite being the only Pokemon to make its debut in Pokemon Go rather than a mainline game, Meltan certainly isn’t easy to find. Players either need to complete the Let’s GO Meltan! Special Research – which only rewards a single Meltan – or activate a Mystery Box for multiple encounters.

How to get Melmetal in Pokemon Go

While getting a Meltan is difficult enough, it’s actually its evolved form, Melmetal, that earns its spot on our list of rarest Pokemon because you’ll need a ridiculous 400 Candy to evolve Meltan. That’s a whole lot of Meltan to catch, something that could take you months (or even years) to achieve.

6. Salazzle

Salandit made its Pokemon Go debut during the All-Hands Rocket Retreat event in April 2022, where it was added to the 12km Egg pool – but there are loads of other species that can hatch from Eggs instead of Salandit, so it’s not guaranteed you’ll ever get one.

How to get Salazzle in Pokemon Go

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Trainers need to hatch a female Salandit to be able to evolve it into Salazzle, and the chance of getting one of those is only 12.5%. All in all, the likelihood of you ever being able to evolve a Salazzle is very low and will require a lot of patience.

5. Pikachu Libre

This special costumed Pikachu might not be region-locked or exclusive to a specific event, but what makes it so rare is how difficult it is to obtain. As a result, you probably won’t be seeing many of them around.

How to get Pikachu Libre in Pokemon Go

In order to get Pikachu Libre, you need to reach Rank 20 in the Pokemon Go Battle League. Trainers who manage to get to this rank in a single season will be rewarded with an encounter with this rare Pokemon.

4. Every single Vivillon pattern

There are 18 Vivillon patterns available in Pokemon Go, and the only way to get them is to ‘pin’ postcards from each pattern’s associated region. For example, if you want the Elegant Vivillon pattern, you’ll need a friend (or two) in Japan to send you multiple postcards.

How to get all Vivillon patterns in Pokemon Go

Pin enough postcards and you’ll be given the opportunity to catch a Scatterbug, which then requires a total of 125 Candy to evolve into its associated Vivillon pattern. This means if you want every single Vivillon pattern, you’ll need friends in 18 different areas around the world. Good luck with that!

3. Galarian Legendary Birds

The Galarian regional variants of Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos made a surprise debut in Pokemon Go during July 2022.

How to get Galarian Birds in Pokemon Go

The only way to encounter Galarian Birds is to use Daily Adventure Incense, giving you a 15 minute window each day to try and find them.

What makes these Galarian Legendary Birds so rare is that they have a ridiculously high flee rate, so even if you are lucky enough to find one out in the wild, your chances of catching them are very low. Expect lots of frustration when they inevitably run away.

2. Every single Unown

Unsurprisingly, the mysterious Unown is one of the rarest Pokemon in Pokemon Go, and getting yourself a full set of every Unown available (there are 26 of them!) can often seem like an impossible task.

How to get Unown in Pokemon Go

Unown does appear in special events, like the Go Fest which allowed players to catch plenty of Unown F and Unown G. Outside of these events, though, your chances of finding them are ridiculously low.

What is the rarest Pokemon in Pokemon Go?

1. Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie

While our number one spot for the rarest ‘mon is technically three Pokemon, that’s also part of what makes them so rare. Each one only spawns in specific regions, and they don’t show up often at all. Getting your region’s Legendary is difficult enough, but getting the other two is even harder.

How to get Azelf, Mesprit & Uxie in Pokemon Go

• To find Azelf, you’ll need to be in the Americas and Greenland.
• Mesprit will only spawn in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India.
• Finally, Uxie is exclusive to the Asia-Pacific.

This means you’ll need friends around the world or some big travel plans in order to catch them all.

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Those are the rarest Pokemon in Pokemon Go! If you’re looking for more tips to become the ultimate Trainer, check out our other guides below:

Best Pokemon in Pokemon Go | Pokemon Go Spotlight Hour schedule | Arlo counters guide | Cliff counters guide | How to get Remote Raid Passes | Sierra counters guide | How to catch Ditto | Shop items and prices | IV and CP explained | Type chart: Strengths and weaknesses | How to get Buddy status