August 2026 Raid Boss Guide: Kyurem, Groudon, Lunala, the Regis and Shadow Giratina
Five-star raids rotate on a roughly weekly cycle through August, and this month’s lineup is stacked with returning legendaries plus a full month of Shadow Raids. Five different bosses cycle through the five-star slot alone, each paired with its own Mega Raid boss running in parallel — meaning there are effectively two raid rotations to track every single week. Here’s exactly what’s up, when it changes, and what to bring.
July 29 – August 4: Kyurem
Kyurem (Dragon/Ice) closes out July and spills into the first few days of August. It’s weak to Fairy, Dragon, Rock, and Steel-type attacks — Dragon and Fairy hit hardest since they cover its double weakness to Dragon and its only real coverage gap. Mega Aggron is the Mega Raid boss during this window, and it hits back hard with Steel/Rock STAB, so bring Fighting and Ground-type counters.
August 5 – 11: The Regional Lake Trio (Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf)
Instead of one global boss, this week splits by region: Uxie in Asia-Pacific, Mesprit in Europe, the Middle East, India, and Africa, and Azelf in the Americas and Greenland. All three are pure Psychic-type, so Dark, Ghost, and Bug-type attackers work across the board regardless of which one is active in your region. Mega Blaziken takes over Mega Raids this week — watch out for its Fighting/Fire combo and lead with Water, Ground, or Flying-type counters.
August 12 – 18: Groudon
The Continent Pokémon returns as a pure Ground-type five-star boss, vulnerable to Water, Ice, and Grass. Its signature move Precipice Blades hits hard, so bring shields in the form of high-DEF counters if you’re duoing or trioing it. Mega Garchomp is the Mega Raid boss for the week — a Dragon/Ground hybrid that punishes careless counter picks, so lean on Ice and Dragon types while watching out for its Ground-type coverage.
August 19 – 25: Lunala
Lunala (Psychic/Ghost) is one of the harder five-star bosses this month thanks to a lack of common four-times-weak counters. Dark and Ghost-type attackers are your best bet. Mega Swampert holds down Mega Raids this week; it’s pure Water once Mega Evolved, so Grass and Electric-type counters make quick work of it.
August 26 – September 8: The Regi Trio (Regirock, Regice, Registeel)
Closing out the month, all three Regis rotate through five-star raids together. Regirock (Rock) folds to Fighting, Ground, Steel, and Water; Regice (Ice) is weak to Fire, Fighting, Rock, and Steel; and Registeel (Steel) takes extra damage from Fire, Fighting, and Ground. Mega Gyarados joins Mega Raids for this stretch — a Water/Dark type that’s vulnerable to Fairy, Electric, Bug, and Grass.
Shadow Raids: Shadow (Altered Forme) Giratina, all month
Running every weekend from August 5 through September 8, Shadow Giratina occupies the Shadow Raid slot alongside the usual rotating cast of Shadow Pokémon in one, three, and five-star Shadow Raids. As a Ghost/Dragon type, it’s weak to Ice, Dragon, Dark, Fairy, and Ghost-type attacks — see our full Shadow Giratina raid guide for a complete team-building breakdown.
Weekly Raid Hour reminder
Each new five-star boss also gets its own Raid Hour from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. local time on the day it debuts — August 5 for the lake trio, August 12 for Groudon, August 19 for Lunala, and August 26 for the Regis. Raid Hour is the easiest time to find a full lobby for these bosses if you’re relying on Remote Raid Passes or local Discord groups.
If you can only build one team this month
With five bosses rotating on a weekly basis, most free-to-play trainers won’t have the Stardust or candy to build a dedicated counter team for every single one. If you have to pick priorities, build around Dark and Fairy-type attackers first — between Kyurem, the lake trio, Lunala, and the Ghost/Dragon typing of Shadow Giratina, that combination covers more of this month’s five-star and Shadow Raid bosses than any other pairing. A strong Mega Gengar or Mega Rayquaza covers the Psychic and Dragon match-ups respectively, while a Togekiss or Sylveon handles Dragon-weak targets without any risk from same-type counterattacks.
Managing Remote Raid Passes across a busy month
Remote Raid Pass availability is capped at five per day and five in your bag at once, which gets tight fast when there are two Raid Hour bosses, a Shadow Raid rotation, and a Mega Raid boss all worth attention in the same week. Prioritize Raid Hour windows (6:00–7:00 p.m. local time) for whichever species you actually need for your Pokédex or PvP roster, and save your remaining passes for weekend Shadow Giratina lobbies, which tend to be easier to fill thanks to the wider weekend player base.
For exact IV floors and counter rankings, run any of these bosses through our free IV Calculator after you catch one, and check the Type Effectiveness Chart if you want to double-check a matchup before you commit Remote Raid Passes.