Pokémon GO Guides Hub: Beginner, Mechanics and Raid Guides
This hub collects the evergreen guides on PokeGoHub: the articles that explain how Pokémon GO works and stay useful from one season to the next. If you are new, start with the first section. If you already play every day, jump to the mechanics section to check the details that decide how you spend Stardust, Candy and Elite TMs. For anything tied to a date, such as events and raid bosses, use our events hub and raids hub; for battling, see the PvP hub.
Start here
- Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Pokemon GO — a full walkthrough of the basics for new Trainers
- Beginner’s Guide to Raids in Pokémon GO — how raids work, how to join them and what to bring
- How to Maximize XP and Level Up Fast in Pokemon GO — ways to level up faster and make the most of XP bonuses
- Pokemon GO Trading Guide: Special Trades, Lucky Pokemon, and What They Cost — how trades, special trades and Lucky Pokémon work
Pokémon stats and mechanics
These guides explain the numbers behind your Pokémon, so you can judge a catch before you spend resources on it.
- IVs Explained: What They Are and Why Your “Bad” Pikachu Might Still Be Great — what the hidden Attack, Defense and Stamina values mean
- How Combat Power (CP) Really Works in Pokémon GO — how CP is calculated and why a higher CP is not always better
- Pokémon GO Appraisal Explained: What Your Team Leader Is Really Telling You — what the Team Leader appraisal tells you about a Pokémon
- Pokémon GO Type Chart: Full Type Effectiveness Guide — the full effectiveness chart for attacking and defending
- Weather Boost Guide: How Weather Affects Raids, Catches, and PvP — which weather boosts which types, and why it matters for catches and raids
- Pokémon GO Buddy System Explained: Hearts, Levels, and Best Buddy — hearts, buddy levels and how to get the most from Best Buddy
- Pokemon GO Egg Guide: Distances, Hatch Odds, and Best Eggs to Prioritize — which Pokémon hatch from which Egg distance
- Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon GO: How the Odds Actually Work — how shiny odds work and how to improve your chances
- Pokémon GO Regional Exclusives: How They Work and How to Get Them — why some Pokémon are tied to a region and how to get them
Evolution, Mega Evolution and Shadow Pokémon
- Mega Evolution in Pokémon GO Explained: Energy, Levels, and Raid Bonuses — Mega Energy, Mega Levels and the raid bonuses Megas give
- Pokémon GO Evolution Items: Full List and How to Get Them — which evolution items exist and where to find them
- Elite TM Guide: When to Use Elite Fast and Charged TMs in Pokémon GO — when an Elite Fast or Charged TM is worth using
- Shadow Pokémon Explained: Stats, Purifying, and Whether It Is Worth It — stats, purification and whether a Shadow Pokémon is worth keeping
- Team GO Rocket Leaders and Giovanni: Every Lineup and Best Counters (August 2026) — how to find and battle Team GO Rocket Leaders and Giovanni, with the lineups confirmed in early October 2026
Raids, gyms and research
- Best Attackers by Type in Pokémon GO: Full Raid Roster Guide — which Pokémon to build for each type in raids
- Best Gym Defenders in Pokemon GO (and How Gym Defense Works) — which Pokémon hold a gym longest
- Field Research Breakthrough Rewards: Forever Forward Season Guide — how the Forever Forward Breakthrough research works
- Pokémon GO Search Terms Cheat Sheet: Every Filter You Need — search strings for sorting and filtering your storage
- GO Battle League Rewards Explained: Ranks, Research, and Encounters — the ranks, research and encounters tied to the GO Battle League
Calculators and tools
- IV calculator — check the IVs of any Pokémon
- CP calculator — see the CP a Pokémon reaches at each level
- Type chart — look up type matchups quickly
- Stardust calculator — plan the cost of powering up
- Candy calculator — plan Candy and Candy XL needs
- Evolution calculator — work out how many evolutions your Candy allows
- Egg chart — see which Pokémon hatch from each Egg
- Buddy distance — check the walking distance per buddy Candy
- Shiny checklist — track the shinies you have
Frequently asked questions
Where should a new Trainer start?
Begin with the beginner’s guide, then read the raid basics. After that, learn how IVs and CP work so that you know which Pokémon deserve your Stardust.
How often do you update these guides?
We review them when Niantic changes a mechanic and add an update note at the top of any guide we change. Event and raid pages are kept as dated references and say when they ended.
Are the tools free to use?
Yes. The calculators run in your browser and do not need an account.