How to get free Remote Raid Passes in Pokemon Go

Remote Raid Passes were added to Pokemon Go in 2020 as a way to let players take part in Raid Battles from the comfort of their own homes. They can even be used to team up with players around the world if there aren’t any Raids near your current location.

Despite their popularity, Pokemon Go creator Niantic started slowly scaling back Remote Raid Passes, introducing price increases and caps on the amount you’re able to use in a day. What’s more, it’s also a lot harder to get them for free.

So if you’re hoping to stock up on these useful items, we’ve rounded up all the ways you can get Remote Raid Passes below.

How to get Remote Raid Passes for free in Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go players have a chance of getting free Remote Raid Passes as a reward for Research Breakthroughs. You can unlock a Research Breakthrough by completing seven days of Field Research tasks and marking them off in the Today View.

This change came into effect on April 6, 2023, although it’s worth remembering that it’s not guaranteed you’ll get a Remote Raid Pass as part of every Research Breakthrough.

How to get free Remote Raid Passes – Alternative method

Even though it requires a little bit of effort, there is an alternative way to get Remote Raid Passes without spending any money: earning PokeCoins by leaving your Pokemon to defend Gyms. This can be done by following these steps:

1. Explore your nearby area while looking for Gyms that your team controls. Alternatively, find an opposing team’s Gym that looks beatable and take down the team.
2. Leave a Pokemon behind to defend the Gym. Make sure to give it some Berries.
3. For every hour that a Pokemon defends a gym, you’ll earn a set amount of PokeCoins.

While earning PokeCoins with this method is viable, it’s worth noting that the rate for this is relatively low, as you cannot earn more than 50 coins in a 24-hour period.

If you do this a lot over a long period of time, though, you’ll earn enough to be able to exchange your hard-earned coins for Remote Raid Passes in the shop without spending any money.

How to buy Remote Raid Passes

Another way to get Remote Raid Passes in Pokemon Go is to purchase them from the in-game shop.

Previously, players could also claim a weekly bundle for 1 PokeCoin that would contain one free Remote Raid Pass, but this was scrapped in May 2022, with the bundle having disappeared completely.

Remote Raid Passes prices in Pokemon Go

A single Remote Raid Pass currently costs 195 PokeCoins, while a set of three costs 525 PokeCoins. These increased costs came into effect on April 6, 2023. Before this change, a single Remote Raid Pass used to cost 100 PokeCoins, while a set of three was 300 PokeCoins.

What are Remote Raid Passes used for in Pokemon Go?

Remote Raid Passes allow you to join Raids that are close to your location via the Nearby screen, removing the need to travel to take part in them physically.

They can also be used to join Raid Battles around the world when another Trainer invites you. You’ll need to become friends with a Trainer before you can join in with their Raids.

By collecting these Remote Raid Passes, you’ll be able to dive right into Raids wherever you are and even potentially encounter a Legendary Pokemon.

Keep in mind players can hold a maximum of three Remote Raid Passes in their inventory, and they will only be able to participate in a maximum of five Remote Raids per day.

How to use a Remote Raid Pass

Using the passes is relatively easy. First, you’ll need to access the Nearby screen:

1. From the main game screen, look to the bottom right-hand side.
2. You’ll see a pair of binoculars. Under that is a bar with silhouetted Pokemon – select that.
3. From there, a tab will open. At the top, you’ll see ‘Raid‘.
4. Select an ongoing raid that you’d like to join.
5. If you have any passes, click the big pink ‘Battle‘ button.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to partake in the remote Raid Battle and work towards catching that Pokemon.

While this is a great way to take part in far-away Raid Battles, there are some special events like Elite Raids and Shadow Raids where Remote Raid Passes aren’t allowed to be used.

That’s all you need to know about how to get Remote Raid Passes in Pokemon Go. Don’t forget to check out our guides on how to play Pokemon Go, this month’s Field Research Tasks, Spotlight Hour, how to catch Ditto, and some of our rankings like the best Eeveelutions, the best attackers and defenders, or the best Mega Evolutions.