Mega Rayquaza Elite Raid dubbed “ridiculous” by Pokemon Go community

Mega Rayquaza is finally coming back to Pokemon Go after almost a year of waiting as part of the Shared Skies season – but not all players are thrilled by its upcoming “gatekeeped” arrival.

June is shaping up to be a thrilling month for Pokemon Go, with tons of anniversary parties, community days, and events like Stadium Sights coming to the popular mobile game. On top of this is the coveted Mega Rayquaza, which has been missing from the game since it was first released back in August 2023 during Go Fest.

Thankfully, players will now be able to get hold of the legendary ‘mon once again, as part of an Elite Raid taking place on June 29 at 12 pm, 1 pm, 5 pm, and 6 pm. However, while players do have four chances to grab the popular Pokemon, the community are slamming its “ridiculous” exclusivity and short timespan.

Sharing their frustrations on the Pokemon Go Reddit, multiple players began slamming Niantic for the “gatekeeped” Mega Rayquaza, detailing that “it was handed out in masses during GO Fest, but now it is gatekeeped behind Elite Raids?”

Others bashed the “unfortunate news” with some calling the Raids “shocking and confusing” when highlighting the tricky timings and short raid lengths.

Elite Raids work differently from traditional Raid Days. Rather than giving players a 3-6 hour window to grab their desired Pokemon, Elite Raids only give them 30-45 minutes to gather a group, battle the ‘mon, and manage to catch it – making it a lot more stressful.

Meanwhile, while regular Raids allow the use of Remote Raid passes so players can invite their Pokemon Go Friends from around the world, Elite Raids demand every participant is physically at the location. Plus, they’re extremely tough, meaning just two or three players often aren’t enough.

With that in mind, players are extremely frustrated about the exclusivity, as many aren’t able to make the events and don’t feel like they’d be able to defeat Mega Rayquaza in time.

“Rural player here, guess I’ll have no chance” commented one user, while another noted, “Why does Niantic think I have all the time in the world to drive around raid to raid? If you don’t want to make them remote, fine, but why can’t you just put the boss on all gyms? This is so ridiculous.”

It seems the limited timings and lack of remote capabilities are proving to be a major point of contention for both rural players and fans looking to grab more Mega Energy for Mega Rayquaza.

Luckily, there’s a 24-hour warning on the gyms, so you can still prepare a group of trainers, or head to a busier city if there’s one nearby.

For more details on the upcoming Pokemon Go events, check out our Raid hub or our guide detailing all events coming soon. Alternatively, to prepare for your Mega Rayquaza battle, it’s worth knowing it’s weaknesses and counters as well as the best moveset for when you add it to your Pokedex.