How to get Garchomp in Pokemon Go & can they be Shiny?

Scott Baird
Garchomp and Pokemon Go logo

Garchomp is one of the most powerful Pokemon in the mainline games, but how do you acquire a Garchomp in Pokemon Go, and can it be Shiny?

There are few non-Legendary/Mythical Pokemon more feared in the franchise than Garchomp. This Ground/Dragon-type Pokemon is known for its powerful stats, typing, and move pool, making it a fixture in the competitive scene since its introduction in Gen 4.

There’s also the infamous Garchomp used by Cynthia in the climactic battle of Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, which ended many a Nuzlocke run in its day. This might be the most well-known boss in the entire series, except for Whitney’s Miltank in Pokemon Gold & Silver.

But what about Pokemon Go? Garchomp is just as terrifying in the mobile game as it is in the mainline entries, so how would you go about catching one? Can you acquire its Shiny variant? Here’s all you need to know.

Garchomp in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Garchomp has some of the best moves in all of Pokemon including Dragon Rush.

How to get Garchomp in Pokemon Go

There are a few ways to acquire Garchomp in Pokemon Go. From February 22 to March 1, you can catch Garchomp by defeating Mega Garchomp in Mega Raids. This is part of the February 2024 Raid Boss cycle in Pokemon Go, but it will likely appear in future Raids.

Garchomp has also appeared in Raids in the past, giving you the chance to take on its regular form without needing to overcome its boosted Mega Evolution stats.

The other method for acquiring a Garchomp involves catching lots of Gible and evolving it into its final form. Gible has appeared in the overworld as a random encounter and has been in the Pokemon Egg cycle in the past., though bear in mind that it’s often rare.

It requires 25 Gible Candy to evolve Gible into Gabite and 100 Gible Candy to evolve Gabite into Garchomp, so this process may take a while.

You can also get a Shadow Gible from Team Rocket Grunts, which can be evolved into a mighty Shadow Garchomp.

Can Garchomp be Shiny in Pokemon Go?

Yes, Garchomp can be Shiny in Pokemon Go!

Unfortunately, it has a disappointing Shiny sprite, with its blue skin replaced with a grey tone. The exception to this is Shiny Mega Garchomp, which takes on a bubblegum pink hue, differentiating it from its base form.

That’s all the info you need to acquire a Garchomp in Pokemon Go. Make sure to check out our guides for more hints and tips for Pokemon Go.

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About The Author

Scott has been writing for Dexerto since 2023, having been a former contributor to websites like Cracked, Dorkly, Topless Robot, Screen Rant, The Gamer, and TopTenz. A graduate of Edge Hill University in the UK, Scott started as a film student before moving into journalism. Scott specializes in Pokemon, Nintendo, DnD, Final Fantasy, and MTG. He can be contacted on LinkedIn.