Pokemon Go Makes a Huge Change to Raid Passes

Pokemon Go is making a subtle, but much-needed change to Raid Passes, which should encourage more players to actually give Raids a try. Earlier today, Pokemon Go announced that Raid Passes, Premium Raid Passes, and Remote Raid Passes will no longer be consumed when a player enters a lobby for a raid. Now, the Raid Passes will only be consumed when the battle actually starts, which means that a player can enter a lobby without fear of wasting Raid Passes, which can only be obtained once per day or by paying money in the in-game store.

This might seem like a minor change, but players are already hailing it as a major quality of life upgrade that should encourage more players to actually use Raid Passes during this period of social distancing. While players could previously just look at the real world area around a gym to see if there were enough players to participate in a raid, that’s proven to be a little bit harder since the COVID-19 pandemic hit and social distancing became the norm. Now, a player (or players) can enter a lobby to signal their interest in a raid and still pull out if not enough players join before the 2 minute countdown finishes. With the ability to invite friends coming soon, Pokemon Go seems to be looking for ways to make raids easier to access for all players. Today’s change might seem small, but it should encourage more players to hop into raid lobbies and signal to other players that they’re interested, and it will also give players a chance to back out of a raid if they realize that they don’t have the numbers they need to succeed.

Pokemon Go is getting ready for a busy month, with Pokemon Go Fest coming in less than two weeks. The event will feature a variety of Pokemon spawns and challenges to participate in, including a chance to get the Mythical Pokemon Victini.