Pokemon Go has changed a lot since it released one magical summer in 2016. The game has added Raids, Max Battles, and even a new battle pass with surprising items for players to earn. Believe it or not, even Professor Willow’s Research Tasks haven’t always been a part of the game. But over the last few years, some things have settled into a routine, including the regular seasonal Team Rocket: Taken Over events in Pokemon Go. These recurring events have been around since Team Go Rocket arrived in 2016, yet many players still don’t know about one of their weirdest quirks.
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In Pokemon Go, Team Go Rocket tends to make a takeover attempt every few months, roughly once per season. These events have a few key staples, including a new Shadow Legendary to catch, more Team Rocket activity on the map, and the ability to remove the Frustration move from Shadow Pokemon. But one recurring feature won’t be available to all players. Team Go Rocket Events like September 2025’s Psychic Spectacular: Taken Over have a secret lock condition that could lock you out of the latest Special Research.
Why Don’t I Have the New Taken Over Special Research in Pokemon Go?
Once a new Team Go Rocket: Taken Over event begins in your time zone, you should automatically see the new Special Research. So, for the Psychic Spectacular: Taken Over event, players should have seen the new Special Research starting at 10 AM local time on September 16th. But some players still don’t have the research a day into the event, and there’s a reason for that. You likely still have an older Taken Over Special Research left incomplete.
Although the game doesn’t ever really make this clear, trainers who have an unfinished Taken Over Special Research from a past event will not get the newest Special Research. Once you begin a Team Go Rocket Research, you must finish the full path before you can start a new one. If you’re missing the latest Special Research for a new Team Go Rocket event, that’s the most likely culprit.
To date, there have been over 21 different Team Rocket-themed Special Research paths. If any of them are still lingering in your Special Research tab in Pokemon Go, you won’t get a new one until it is complete. If you have an unfinished task in your Special Research Tab that features tasks like winning Shadow Raids or defeating Team GO Rocket Grunts, chances are this is why the newest research isn’t available.
Is There a Way to Get Rid of Old Team Rocket Special Research You Can’t Finish?
Unfortunately, the only way to “get rid” of unfinished Special Research in Pokemon Go is to finish it. So, if you have something like A Striking Shadow still unfinished in your Special Research tab, you must complete the entire path before new Team Go Rocket research will be available.
If you do manage to finish the Research Path before the current Team Go Rocket event ends, you will automatically get the new Research. So, until the current Taken Over event finishes, you could complete the old research and move into the next. But if you don’t finish in time, the problem will repeat itself with the next Taken Over event in Pokemon Go.
Like deleting eggs we don’t want, the ability to get rid of old research is a longstanding Pokemon Go player request. Alas, as of now, no plans to add such a feature have been confirmed. So, you’ll just have to clear your Special Research the old-fashioned way – by finishing the tasks.
Page 1 Trick to Make Sure You Get New Team Rocket Special Research
There is one loophole to help make sure you’ll unlock new Special Research for Team Rocket events. If you don’t progress past the first page of research (i.e. 1/6 or however many pages that research has), it won’t be counted as incomplete.
So, if you get a new Team Go Rocket Special Research and know you won’t be able to finish the whole thing, some players suggest just not progressing past page one. That way, you won’t be locked out of the new research when it arrives. This does mean missing out on the rewards for subsequent pages, but it may be worth it if you know you won’t be able to complete the tasks and don’t want to get locked out of future opportunities.
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Courtesy of Toei Animation
