In Pokémon Go, not all Pokémon are created equal, even when they look the same and have similar Combat Power (CP). That’s because every creature has its hidden stats, called Individual Values (IVs), which determine its true potential in battles. In the main Pokémon games lineup, IVs can be a headache with natures, EVs, and multiple stat categories. Thankfully, Pokémon Go keeps it simple with just three, including Attack, Defense, and HP, and an easy built-in way to check them. Our guide explains what IVs are and how to check them in Pokémon Go.
What are Pokémon IVs in Pokémon Go, and Why are They Important in Battles?
Poké Daxi
In Pokémon Go, Individual Values or IVs are the hidden values that affect Attack, Defense, and Stamina (HP) of a Pokémon. Each stat gets a score between 0 and 15, and once a Pokémon is caught or hatched, these numbers are locked forever. A perfect IV Pokémon has 15 Attack, 15 Defense, and 15 Stamina, which is a total of 45 IV points or 100% IV. On the other end, A Pokémon with 0/0/0 IVs won’t win any championships.
Unlike base stats (which are the same for every Pokémon of a species), IVs are unique to each Pokémon. This is why two Level 30 Garchomps can have very different CP and battle performance. In Raids, a Pokémon with max IVs does more damage and survives longer. The difference looks small (perfect IVs only give about 10% more CP than the worst IVs), but over dozens of attacks in a tough raid, that extra edge can mean the difference between winning and running out of time.
In PvP battles, IVs become even more strategic. Since CP caps are in place for Great and Ultra Leagues, the best PvP Pokémon often have lower Attack IVs and higher Defense/Stamina IVs, which lets them “squeeze” more tankiness into the CP limit. This is why some trainers chase weird-looking IV spreads for their league favorites.
How to Check Pokémon Go IVs? The Appraisal System
Gone are the days of decoding vague team leader phrases. Now, Pokémon Go’s appraisal feature shows your Pokémon’s IVs in-game. Here’s how to check your Pokémon’s Individual Value through Appraisal:
- Open Pokémon storage.
- Tap on the Pokémon you want to check.
- Hit the three-bar menu icon in the bottom-right corner.
- Select Appraise.
Your Team Leader will show:
- Star Rating:
- 0 Stars → below ~50% IV
- 1 Star → ~51–64% IV
- 2 Stars → ~66–80% IV
- 3 Stars → ~82–97% IV
- Red 3 Stars → 100% IV “hundo”
- Three Stat Bars: One each for Attack, Defense, and Stamina. Each bar has notches at 5 and 10; a glowing full bar means that stat is perfect (15).
When your storage overflows after Community Day, you don’t want to appraise 300 Pokémon one by one – search terms save the day then. Type these into the search bar in your Pokémon storage:
- 4* → Shows only 100% IV Pokémon.
- 3* → High IV Pokémon, just below perfect.
- 0attack, defense15, etc. → Filter by specific stat IVs.
- Combine terms: “4 & pikachu”* finds only perfect Pikachu.
This trick makes it very fast to find the keepers and transfer the rest for candy.
Hyper Training with Gold Bottle Caps
Starting from the “Ancients Recovered” event, trainers can now increase a Pokémon’s IVs with a rare item called the Gold Bottle Cap.
- The item works on Pokémon that are Good Buddies or better.
- You can train Attack, Defense, and HP individually.
- Each stat’s training is linked to activities such as battle, play, or exploring with a buddy.
- You get 365 days to finish the training.
Catches:
- Only available through the $19.99 GO Pass Deluxe (as of now).
- Gold Bottle Caps can max all three stats; Silver Caps, when added, will boost just one.
- Shadow Pokémon can’t be Hyper Trained.
This means you can finally take the 96% shiny legendary and make it a true hundo without relying on pure luck.
Should You Obsess Over IVs?
Yes, to raid legendaries, for PvP, or min-max, they matter. For casual players, it’s more of a nice-to-have, but even if you don’t bother with perfection, understanding IVs will help you decide whether to invest your hard-earned candy and stardust into a Pokémon or transfer it for extra resources.
To instantly check the Individual Values along with many other important details, use GamesRecon’s Pokémon Go IV Calculator to see how powerful your Pokémon is and where it stands in different leagues.
