Shiny Larvitar has long been available in Pokémon Go, but it so rarely appears that you can’t even see it for months. The Journey to Paldea event finally brings hope for the fans. With Larvitar now in the spotlight and its shiny odds increased, this week offers the best opportunity in a long time to try your luck for a shiny Larvitar and evolve it all the way to shiny Tyranitar.
Outside the event that runs from December 2 to December 9, 2025, Larvitar normally can spawn from 10 km Eggs, the occasional Field Research task, or once appeared as a 1-Star Raid boss; none of the sources are as good as the current event, when the spawn rate is higher. It’s the first time in a while that Larvitar can be seen often enough to overcome the usual odds. The shiny boost applies only to wild Larvitar and Research encounters, not to Shadow Larvitar from Cliff, so Rocket Leader odds remain unchanged.
How to Get Shiny Larvitar in Pokémon Go
The Journey to Paldea event generates nearly all of the valuable shiny Larvitar opportunities for Trainers. The critter becomes a featured wild spawn on December 2, 4, 6, and 8. During these days, you should spend your time catching as many as possible, since the shiny rate is increased and you can quickly stack encounters. Furthermore, event PokéStop tasks can also reward Larvitar. Research encounters benefit from the event’s shiny rate and provide higher IV floors than wild spawns.
The $1.99 Premium Timed Research includes many Larvitar encounters from the task list. By completing the task, you’ll receive a guaranteed extra Larvitar checks batch, other than whatever you get in the wild. These activities must be finished before December 9 at 8:00 p.m. local time. After Journey to Paldea ends, the Larvitar spawns will return to the usual low chance.
How to Get Shiny Pupitar and Shiny Tyranitar in Pokémon Go
Pupitar has a chance to show up in the wild encounter, but it’s very uncommon and has no shiny boost in the event. The only good way to unlock a shiny Pupitar is to evolve a shiny Larvitar into a shiny Pupitar by spending 25 Larvitar Candy.
On the other hand, Tyranitar is also available in the wild, but with a very low spawn. That means you need to evolve a shiny Pupitar into a shiny Tyranitar at the cost of 100 Larvitar Candy. If Tyranitar is the end goal, you should farm Larvitar spawns when the chances are high for a shiny creature.
