• News

Pokemon Go adds new restrictions to Remote Raids

Remote Raids are getting more expensive and less available.

Donovan Erskine

March 31, 2023 7:40 AM

Niantic

1

When the pandemic first hit in 2020, Niantic introduced Remote Raids as a way for players to still challenge and participate in Raids from the safety of their homes. This feature has remained in the game in the years since, even as the world has slowly opened up and folks returned to in-person gatherings. Now, Niantic has made a major announcement about Remote Raids in Pokemon Go. While they aren’t going away, Remote Raids are becoming more expensive, and the developer is putting new restrictions on them.

Niantic announced the new changes to Pokemon Go in a blog post yesterday. Some of the changes to Remote Raids in Pokemon Go include a price increase to 195 PokeCoins for the single pass, with the three-pack increasing to 525 PokeCoins. As for new restrictions, players will now be able to participate in a maximum of five Remote Raids each day. Niantic says this number may increase during special events.

In the blog post, Niantic explains that Remote Raids “have come to dominate the experience of playing Pokémon GO in a way we never intended,” since their addition in 2020. The developer is hoping the new changes will help incentivize players to get out and play Pokemon Go with friends and members of their community.

Niantic’s announced changes to Remote Raids were met with swift backlash from players. Many expressed that Remote Raids were one of Pokemon Go’s best quality-of-life features, and making them less accessible makes the game more of a hassle to enjoy. There have also been concerns about how these changes will hurt players with disabilities. Accessibility advocate Steven Spohn came out against the move, calling it a “disability tax.”

Niantic has teased a heap of content coming to Pokemon Go this summer, but the current focus remains on its massive changes to Remote Raids. As we await to see how Niantic navigates the backlash, stick with Shacknews for any potential updates.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_