Niantic has added a major quality-of-life update to Pokémon GO remote raids, making it easier than ever for friends to join each other to take down challenging encounters. Oddly enough, this change was quietly released with little to no fanfare or notice from the development team, but it’s an extremely meaningful addition to the game for those desiring to team up with allies.
Before, taking part in remote raids required quite a bit of effort. Players would have to either invite their friends manually or share a raid code with those hoping to team up. Because only five additional trainers could be invited, it made it difficult to coordinate without external communication or prior planning. As there was no in-game way to acquire raid participants over significant distances, it left many struggling to take on raids solo if they failed to find a way to organize groups through other channels, particularly during community day events.
What does the new Pokémon GO Remote Raid matchmaking update do?
The new remote raid update allows players to join a challenge directly from their friends list in case someone is already in a lobby. Of course, trainers can always invite their companions directly, but the additional avenue for ease of matchmaking is a major quality-of-life change. This feature can be toggled under the General Settings tab. It goes a long way to help those struggling with the difficult Max Raids in Pokémon GO, featuring special Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokémon.
In addition to matchmaking, Niantic now allows players to sort their friends list to find active raid participants at the top rather than have to scroll through to find them. These changes arrive right in the midst of the Pokémon GO Into the Wilds event, featuring special challenges for players to partake in.
Even though remote raids demand passes which players can quickly run out of if they aren’t constantly rummaging through local Pokéstops in their area, these changes go a long way in making remote raids more appealing. Remote raids in general were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way for players to stay connected to their communities without coming into physical contact (social distancing).
If you’re new to Pokémon GO, check out our list of beginner guides to help you get started playing.
Pokémon GO is an augmented reality (AR) game developed by Niantic and released worldwide in 2016 for iOS and Android mobile devices.