Pokemon Sword and Shield introduce a few exciting new features to the series, such as Max Raid battles. At certain dens dotting the Wild Area, you can team up with three other trainers--either locally or online--and take on supersized Dynamax Pokemon together.

Pokemon you encounter in these Max Raids are special in a few different ways. First, there's a chance the monster will have its Hidden Ability. Regular wild Pokemon you come across in Sword and Shield will never have their Hidden Ability, making this the only way to obtain it in the games (outside of breeding, and in that case one of the parents would need to have the Hidden Ability in order to pass it down).

Depending on the level of the Raid, the Pokemon will have a couple of perfect IVs (base stats) as well, making them useful for breeding if you're trying to put together a competitive team. You'll also receive an assortment of rewards for clearing Max Raids, including Exp. Candy and TRs, which can otherwise only be purchased with Watts (and are quite costly). Finally, Max Raids are the only way to encounter Gigantamax Pokemon; unlike standard monsters, these Pokemon take on a different appearance when they Dynamax.

Which Pokemon you encounter in Max Raids is typically up to chance, but Game Freak periodically hosts Max Raid events that bring out certain monsters for a limited time, such as Shiny Magikarp and Gigantamax Snorlax. You can see the full list of Max Raid events happening right now in Pokemon Sword and Shield below. Be sure to also check out our Max Raid guide for tips to help you defeat these Dynamax monsters.

Pokemon Sword & Shield Current Max Raid Events