Max Battles have arrived in Pokémon GO, giving Trainers a new way to test their might alongside their favorite Pokémon. In addition to getting the chance to battle powerful, giant-sized opponents and potentially catch them once you win, these battles are also where you can show off your own Dynamax Pokémon and unleash their Max abilities.

Raid Battles have been a staple of Pokémon GO for years now, giving Trainers the chance to team up with each other to take on powerful Raid Bosses. Now, with the arrival of the Max Out season, there's a new type of battle for Trainers to enjoy: Max Battles. Here's everything you need to know about this fresh challenge, including how to Dynamax your own Pokémon.

What Is A Max Battle In Pokémon GO?

A Super-Sized Version Of A Raid Battle

Max Battles are a new kind of battle that features gigantic Dynamax Pokémon from the mainline Pokémon Sword & Shield games. They take place at Power Stops located around the in-game map, and task you with defeating a powered-up, oversized version of a regular Pokémon. You can take them on by yourself, or team up with up to three other Trainers to help boost your chances of winning.

What sets Max Battles apart from regular Raid Battles is that you'll only be able to use Pokémon that are capable of Dynamaxing. These are indicated in your Pokémon storage by an X symbol that appears next to their sprite. You'll start a battle with regular Fast Attacks and Charged Attacks, but after Dynamaxing your Pokémon, you'll be able to use special Max Attacks which deal huge amounts of damage.

You'll only be able to take three Pokémon into a Max Battle in Pokémon GO, unlike traditional Raid Battles which let you select a team of six. There's also no timer on these battles. Instead, once all of your Pokémon faint, the Max Battle will end.

It costs 250 Max Particles to enter a Max Battle, although they won't be deducted from your inventory unless you win. When taking part in a Max Battle, you can Dynamax one of your own Pokémon that's capable of doing so. If you successfully defeat your Dynamax opponent, you'll get a chance to catch them in a giant Poké Ball. Then, you'll be able to use that Pokémon in future Max Battles.

How To Find A Max Battle

Track Power Spots Using The Nearby Feature

Max Battles take place at Power Spots, which are a new kind of landmark on the map. They appear as pink towers with a giant X symbol and floating orbs above them. You can often spot them in the distance on the map, but if you can't see any, tap on the "Nearby" button at the bottom-right-hand corner of the screen and scroll across to the Power Spot tab to find a list of Power Spots that are near your current location.

Just like PokéStops and Gyms, if you're living in a rural area, you might struggle to find Power Spots in Pokémon GO. You can still earn Max Particles by exploring, but you can only take part in Max Battles by visiting a Power Spot.

It's important to point out that Power Spots only appear for a limited time (usually around two days) before moving on to a new location. A timer will appear when you tap on a Power Spot to let you know how long it will be before it disappears, so make sure you visit before this happens. Power Spots are also completely separate from PokéStops and Gyms, so they'll never take their place on the map.

How To Win A Max Battle

Use Strategy & Team Up With Other Trainers

After you've paid your 250 Max Particle entry fee and started a Max Battle, you'll be asked to choose up to three Dynamax-capable Pokémon for your team. Just like regular Raid Battles, you'll want to choose Pokémon that are effective against your opponent. For example, if you're battling a Dynamax Charmander, having a Squirtle on your team would be a great choice, as Water-type attacks are super-effective against Fire-type Pokémon.

At this early stage, the chances are you won't have many Dynamax-capable Pokémon to choose from. Fortunately, the One-Star Max Battle opponents currently in the game shouldn't pose too much of a threat. If all you've got is a Dynamax Wooloo, power it up as much as possible, evolve it if you can, and let it rip.

You'll start a Max Battle with your Pokémon in its regular form, so approach this like you would a regular Raid Battle; attack as quickly as possible and unleash Charged Attacks when you can. As you deal damage and swipe across the screen to collect energy bubbles, you'll slowly fill up a Max Meter at the top of the screen. Once this meter is full, your Pokémon will Dynamax, which is where the real fun begins.

With your Pokémon now in its Dynamax state, you'll have three turns before it reverts to normal. At this point, you can slow down and think strategically about your plan of action. Your main option is to unleash a Max Attack, a powerful attack based on the typing of your Pokémon's Fast Attack, but you can also use Max Guard to decrease damage taken from your opponent's attacks, or Max Spirit to heal yourself and allied Pokémon.

Max Attacks are unlocked by default, but Max Guard and Max Spirit need to be taught using a combination of Max Particles and Candy. You can also level up these three options using further Max Particles and Candy to increase their effects, although this gets expensive very fast.

If you manage to win a Max Battle, you'll then get a chance to catch the Dynamax Boss you defeated. This works just like Raid Battles, where you'll be given a limited number of Premier Balls to throw based on your performance, although there's a fun animation where it turns into a giant Premier Ball just before you throw it. to use Razz Berries and aim for Excellent Curve Balls to increase your chances of catching them.

Rewards For Winning A Max Battle

Loads Of XP, Razz Berries & XL Candy

Alongside the opportunity to add another Dynamax Pokémon to your collection, there are several rewards offered for winning a Max Battle. After defeating a Squirtle in a Max Battle, I was rewarded with 10,000 XP, two Golden Razz Berries, and one Squirtle Candy XL. It's likely that your rewards may vary, but this should give you an idea of what you'll get. You can also pay 200 Poké Coins to double your reward haul.

Finally, after you win a Max Battle in Pokémon GO, you'll have the opportunity to leave one of your Dynamax Pokémon behind at the Power Spot. Doing this will increase the Attack Bonus at that Power Spot, meaning other Trainers will have an easier time winning their own Max Battles. The more Trainers that benefit from the Attack Bonus you provided, the more Candy you'll get as a reward.