Pokémon Go Showdown in the Shadows quest steps and rewards

'Showdown in the Shadows' quest steps in Pokémon Go

Below you'll find all of the quest steps for the Showdown in the Shadows special research quest in Pokémon Go.

Remember - to access this quest you may have to complete your previous Team Go Rocket research quest, which began with A Troubling Situation in 2019. The last quest released in the Team Rocket storyline was A Shadowy Disturbance.

Thank you to Amiibofan101 from reddit for the help with this information!

• Catch 15 Pokémon - 5 Pinap Berries
• Spin 5 PokéStops or Gyms - 10 Poké Balls
• Defeat 3 Team Go Rocket Grunts - 1 Mysterious Component

Rewards: 1000 XP, 1000 Stardust and a Phantump encounter.

• Catch 15 Pokémon - 5 Pinap Berries
• Transfer 10 Pokémon - 10 Great Balls
• Defeat 6 Team Go Rocket Grunts - 3 Mysterious Components

Rewards: 1500 XP, 1500 Stardust and a Galarian Yamask encounter.

• Defeat the Team Go Rocket Leader Arlo - 2500 XP
• Defeat the Team Go Rocket Leader Cliff - 2500 XP
• Defeat the Team Go Rocket Leader Sierra - 2500 XP

Rewards: 2500 XP, 3000 Stardust and a Super Rocket Radar.

• Find the Team Go Rocket Boss - 10 Hyper Potions
• Battle the Team Go Rocket Boss - 10 Ultra Balls
• Defeat the Team Go Rocket Boss - 6 Max Revives

Rewards: 3000 XP, 3000 Stardust and a Gengar (Trick or Treat costume) encounter.

• Claim reward - 2500 Stardust
• Claim reward - 2500 Stardust
• Claim reward - 2500 Stardust

Rewards: 5000 XP, 3500 Stardust and two Silver Pinap Berries.

How Showdown in the Shadows works in Pokémon Go

Showdown in the Shadows, which was released in October 2023 during the Halloween event, is part of the Team Go Rocket storyline in Pokémon Go.

To access this research quest, you must first complete the 'tutorial' quest, A Troubling Situation. You may also need to complete any previous Team Go Rocket special research quests may have, such as A Shadowy Disturbance.

Each Team Go Rocket quest is based around defeating the crime organisation grunts and purifying Shadow Pokémon, which can be found at invaded PokéStops around the world.

You'll also need to battle the Leaders Arlo, Cliff and Sierra and, eventually, Giovanni.

It's also important to remember that the highlighted Shadow Legendary released alongside this quest's debut - Shadow Regigigas in the case of Showdown in the Shadows - is technically not part of the quest itself, but, rather is simply an extra reward for battling Giovanni. Due to this, you can catch the current Shadow Legendary at least twice if you haven't finished the previous Team Go Rocket quest yet.

Aside from this, the Team Go Rocket quests work exactly the same as the other research quests, which challenge you to complete a number of objectives in a specific order.

Since the Team Go Rocket quests don't expire, you'll have a good amount of time to complete Showdown in the Shadows. We do recommend ensuring you complete it though, because you won't be able to access the new quest in the series - which are usually released every three months - until you do.

The Max Out Season is here. The new global event, Wild Area, is nearly here and In the Wild is our lead-up event, which includes the global release of Toxel. You can now catch Dynamax Pokémon through Max Battles. First, however, you need to visit Power Spots to collect Max Particles and complete the To the Max! quest. Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.

Tips for completing Showdown in the Shadows in Pokémon Go

Below you'll find some tips which will help you complete Showdown in the Shadows in Pokémon Go:

• Don't forget to use Pinap Berries when catching Shadow Pokémon to ensure you gather enough Candy to purify the Pokémon once it's yours.
• Keep an eye out for the Team Go Rocket Balloons, because the grunt, Team Go Leader and even the Giovanni battles you encounter through them all count towards this quest.

• Make sure you check the lineup possibilities before battling the three Team Go Rocket Leaders and Giovanni, so you can plan an effective team of counters.
• Since both the Leaders and Giovanni have a selection of Pokémon they can use, it's a good idea to scout out their team before properly defeating them - provided you have some healing items on standby for this first 'trail' encounter. You can do this by using a Pokémon which is guaranteed to defeat this first Pokémon, which will always be the same, and, once you know what they're second choice is, you can plan accordingly. Just remember that their lineup may change if you move to a different PokéStop.

Good luck during the Showdown in the Shadows questline!