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The Ultimate Recap Of Pokémon GO May 2025: All 5-Star Raids, Community Days, And Exclusive Moves

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The month of May 2025 in Pokémon GO was an absolute powerhouse for trainers, delivering a packed schedule of events, two highly-anticipated Community Days, and a rotating lineup of powerful Legendary and Mega Raid Bosses. For players looking to maximize their roster, May was a critical period, especially with the debut of new Shiny forms and the return of powerful, meta-relevant exclusive moves for Machamp and Pawmot.

As of December 19, 2025, reviewing the May schedule is essential for trainers planning their long-term battle strategies, particularly those who missed out on the exclusive moves. This comprehensive guide breaks down every major event, from the "Growing Up" event to the dual Community Days and the full Raid Boss rotation, ensuring you know exactly which Pokémon and movesets defined the month.

May 2025 Community Day and Community Day Classic Recap

May was unique because it featured two major Community Day events, providing double the opportunity for trainers to hunt for Shinies and secure powerful, limited-time exclusive attacks. The focus was split between a newer Generation IX Pokémon and a fan-favorite classic from Generation I.

The Pawmi Community Day: Brick Break Debut

  • Date: Sunday, May 11, 2025
  • Featured Pokémon: Pawmi (Paldea Region)
  • Exclusive Move: Evolving Pawmo (Pawmi’s evolution) into Pawmot during the event window granted the Fighting-type Charged Attack, Brick Break. This move is a fast-charging attack that offers a solid secondary option for Pawmot in the Pokémon GO Battle League (GBL), enhancing its versatility as an Electric/Fighting-type.
  • Bonuses: Standard Community Day bonuses, including 3x Catch Stardust and 2x Catch Candy, were active, making it an excellent day for resource grinding.

Machop Community Day Classic: The Return of Payback

  • Date: Saturday, May 24, 2025
  • Featured Pokémon: Machop (Kanto Region)
  • Exclusive Move: Evolving Machoke into Machamp during the event rewarded the Dark-type Charged Attack, Payback. This move is highly sought after for Machamp, especially in the Master League and certain GBL formats, as it provides coverage against its Psychic-type counters like Mewtwo and Cresselia.
  • Significance: The return of Machop was a massive draw for both new and veteran players, as Machamp remains one of the best non-Legendary Fighting-type attackers for raids and gyms. The Shiny Machop was also widely available for those who missed its initial Community Day.

Full May 2025 5-Star and Mega Raid Boss Schedule

The Raid schedule for May 2025 was dominated by the return of a powerful Legendary and the highly-anticipated rotation of the Lake Trio. Mega Raids also saw the rotation of three fan-favorite Pokémon, providing ample opportunities to collect Mega Energy.

5-Star Legendary Raid Bosses

Trainers focused their Raid Passes on securing the various Legendary and Mythical Pokémon available throughout the month. The rotation was as follows:

  • May 1 – May 12: Tapu Fini (Water/Fairy-type). This Guardian Deity of the Alola region is a strong contender in the Ultra League and Master League, making its appearance a priority for serious GBL players.
  • May 12 – May 25: Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf (Psychic-type). The Lake Trio's return was a major global event, as these Pokémon are region-locked: Uxie in Asia-Pacific, Mesprit in Europe/Middle East/Africa/India, and Azelf in the Americas. This required significant global coordination for trainers to complete their Pokédex via remote raiding.
  • May 25 – June 1: Tapu Bulu (Grass/Fairy-type). The final week of May brought the return of Tapu Bulu, a powerful Grass-type attacker.

Mega Raid Bosses

The Mega Raid lineup was equally exciting, featuring three powerful Mega Evolutions that provided essential Mega Energy for raid teams:

  • May 1 – May 12: Mega Houndoom (Dark/Fire-type).
  • May 12 – May 25: Mega Gyarados (Water/Dark-type).
  • May 25 – June 3: Mega Altaria (Dragon/Fairy-type).

The "Growing Up" Event and Other May Highlights

Mid-season filler events often introduce new features or focus on specific Pokémon types, and the May 2025 schedule was no exception. The "Growing Up" event centered on the themes of evolution and growth, heavily featuring Baby Pokémon and experience bonuses.

Growing Up Event Details

The "Growing Up" event ran from May 2 to May 7, 2025, with a focus on Baby Pokémon and evolution-related bonuses.

  • Theme: Grow Bigger, Better, and Wiser. The event emphasized collecting XP (Experience Points) and evolving Pokémon.
  • Featured Pokémon: The event significantly boosted the spawn rate of Pokémon that evolve from Baby Pokémon, such as Cleffa, Igglybuff, Togepi, Tyrogue, Smoochum, Elekid, and Magby. This was a prime time to hatch and evolve these rare encounters.
  • Bonuses: The main draw was the Timed Research that awarded a significant amount of XP, aligning with the "growing up" theme. This allowed dedicated players to make major strides toward the level cap.
  • Regional Bonus: Trainers in Japan and Korea received an additional bonus from May 4–5, further encouraging regional play during the event.

Mega Kangaskhan Raid Day

Kicking off the month on May 3 was a dedicated Mega Kangaskhan Raid Day. This specialized event provided trainers with a three-hour window to complete a high volume of Mega Raids, securing enough Mega Energy for the Normal-type Mega Evolution and hunting for its Shiny variant. This event was crucial for trainers seeking a powerful Normal-type attacker and Mega Boost Pokémon.

Topical Authority: Why May 2025 Was Critical for the Meta

The events in May 2025 had a lasting impact on the Pokémon GO meta, particularly in the competitive GBL scene and for raid teams. Understanding the significance of these releases is key for any serious player.

The GBL Impact of Brick Break Pawmot

Pawmot, as an Electric/Fighting-type, is a rare and valuable combination. The exclusive move Brick Break is known for its low energy cost, allowing Pawmot to bait shields effectively in GBL. While it may not be a top-tier attacker in the Master League, its utility in the Ultra League and various Cups is undeniable, providing strong coverage against Steel-types and Normal-types like Registeel and Snorlax.

Machamp's Payback for PvP and PvE

The return of Payback on Machamp cemented its status as one of the most versatile Fighting-type Pokémon in the game. In PvP, Payback is essential for flipping unfavorable matchups, forcing opponents to respect the Dark-type damage. In PvE, while it doesn't replace the standard Dynamic Punch for raw Fighting-type damage, having a legacy move like Payback on a high-IV Machamp is a badge of honor and a strategic advantage in specific Raid scenarios where a Dark-type counter is needed.

The Lake Trio's Global Significance

The rotation of Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf was perhaps the most logistically important event of the month. Since these Legendary Pokémon are geographically restricted, their presence in 5-Star Raids forces the global community to engage with the Remote Raid system. For completionists, securing all three forms, especially their Shiny variants, was the primary goal, highlighting the game's unique global community aspect.

In summary, May 2025 was a month defined by high-value exclusive moves, the return of essential regional Legendaries, and a focus on player progression through XP bonuses. These events provided substantial long-term benefits to any trainer who participated, solidifying May as one of the most content-rich months of the year.

The Ultimate Recap of Pokémon GO May 2025: All 5-Star Raids, Community Days, and Exclusive Moves
pokemon go may 2025
pokemon go may 2025

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