Pokémon GO Raises Trainer Cap in Gigantamax Raids
Niantic has announced a major change to Gigantamax Battles in Pokémon GO, increasing the maximum number of trainers who can participate in a single battle. This adjustment will debut during Pokémon GO Fest 2025: Max Finale, coinciding with the global fight against Eternamax Eternatus.
From 40 to 100 Players
Until now, Gigantamax Battles capped participation at 40 trainers. Starting with the Max Finale, that number will more than double, allowing up to 100 players to join the same battle. Trainers will still be split into smaller sub-groups of four or fewer, but their combined efforts will contribute toward the larger fight.
This new system applies not only to the upcoming Eternamax Eternatus battle but also to standard Gigantamax encounters going forward. Niantic confirmed that the change will remain in place worldwide after the event concludes.
Community Reaction
Reactions from the community are mixed. Many players welcome the opportunity to bring more trainers together for major battles, seeing it as a way to make challenging encounters more achievable. Others, however, are skeptical.
Some fans have raised concerns that increasing the trainer cap could come with hidden difficulty scaling, making fights tougher instead of easier. Rural players, who already struggle to gather enough teammates for battles, worry that this change will not benefit them. Instead, they are renewing calls for a proper matchmaking system to help balance participation across different regions.
There are also players who believe the cap increase is unnecessary, suggesting that reducing group sizes and balancing battle difficulty would have been a better solution.
Permanent, but Flexible
Niantic has described the 100-player cap as a permanent change. However, as with all online games, adjustments remain possible if community feedback proves overwhelmingly negative. Once the majority of Pokémon GO’s global player base has had the chance to face Eternamax Eternatus under the new system, Niantic may reconsider the structure if it creates more problems than it solves.
For now, trainers worldwide will soon find out whether bigger battles truly mean better battles.
