Every Pokemon Go legendary and how to catch them

Pokemon Go legendaries — (Image credit: Niantic)

Pokemon Go Legendries might immediately make you think of Mewtwo and Mew, but there have been a lot more Legendaries added since Generation 1. Whether it’s the “weather trio” of Kyogre, Groudon and Rayquaza or the Tapus of the Alola region, there are plenty of Pokemon that trainers can catch in Pokemon Go.

And that’s not even counting the number of Mythical Pokemon that have been added or will soon be added and Ultra Beasts that have yet to be released to the masses. There’s plenty of to go through with the Legendary Pokemon of Pokemon Go and this guide will list them all and give some tips on how to best catch them.

Complete list of legendary Pokemon in Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go has a plethora of legendary Pokemon available, from the original three legendary birds to the Gen 8 Legendaries. The caveat is that not all legendary Pokemon are available at any one time, with usually just one rotating through raids.. Here's the full list of legendary Pokemon in Pokemon Go:

#144 - Articuno
#145 - Zapdos
#146 - Moltres
#150 - Mewtwo
#151 - Mew
#243 - Raikou
#244 - Entei
#245 - Suicune
#249 - Lugia
#250 - Ho-Oh
#251 - Celebi
#377 - Regirock
#378 - Regice
#379 - Registeel
#380 - Latias
#381 - Latios
#382 - Kyogre
#383 - Groudon
#384 - Rayquaza
#385 - Jirachi
#386 - Deoxys
#480 - Uxie
#481 - Mesprit
#482 - Azelf
#483 - Dialga
#484 - Palkia
#485 - Heatran
#486 - Regigigas
#487 - Giratina
#488 - Cresselia
#491 - Darkrai
#492 - Shaymin
#638 - Cobalion
#639 - Terrakion
#640 - Virizion
#641 - Tornadus
#642 - Thundurus
#643 - Reshiram
#644 - Zekrom
#645 - Landorus
#646 - Kyurem
#648 - Meloetta
#649 - Genesect
#716 - Xerneas
#717 - Yveltal
#785 - Tapu Koko
#786 - Tapu Lele
#787 - Tapu Bulu
#788 - Tapu Fini
#808 - Meltan
#809 - Melmetal
#888 - Zacian
#889 - Zamazenta
#893 - Zarude

Special research legendary Pokemon: Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, and Meltan

Mew was the first legendary Pokemon available via special research, in a quest line called "A Mythical Discovery". This is the only way to obtain Mew, and you can read more on that with our how to catch Mew and Mewtwo in Pokemon Go guide.

Celebi is also now available through the "A Ripple In Time" special research quest. Just like Mew, you need to do a series of potentially lengthy tasks, which we've covered in detail here: how to catch Celebi in Pokemon Go.

You can get Jirachi too if you complete the special research called Pokemon Go A Thousand Year Slumber. First introduced during Pokemon Go Fest 2019, we've got a guide on how to complete all of the tasks.

Technically, Meltan and its evolution Melmetal are mythical Pokemon instead of legendaries, but for the purposes of this guide, they count as legendaries. We've covered how to catch Meltan in Pokemon Go and Pokemon Let's Go but the basic gist of things is that you either need to transfer a Pokemon from the former to the latter, to receive Meltan in the former, or complete the special research called "Let's GO, Meltan.

If you participated in the Pokemon Go A Drive To Investigate special research, this is how you can obtain Genesect. Unfortunately, the ticket isn't available any longer, but you can still complete the objectives if you acquired it before.

The same goes for the Pokemon Go A Colossal Discovery special research. This took place in October of last year and was the only method to acquire Regigigas, but if you haven't completed it yet, the objectives will still be in your special research to finish off.

Advice for catching Pokemon Go Legendaries

- It’s disappointing but don’t expect to catch on your first Raid. The catch rates differ per Legendary but the odds are not high.

- Increase your odds with curveballs and Golden Razz Berries but only do curveballs if you are definitely sure you can hit it. Don’t waste Premier Balls unnecessarily because you have a limited stock.

- Throw your Premier Ball after a Legendary has just done its attack move to make sure they don’t just flick your Premier Ball away.

- If you're lucky enough to get a shiny Legendary after a raid, it's an insta-catch! So use a Pinap Berry and as long as you don't miss with every ball, you'll definitely catch it.

- The faster you defeat the legendary, the more Premier Balls you'll have to attempt the catch with. So enlist as many fellow trainers as possible and get the right counters for that legendary in your party!

- If you are having trouble with Raid numbers, try signing up for your local Discord or Facebook Pokemon Go community. There’ll be plenty of people in the same situation and organising Raid groups.

Good luck, trainer!