Overview
A Golden Razz Berry is a berry that significantly increases your chance of catching a Pokémon during an encounter, applying a 2.5× catch modifier—the strongest among standard encounter berries. That makes it the top choice when you start an encounter with a scarce Raid Boss, a Max Battle boss, or a rare wild Pokémon you do not want to lose.
Outside of encounters, it has a separate use at friendly Gyms: feeding a single Golden Razz Berry completely restores a defending Pokémon’s motivation, even when fed remotely.
How to get it
Win raids or Max Battles, reach Trainer Level 13 (which awards 1 Golden Razz Berry), or claim research and event rewards that include them. A Buddy Pokémon at Great Buddy level or higher can also occasionally bring Golden Razz Berries in a gift bundle.
Eligible GO Pass tracks and research can award this berry; the current reward track shows the quantities.
High placements in eligible PokéStop Showcases can also award Golden Razz Berries.
How to use it
On the encounter screen, select the berry and feed it to the Pokémon before throwing.
Only one berry effect can be active. A miss does not remove it, but a breakout does; feed another berry after a breakout.
Worth knowing
Save your Golden Razz Berries for difficult catches where you have a limited number of Premier Balls, such as Raid Bosses and Max Battle bosses, or for rare wild Pokémon. Remember that restoring motivation at a Gym is separate from healing your own Pokémon with a Potion.
Spare berries can also feed your buddy or friendly Gym defenders; their encounter bonus does not apply to these other uses.
A modifier is not a flat percentage bonus
Feeding a Golden Razz Berry gives you a much higher catch rate on your next throw that hits, but its 2.5× modifier is not a flat multiplier on your percentage chance.
Inside the catch probability formula, P = 1 − (1 − B)^M, P is the final chance of catching the Pokémon, B is the baseline catch rate for that throw before the berry is applied, and M is the berry modifier.
A Golden Razz Berry sets M to 2.5, compared with 1.5 for a Razz Berry and 1.8 for a Silver Pinap Berry. For example, if a throw has a baseline catch rate of 20% (B = 0.20) without a berry and all other conditions—such as the Poké Ball, curveball, throw accuracy, and medals—stay the same, feeding a Golden Razz Berry gives P = 1 − (1 − 0.20)^2.5 = 1 − 0.80^2.5, or about 42.8%.
It raises a 20% chance to roughly 42.8% rather than 50%, and it does not guarantee a catch.
Pair a Golden Razz Berry with an accurate curveball throw and the strongest appropriate Poké Ball. In raid and Max Battle encounters, you are restricted to a fixed supply of Premier Balls, making your berry choice and throw accuracy the main ways to improve your catch rate. A Golden Razz Berry adds no Candy bonus; choose a Silver Pinap Berry instead when extra Candy is worth trading for a smaller 1.8× catch modifier.
Catch support and Gym feeding are separate uses
During an encounter, a Golden Razz Berry improves your chance of catching the Pokémon. At a friendly Gym, its role is completely different: feeding one to a defending Pokémon fully restores its motivation, alongside awarding Stardust, XP, and points toward that Gym’s badge. Restoring a defender’s motivation at a Gym is separate from healing your own injured Pokémon with a Potion.
You can feed a single defender up to 10 berries within 30 minutes, across up to 10 different defenders in that same window. Feeding is unavailable while a Raid Boss occupies the Gym. Because a Golden Razz Berry restores 100% of a defender’s motivation even from a distance—where ordinary berries lose effectiveness—it is especially useful when a remote defender is about to be knocked out.
Feeding a defender is not a way to recall it or immediately collect its PokéCoins. Coins are awarded when the Pokémon returns, subject to the day’s shared Gym limit.
Unlocks and older guides
Under the current leveling system (Levels 1–80), Golden Razz Berries unlock at Level 13, which awards 1 Golden Razz Berry alongside Poké Balls, Nanab Berries, and Potions; no higher level-up milestone awards additional Golden Razz Berries directly. Older guides written before the October 2025 progression update may still list earlier level thresholds. This level-up unlock is separate from the entry requirements for raids (Level 5), Max Battles (Level 20), research tasks, and other reward sources.
Winning a raid can award Golden Razz Berries from the battle rewards even if you do not catch the Raid Boss afterward.
Feeding a buddy
One Golden Razz Berry fills an empty buddy hunger meter, making it a quick option when you want your buddy on the map. It does not provide a Poffin’s instant Excited mood or reduced walking requirement. Ordinary berries can do the routine feeding job if you prefer to save Golden Razz Berries for encounters or Gym defense.
