Max Particles

Overview

Max Particles are the dedicated currency used to battle at Power Spots and to train a Max Pokémon's Max Moves. Both activities draw from the same balance, so spending Max Particles on a move upgrade can leave you short for your next Max Battle. Max Particles become available at Trainer Level 20 under the current leveling system (previously Level 13 before the October 2025 progression update).

They are tracked by their own counter rather than occupying Item Bag slots, and your active balance is separate from any Max Particle Packs stored in your Item Bag.

How to get it

• Interact with active Power Spots (100 Max Particles, plus 20 for your first visit since the spot became active) and claim 300 Max Particles after walking 2 km via the Nearby menu.

• Earn additional Max Particles from Research tasks, GO Pass ranks, redeemed codes, and Max Particle Packs; special events can also increase daily collection and storage limits.

How to use it

1. Check the Max Particle cost on the Power Spot lobby screen before battling (250, 400, or 800 depending on battle tier) or on a Max Pokémon's summary screen before training its Max Moves.

2. Max Battles only deduct Max Particles when you defeat the boss. Joining remotely also requires a Remote Raid Pass, which is consumed as soon as the battle starts rather than upon victory.

Worth knowing

Keep enough Max Particles in reserve for the Max Battles you plan to win before spending 400 to 800 Max Particles on a Max Move upgrade.

Because the 800 daily collection limit and 1,500 storage threshold are checked only before you claim a reward, claiming a 300-particle walking reward while near the limit lets your balance overflow both thresholds.

Battle entry and move upgrades share one budget

Completing Max Battles and training Max Moves draw from the same Max Particle balance. A Max Pokémon's attacking Max Move starts unlocked at Level 1, whereas Max Guard and Max Spirit start locked. Standard training costs 400 Max Particles to unlock Max Guard or Max Spirit at Level 1, 600 Max Particles to upgrade any Max Move to Level 2, and 800 Max Particles to reach Level 3, alongside the required Candy or Candy XL.

Because upgrades and battles share one pool, a single upgrade can block your next battle entry. For example, if you hold 1,000 Max Particles and spend 800 Max Particles on a Level 3 Max Move upgrade, your remaining balance drops to 200 Max Particles. That leaves you short of the 250 Max Particles needed even for a one-star Max Battle. Plan which move upgrades your team needs before spending Max Particles you intend to use at Power Spots.

Some Pokémon follow different training rules. Crowned Sword Zacian and Crowned Shield Zamazenta cannot Dynamax, but they can fight in Max Battles and use Stardust instead of Max Particles to unlock and upgrade their Max Moves alongside Candy or Candy XL. Conversely, Eternatus still requires Max Particles at much higher quantities (1,200, 2,400, and 3,200 Max Particles) along with its own Candy and Candy XL requirements.

In addition, trading a Max Pokémon resets any upgraded Max Moves back to Level 1, so check the Pokémon's summary screen and finalize your trades before investing Max Particles.

Collection limits and battle costs

Outside of special events, you can collect up to 800 Max Particles per day from free sources, and your normal storage threshold is 1,500 Max Particles (raised from the original 1,000-particle cap in May 2025).

• Interacting with an active Power Spot grants 100 Max Particles, plus a 20-particle bonus the first time you visit that Power Spot since it became active.

• Walking 2 km lets you claim 300 Max Particles from the Power Spot tab on the Nearby menu.

Special events can raise both the daily collection limit and the storage threshold.

Max Battle entry costs scale with difficulty: one-star battles require 250 Max Particles, two-star and three-star battles require 400 Max Particles, and four-star, five-star, and six-star Gigantamax Max Battles require 800 Max Particles. Max Particles are only deducted when you defeat the boss, so a failed attempt does not consume your balance.

If you join a Max Battle remotely, you need both the required Max Particles and a Remote Raid Pass; unlike Max Particles, the Remote Raid Pass is consumed as soon as the battle starts, though you can re-attempt that same boss without another pass if your group loses before the Power Spot rotates.

Why the balance can exceed a threshold

The standard 800-particle daily collection allowance resets at 5:00 a.m. local time. Because the game checks this allowance only before you claim a free reward, your last collection of the day can push your daily total past 800. For example, if you have collected 780 Max Particles since 5:00 a.m. and claim a 300-particle walking reward, you receive the full 300 for a daily total of 1,080 Max Particles, after which further Power Spot and walking collections are blocked until the next reset.

Max Particles claimed from Research tasks, GO Pass ranks, redeemed codes, and Max Particle Packs do not count toward the 800 daily limit.

The 1,500-particle storage threshold works the same way: the game checks whether your current balance is below 1,500 before letting you collect from a Power Spot, claim a walking reward, or open a Max Particle Pack. For example, if you hold 1,480 Max Particles and use an 800-particle Max Particle Pack from your Item Bag, you receive all 800 for a total balance of 2,280 Max Particles rather than losing the excess.

In addition, rewards from Research tasks, GO Pass ranks, and redeemed codes can still be claimed even when your balance is already at or above 1,500.

Each active Power Spot grants 100 Max Particles, plus a 20-particle bonus the first time you interact with that specific Power Spot since it became active (120 Max Particles total). Because this 20-particle bonus applies to every newly visited Power Spot rather than once per day, visiting six new Power Spots yields 720 Max Particles, leaving you at 720/800 for the day—just below the 800 daily limit so you can still claim a 300-particle walking reward for 1,020 Max Particles total.