Pokémon GO Dynamax is a battle transformation that makes a Pokémon appear huge and gives it access to a set of special attacks called Max Moves. It only happens inside Max Battles, the turn-based co-op fights that occur at Power Spots.
The system runs on its own currency (Max Particles), its own locations (Power Spots), and its own upgrade path (Max Moves), none of which overlap with Raids or Gyms. That separation is what makes it confusing to start, and it’s also where most wasted resources happen.
This guide covers what the official sources confirm, what the community has measured, and how to spend your particles without regretting it.
A quick note on sourcing: Pokémon GO is now operated by Scopely (the former Niantic games team, rebranded “Scopely Explore” in July 2026). The Help Center is still hosted at its old address but carries the new copyright line. It remains the official source, and it’s what this guide treats as confirmed.
Confirmed Mechanics
These come from the Pokémon GO Help Center and official event announcements.
What Dynamax actually does
- Dynamaxing makes a Pokémon appear much larger and lets it use Max Moves.
- It lasts 3 turns once your Max Meter fills, then the Pokémon reverts and the meter resets. The cycle repeats until the boss is beaten or your team faints.
- It does not change the Pokémon’s type.
- Gigantamax is the rarer version: the Pokémon’s appearance changes as well, and it uses a unique Max Move instead of the standard type-based one.
- A Pokémon can’t Dynamax while it’s Mega Evolved. You pick one or the other.
Where Dynamax Pokémon come from
You can’t Dynamax a Pokémon you caught in the wild. Max Pokémon are their own category, and there are two entry points per the Help Center: completing the “To the Max!” Special Research, or visiting your first Power Spot. After that, the main supply is winning Max Battles and catching the boss.
Caught Max Pokémon return to normal size in your storage. You spend Max Particles to Dynamax them again for future battles.
Power Spots
Power Spots are temporary map locations that emit Max Particles and host Max Battles. Officially they “may not stay in the same location for long” and will appear and disappear over time, so treat any given spot as short-lived rather than a fixture.
The Nearby menu is the practical way to use them. It lists the species at each spot, the battle difficulty, how long before the spot disappears, the distance, and whether other trainers are already waiting to start.
After winning, you can station one Pokémon from your battle party at that Power Spot. Stationed Pokémon earn you Candy when they return, and they apply an Attack Bonus for every trainer who fights that boss afterward. The more Pokémon stationed, the bigger the bonus, and it may also increase wild encounters near the spot. There are caps on how many you can station and how many each spot holds.
Max Particles
Max Particles (MP) are the currency for the whole system. You collect them by tapping the bubbles at Power Spots and by exploring your local area, including via Adventure Sync.
Two hard numbers worth knowing:
- You can collect up to 800 MP per day.
- Your bag holds a maximum of 1,500 MP at once.
Both can be lifted for events. Replay: GO Bigger in April 2026 raised the collection limit to 1,600 and added 2x Max Particles from exploring, so check the announcement before a Max Battle Day rather than assuming the standard caps.
How Max Battles work
- You bring three Pokémon, at least one of which must be a Max Pokémon. Only Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokémon can participate.
- Up to four trainers share a lobby. Six-star (Gigantamax) battles hold up to 100 trainers, split into teams of four. This was raised from 40 in August 2025.
- Battles can be joined remotely with a Remote Raid Pass plus the usual Max Particles, a change that landed in May 2025. Battling in person earns more Premier Balls and XP.
- Tap for Fast Attacks, build energy for Charged Attacks, swipe to dodge, and swipe toward the energy that appears on the field to fill your Max Meter faster.
- Max Particles are only spent if you win. If you lose, you can rejoin and try again as many times as you like until the Power Spot closes, at no additional cost.
- If all your Pokémon faint against a three-star or higher boss you can’t sub in new ones, but you can Cheer to fill your teammates’ meters faster.
- A Max Mushroom doubles your damage for 30 minutes and multiple mushrooms stack their duration. Event durations can be longer.
Winning gives items (Golden Razz Berries, TMs, Rare Candy are all in the pool), Premier Balls, and the catch encounter. PokéCoins can upgrade your reward roll.
Max Moves
Every Max Pokémon has three:
- Max Attack: the type matches the Pokémon’s Fast Attack, which means a Fast TM or Elite Fast TM changes which Max Attack it gets. Unlocked by default.
- Max Guard: creates a barrier that reduces damage from the boss. Locked at first.
- Max Spirit: heals the user and allied Pokémon on the field. Locked at first.
Unlocking and training Max Moves costs Max Particles plus Candy (Candy XL enters the picture at higher levels depending on the species). Training also awards XP.
Using Max Pokémon outside Max Battles
They work as normal Pokémon everywhere else. They can defend Gyms and enter Trainer Battles, but they appear in standard form and can’t use Max Moves. Only Max Battles allow Dynamaxing.
Trading and transferring: read this before you trade
This is the rule most likely to cost you resources:
- Max Pokémon can be traded, but all Max Move levels reset to Level 1. Unlocks are kept, but every particle you spent on levelling is gone.
- Trading a Gigantamax Pokémon is always a Special Trade, so you get one per day.
- You must keep at least one Max Pokémon in storage. The same applies to transferring to the Professor.
- Only Dynamax Pokémon can go to Pokémon HOME, and they lose their Max Moves in the process. Gigantamax Pokémon can’t be sent at all.
Trade your spare copies. Never trade the one you invested in.
What the Community Has Measured
The Help Center says entry costs “vary depending on the power of the boss” without publishing a table. The figures below come from community trackers (Leek Duck, GO Hub, GO Wiki, Bulbapedia) and have been stable for a long time, but they’re observations rather than official values.
- Entry costs: 250 MP for a one-star (confirmed in the lobby screenshot above), around 400 MP for higher standard tiers, and 800 MP for a six-star Gigantamax.
- Earn rates: about 100 MP per Power Spot visit with a bonus the first time you interact with a given spot each day, and about 300 MP per 2 km walked, claimed through the Nearby menu.
- Charging the meter: players report Fast Attacks fill the Max Meter more efficiently than Charged Attacks, so the common advice is to save Charged Attacks rather than spam them.
- Enrage timer: trackers have documented bosses becoming significantly more dangerous roughly six minutes into a battle, which is why stalling is a losing strategy.
- Evolution: community documentation indicates that evolving a Max Pokémon preserves its unlocked Max Moves and their levels, unlike trading. Worth confirming yourself before evolving something expensive.
- Unlock level: this one isn’t officially confirmed, but wikis list Max Battles as unlocking at Trainer level 20, raised from 13 with the Level 80 update. Treat it as a community estimate rather than a guaranteed number until you hit it yourself.
Practical Application: Preparing for a Gigantamax Day
Here’s how the pieces connect using a real boss type. Gigantamax Charizard is Fire and Flying, so it takes super effective damage from Water, Rock, and Electric.
Because Max Attack is determined by your Fast Attack, the counter you want isn’t just “a Water-type.” It’s a Water-type with a Water Fast Attack. A Blastoise running Water Gun gets Max Geyser; the same Blastoise with a non-Water Fast Attack does not, and it will do a fraction of the damage in the phase that matters. Check the Fast Attack, and use a Fast TM if it’s wrong.
The rest of the prep follows from the 800 MP daily cap. A six-star entry runs about 800 MP by community counts, so a single day’s collection funds roughly one attempt, which is why banking matters. In the days before the event, collect from Power Spots and claim your walking particles, but hold your 2 km claim overnight so you can bank it and collect again after the 5:00 a.m. reset. Watch the 1,500 bag ceiling: particles you can’t hold are wasted, so spend the overflow on Max Move training rather than letting collection go nowhere.
On the day, check the announcement for particle bonuses, bring a Max Mushroom for the damage boost, and go in person if you can for the extra Premier Balls. Station a Pokémon at the spot afterward so the group behind you gets the Attack Bonus.
Where to Put Your Resources
- Level Max Attack on a few counters, not everything. Particles spread thin across a dozen species leave you with no team that can actually clear a six-star.
- Unlock Max Guard and Max Spirit on dedicated Pokémon. Support only matters if someone commits to it, and it’s mostly wasted on your main damage dealer.
- Match your Fast Attack to the Max Attack you want. This is the cheapest damage increase available.
- Spend down before the cap. Sitting at 1,500 MP means every particle you collect is discarded.
Tracking What You Catch
Max Battle Days leave you with a stack of the same species, and they aren’t interchangeable. One has the right Fast Attack for its Max Attack, one has PvP-worthy IVs, one is Shiny, and one has several hundred particles of Max Move training sunk into it that a trade would silently reset to Level 1. In-game storage doesn’t distinguish between them at a glance, which is how the wrong one ends up in a trade window.
That’s the problem a tracker like GoDex is for. You can scan a catch screenshot to read CP and IVs automatically, check how those IVs rank for the Great, Ultra, or Little Cup before deciding what to keep, and tag Dynamax, Gigantamax, Shiny, or any other variant using custom variant tags. A quick note on the ones you’ve invested particles into keeps your trade fodder and your trained Pokémon clearly separated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I lose Max Particles if I lose a Max Battle? No. Particles are only deducted when you win, and you can retry the same boss for free until the Power Spot disappears.
Can I Dynamax in Raids, Gyms, or GO Battle League? No. Max Pokémon can fight in all of those, but only in standard form. Dynamaxing works exclusively in Max Battles.
Can I Mega Evolve a Dynamax Pokémon? Yes, but not at the same time. While it’s Mega Evolved, it can’t Dynamax and can’t enter a Max Battle.
What happens to my Max Moves if I trade? Unlocked moves stay unlocked, but every level resets to 1. Gigantamax trades are always Special Trades, and you must keep at least one Max Pokémon.
Do I need to be at the Power Spot? Not since May 2025. A Remote Raid Pass plus the normal particle cost lets you join from anywhere, though in-person play earns more Premier Balls and XP.
Key Takeaways
- Bank particles before event days. The 800 daily cap means a six-star entry is roughly a full day’s collection, and the 1,500 bag ceiling wastes anything above it.
- Build around Fast Attacks. Your Max Attack type follows your Fast Attack, so a Fast TM is often the cheapest fix for a bad counter.
- Losing costs nothing. Retry freely until the Power Spot closes rather than waiting for a perfect lobby.
- Concentrate upgrades on a handful of Pokémon, including one dedicated Max Guard or Max Spirit user for six-star battles.
- Check before you trade. Trading resets Max Move levels, so trade spares and keep the trained one.
We do our best to keep these guides accurate, but Pokémon GO mechanics change often. If you spot a mistake or something that's out of date, please send us feedback — we'll fix it.
About GoDex
A free companion app for tracking your collection, scanning IVs from screenshots, and checking PVP rankings. Available on iOS and Android.
