When Do Raids End in Pokémon GO? A Complete Guide to Raid Schedules

Table of Contents

Understanding Raid Durations

The Daily Raid Cycle: A Firm Cutoff

Eggs, Bosses, and the Countdown Clock

Special Raid Events and Exceptions

Strategic Implications for Trainers

Staying Informed and Planning Ahead

The thrill of a Pokémon GO Raid Battle is a cornerstone of the game's community experience. However, the opportunity to challenge these powerful bosses is not perpetual. A critical question for every Trainer, from casual to hardcore, is: when do raids end? The answer is more structured than a simple timer on an individual battle; it is governed by a consistent daily schedule set by Niantic, with specific rules for raid initiation and conclusion. Understanding this schedule is essential for effective raid planning and resource management.

Raids in Pokémon GO do not have a single, universal end time. Instead, they follow a daily cycle. The overarching rule is that new raids will stop spawning at a specific time each evening, local time. Historically, this cutoff has been set at 7:45 PM or 8:00 PM, though Niantic has adjusted it for events and seasons. The key principle is that once this daily deadline passes, no new Raid Eggs—the indicators that a raid is about to begin—will appear on Gym maps. This is the primary "end" for raid availability each day.

The daily cycle dictates that all raid activity must conclude by a later, fixed time. Typically, the last active raids of the day must end by 9:00 PM or 9:30 PM local time. This creates a crucial distinction: while a new raid cannot start after, for example, 7:45 PM, a raid that began at 7:30 PM will continue its full duration, often 45 minutes or an hour for higher-tier raids, and will indeed end around 8:15 PM or 8:30 PM. Therefore, the "end" of raids is a two-stage process: the end of new spawns, followed by the end of the final active battles roughly 90 minutes later. Trainers cannot initiate a lobby for a raid boss after the visible raid timer on the Gym has fully counted down to zero.

Individual raids are preceded by a Raid Egg, which appears atop a Gym with a countdown timer, usually lasting 60 minutes for most tiers and 2 hours for Elite Raids. Once this egg hatches, the raid boss is revealed, and the battle phase begins. This active phase has its own timer, typically 45 minutes for standard raids. The raid definitively ends for all players when this battle timer expires. A Trainer cannot join a raid lobby in the final 120 seconds of this active timer. This countdown system provides clear visual cues: the egg timer shows when the raid will start, and the boss timer shows when it will permanently end, allowing for precise coordination with fellow Trainers.

Niantic frequently schedules special raid events that override the standard daily schedule. These include Raid Hours, typically held on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM local time, which feature a specific boss at nearly every Gym. During such events, raids are concentrated within this hour and end promptly at 7:00 PM. Elite Raids are a notable exception; they feature a 24-hour Egg timer, a 30-minute battle window, and do not allow Remote Raid Passes. These raids end precisely 30 minutes after hatching, and no new raids of that type will spawn afterward. Global raid events, like those for Legendary Pokémon debuts, may also feature extended hours, sometimes allowing raids to spawn later into the evening or, rarely, during early morning hours.

Knowing when raids end has direct strategic importance. It influences daily planning, as Trainers must allocate their free Daily Raid Pass before the spawn cutoff to avoid wasting it. It affects group coordination, especially for high-tier Legendary or Mega Raids, as assembling a team becomes more urgent as the evening progresses. The schedule also impacts the use of Premium Battle Passes and Remote Raid Passes; a Trainer in a late timezone may lose the chance to invite friends from earlier timezones once their local raids have ended for the night. Furthermore, the knowledge that raids cease in the late evening reinforces the importance of daytime and weekend raiding for consistent progress.

To navigate the raid schedule successfully, Trainers should utilize in-game tools and community resources. The "Nearby" radar's Raid tab shows active raids and their remaining timers. Third-party community maps and Discord servers often provide broader visibility. Most reliably, trainers should pay close attention to official Niantic announcements within the Pokémon GO news section or on social media platforms. These communications will detail any temporary changes to raid hours for events, holidays, or seasonal rotations, ensuring players are never caught off guard by an unexpected end to raid availability.

In summary, raids in Pokémon GO end based on a firm daily schedule that stops new spawns in the early evening and concludes all active battles by late evening. This structure is punctuated by predictable countdown timers on individual raids and is occasionally modified for special events. For the dedicated Trainer, mastering this timetable is as important as mastering type advantages. It transforms raid participation from a matter of chance to a strategic endeavor, ensuring that every pass is used effectively and no legendary opportunity slips away unnoticed as the clock counts down to zero.

People visit museum to mark 80th anniversary of Liberation Day in Italy
California vows legal battle as U.S. Senate kills electric vehicle mandate
Wildfire in California spreads to over 50,000 acres in one night
7.9-magnitude quake strikes Myanmar: CENC
Suspect in custody for arson at U.S. Pennsylvania governor's residence