Tricks to Become Lucky Friends On Pokemon Go

Pokemon GO friendship perks for trading

Chrales, a renowned Pokemon Go dataminer, has now revealed the concept of lucky friends also.

To become Lucky Friends with someone, you first have to become Best Friends.

To qualify, you’ll need to open a gift sent to you by one of your friends, challenge each other to a Trainer battle, or fight alongside each other in a Raid or Gym battle.

They’re similar but different to shiny Pokemon; while shiny Pokemon look different, lucky Pokemon are identified by gold circles around the Pokemon on the list view.

Right now the general consensus is that the likelihood of becoming Lucky Friends is around 5%.

Learn how to become Lucky Friends in Pokemon GO, boost friendship levels, and trade for powerful Lucky Pokemon effortlessly.

If it has worked, you’ll get a message that says you became Lucky Friends, such as the one shown in this Reddit thread. You can then trade Pokemon with each other, and they’ll be called Lucky Pokemon once the transfer is complete. Once the status of the Lucky Friend has been achieved, an in-game notification will appear. Remember, the benefits of having lucky Pokémon in your collection are Lucky Friends substantial, making the effort well worth it. However, Lucky Pokemon always have IVs of at least 12 in all stats, meaning an 80% or higher overall rating. This change builds upon the previous two changes applied to Lucky Pokémon – the first in September 2018, the second in December 2023.

Lucky Friends and Lucky Trades in Pokemon GO

What we do know however, is there will now be the ability to have someone as a lucky friend which will guarantee a lucky Pokemon when trading. While you’re waiting to become Lucky friends in Pokemon GO, there are plenty of things to do that will keep you busy. In fact, we have tons of guides that will help you out, a few of which are linked in the list below. As long as that’s the case for one of the Pokemon being traded, it will be a lucky trade.

Trading

To further enhance your Pokémon journey, consider using Pokemon Go spoofer – MapGo to easily expand your collection and maximize your chances of obtaining those coveted Lucky Pokémon for trades. After you complete the Lucky Trade, your friendship status is reset, and you can start building it from scratch once again. Adding friends in Pokemon GO is straightforward, and works via a unique identifier called the trainer code. This is a 12-digit code that is unique to every trainer in Pokemon GO and is used to add friends. From here, you’ll want to trade with this friend as soon as possible — but remember, you’ll have to be in person to trade Pokémon with your friends. Once the trade is completed, you both will return to Best Friends, though you’ll have a chance at becoming Lucky Friends again any time you interact with one another again.
This means that when you become best friends with a fellow trainer, you could become lucky friends. The best way to become best friends is by sending each other a gift once a day for 90 days. Once you’re Best Friends with another trainer, every time you interact with them you’ll have a chance at becoming Lucky Friends. This means every gift exchange, battle, trade, and raid will be another chance for the two of you to become Lucky Friends. You’ll know you’ve achieved this status when you each receive a notification informing you you’ve become Lucky Friends. Pokemon Go lucky Pokemon have existed in the game for a long time now, but they’re somewhat of a hidden mechanic.

Pokémon Go Lucky Trinket and how to get the Lucky Trinket explained

Considering the Go Pass Deluxe’s price, we highly recommend taking a look at the other rewards and thinking about whether you truly want the Lucky Trinket before making this purchase. This is especially the case if you play Pokémon Go solo, because, when you consider the fact it has an expiry date, the Lucky Trinket might turn out to be worthless for you. If, however, you want the Lucky Trinket, you need to spend £7.99 or the equivalent pricing tier in your local currency to unlock the Go Pass Deluxe track.

In February 2026, Niantic increased the amount of guaranteed Pokémon you can have from 25 to 35. Additionally, any Pokémon you’ve had in your Storage since 2019 or earlier are guaranteed to become Lucky once traded until this limit has been reached. While the aforementioned types only fill out your Pokédex, Lucky Pokémon status in Pokémon Go also provides a direct benefit – allowing that creature up at a much cheaper cost than regular Pokémon. But beware — individual values or IVs shift around quite a bit when you trade them, so the high IV Kyogre you might want to swap with your Lucky Friend may end up being a little weaker than before.

To become Lucky friends in Pokemon GO, players will first need to become Best friends with another player. Once you’ve done that, simply continue to send gifts to each other and battle together and eventually you’ll reach Lucky friend status. If you’re just starting out with a new friend, this process will likely take a long time and will require daily dedication, so be patient and try to find a good routine. In Pokemon Go, only the players with Best Friend status can become Lucky Friends. If you and other fellow trainers are already best friends then simply start trading Pokemon, open Gifts, go on raids, or do a Trainer battle. As a downside, the Status will be temporary and will expire after you do a trade.