Did you know there are more than 1,000 species of Pokémon roaming the Pokémon GO universe? That’s more Pokémon than any other game in Pokémon history – meaning trainers who wish to ‘catch ‘em all’ have their work cut out for them. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but it’ll take time, energy, and effort.
Of course, Pokémon GO is much more than just catching Pokémon. Users are also tasked with training and battling their Pokémon in an effort to become the world’s strongest, most-feared Pokémon trainer – something that’s only possible if you have a strong army of worthy Pokémon ready to protect and serve.
To get you started, here are the 10 strongest Pokémon in the Pokémon GO universe right now.
10. Meloetta
Max CP: 4,490 CP
Best Moveset: Quick Attack / Hyper Beam (15.98 DPS)
Pokémon Type: Normal, Psychic
Strengths: Ghost, Psychic
Weaknesses: Bug, Dark
Hailing from the Unova region, Meloetta is a Mythical Pokémon that was initially released on July 17, 2021, at the start of Pokémon GO Fest 2021 – it was released globally a few months later. Meloetta can only be caught through the ‘Finding Your Voice’ or ‘The Melody Pokémon’ special research tasks.
The best moveset for Meloetta is Quick Attack and Hyper Beam, but you can also pair Hyper Beam with Psychic – especially if you plan on battling a Fighting- or Posion-type Pokémon. Meloetta grows even stronger in partly cloudy and windy environments, if you want to take advantage of the weather boost.
9. Palkia
Max CP: 4,512 CP
Best Moveset: Dragon Tail & Draco Meteor (18.04 DPS)
Pokémon Type: Water, Dragon
Strengths: Fire, Water, Steel
Weaknesses: Dragon / Fairy
Found in the Sinnoh region, Palkia is a Legendary Pokémon that was initially released on January 29th, 2019. Catching Palkia requires patience because it can only be found in Raid Battles and (occasionally) through the GO Battle League. The last time it was featured in a Raid Battle was in August 2022.
Dragon Tail is the best ‘fast attack’ move, and Draco Meteor is the best ‘charged attack’ move, but you can also use Dragon Breath (fast) and Hydro Pump (charged) interchangeably – especially if you want to take advantage of it being a water type. Palkia grows even stronger in rainy and windy environments.
8. Dialga
Max CP: 4,565 CP
Best Moveset: Metal Claw / Draco Meteor (17.67 DPS)
Pokémon Type: Steel, Dragon
Strengths: Grass, Poison
Weaknesses: Fighting, Ground
We can’t talk about Palkia without talking about his even stronger brother, Dialga. Also found in the Sinnoh region, Dialga is a Legendary Pokémon that was released on March 1, 2019. Like his brother, you can only catch him when he’s featured in a Raid Battle, which last happened in July 2021 and July 2022.
Metal Claw and Draco Meteor make up the strongest moveset, but the combination of Dragon Breath and Draco Meteor is just as good – especially if you want to avoid using a Steel move. You can also use Metal Claw and Iron Head if you want to go Steel-exclusive. Dialga is best in snowy and windy environments.
7. Reshiram
Max CP: 4,565 CP
Best Moveset: Fire Fang / Fusion Flare (19.50 DPS)
Pokémon Type: Dragon, Fire
Strengths: Fire, Grass, Bug, Electric, Steel
Weaknesses: Dragon, Ground, Rock
Reshiram is one of three Legendary Pokémon to originate in the Unova region. It was originally released on May 26, 2020, and can only be caught by winning a Raid Battle. It has been featured four times since its debut and was last featured in January 2023 – it was also available through the GO Battle League.
We recommend using Reshiram as a Fire Pokémon with its Fire Fang and Fusion Flare, but you can also pair Fusion Flare with Dragon Breath if you want to use a Dragon move. If you don’t have an Elite TM for Fusion Flare, use Overheat for your charged move. Reshiram likes sunny and windy environments.
6. Zekrom
Max CP: 4,565 CP
Best Moveset: Dragon Breath / Fusion Bolt (19.19 DPS)
Pokémon Type: Dragon, Electric
Strengths: Electric, Fire, Flying, Grass, Steel, Water
Weaknesses: Dragon, Fairy, Ground, Ice
Zekrom is another one of the three Legendary Pokémon (known as the Tao Trio) that originated in the Unova region – Kyurem is the third, but isn’t on this list. It was originally released on June 16, 2020, and can only be caught by winning a Raid Battle – it was last featured between January 10 and 18, 2023.
If you have an Elite TM, use it to obtain Fusion Bolt and pair it with Dragon Breath (if you want to use a Dragon fast move) or Charge Beam (if you want to use a Lightning fast move). You can also pair Dragon Breath with Outrage or Charge Beam with Wild Charge. Zekrom likes rainy and windy environments.
5. Kyogre
Max CP: 4,652 CP
Best Moveset: Waterfall / Origin Pulse (17.55 DPS)
Pokémon Type: Water
Strengths: Fire, Ice, Steel, Water
Weaknesses: Electric, Grass
Kyogre is a Legendary Pokémon and a member of the Weather Trio, along with Groudon and Rayquaza. It was released on January 12, 2018, but can only be caught by winning a Raid Battle. It was last featured as a Raid Boss in August 2023 and has appeared at least once every year since making its debut.
While Kyogre can learn an Ice (Blizzard) and Lightning (Thunder) move, you’re better off going with its specialty as a Water-type Pokémon. Origin Pulse and Waterfall make up the best moveset, but you’ll need an Elite TM for Origin Pulse. If you don’t have one, go with Surf. Kyogre likes rainy environments.
4. Groudon
Max CP: 4,652 CP
Best Moveset: Mud Shot / Precipice Blades (17.96 DPS)
Pokémon Type: Ground
Strengths: Electric, Poison, Rock
Weaknesses: Grass, Ice, Water
Another member of the Weather Trio, Groudon is a Legendary Pokémon that was originally released on December 15, 2017. Like its Kyogre counterpart, it can only be caught by winning a Raid Battle and is featured at least once every year – we last saw Groudon in August 2023, so we won’t see him for a while.
The best moveset for Groudon is Mud Shot and Precipice Blades, but you’ll need an Elite TM to teach it Precipice Blades – if you don’t have one, you can replace it with Earthquake. Groudon has his best battles in sunny environments and, like Kyogre, can be evolved into its primal form with Primal Energy.
3. Mewtwo
Max CP: 4,724 CP
Best Moveset: Psycho Cut / Psystrike (20.98 DPS)
Pokémon Type: Psychic
Strengths: Fighting, Psychic
Weaknesses: Bug, Dark, Ghost
It’s hard to make a list of the strongest Pokémon without including the myth, the legend – Mewtwo. Originating from the Kanto region, Mewtwo made its debut on August 14, 2017, during the Pokémon GO Stadium event. You can catch Mewtwo through Raid Battles, Research Tasks, or beating Giovanni.
The two best ‘fast moves’ for Mewtwo are Confusion and Psycho Cut, while the two best ‘charged moves’ are Psystrike and Psychic – any combination of those four will work well, but you’ll need an Elite TM for Psystrike. If you want to increase Mewtwo’s effectiveness in battle, try using it in windy environments.
2. Regigigas
Max CP: 4,913 CP
Best Moveset: Hidden Power / Giga Impact (18.70 DPS)
Pokémon Type: Normal
Strengths: Ghost
Weaknesses: Fighting
Regigigas, who originated in the Sinnoh region, is the master of the Legendary Titans – a group that includes Regirock, Registeel, and Regice of the Hoenn region, and Regieleki and Regidrago of the Galar region. Regigigas made its Pokémon GO debut in November 2019 at the A Colossal Discovery event.
Being a Normal-type Pokémon, Hidden Power and Giga Impact make up the best moveset for Regigigas – though it can also learn a Fighting, Psychic, and Lightning move. It can only be caught as part of a Raid Battle, through Research Tasks (A Colossal Discovery), and by defeating Giovanni – you have options.
1. Slaking
Max CP: 5,010 CP
Best Moveset: Yawn / Body Slam (10.41 DPS)
Pokémon Type: Normal
Strengths: Ghost
Weaknesses: Fighting
Surprisingly enough, Slaking is the only Pokémon on this list that you can catch in the wild – meaning you won’t need to wait for it to be featured in a Raid Battle. Found in the Hoenn region, Slaking is the final evolution of Slakoth (which evolves into Vigoroth) and made its Pokémon GO debut in December 2017.
It only knows one fast move (Yawn), and it does zero damage, but you can pair it with Body Slam (if you have an Elite TM) or Hyper Beam if you want to take advantage of it being a Normal-type Pokémon – it can also learn Earthquake and Play Rough. Slaking fights his best battles in partly cloudy environments.
How to Catch the Strongest Pokémon in Pokémon Go
There are a lot of ways to evaluate a Pokémon’s strength. Some Pokémon are strong on the attack, but not so much on defense. Some Pokémon might have a high damage per second (DPS) because of their speed, but have a low HP and get knocked out quickly. All Pokémon are strong in their own unique way.
With that said, there’s one stat that gives us an overall idea of how well Pokémon perform in battle – combat power (CP), which is determined by a Pokémon’s base stats, IV levels, and level. If you want to catch the strongest Pokémon in Pokémon GO, then you’ll want to pay attention to a Pokémon’s CP.
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