Giovanni’s team had a refresh in Pokémon Go following the arrival of the late April 2026 “Steeled Resolve: Taken Over” event.
As it stands in June 2026, following an update rolled out on April 30, Giovanni’s team sees several possibilities, including a finale against Landorus, the latest legendary to see the shadow treatment.
For those who want to catch shadow Landorus, you’ll want to nab a Super Rocket Radar from the aforementioned event as soon as you can, as Giovanni’s legendary swaps out periodically.
However, know that whenever you face Giovanni, he’s a tough opponent to battle, and this page will list out his current team and counters if you’re having trouble.
Update (April 30): We’ve updated this guide with new information about the changes to how Team Go Rocket takeovers and Giovanni works.
How to find Giovanni in Pokémon Go
Following the “Steeled Resolve: Taken Over” event in April 2026, Giovanni now works a tiny bit differently. Rather than getting a Special Research set every few months framed around a takeover event that rewards you with a Super Rocket Radar (and thus access to Giovanni), it appears that Super Rocket Radars are only available via the Go Pass during the event. You need to either pay $4.99 for the deluxe pass, which will unlock the Super Rocket Radar right away, or you’ll need to reach rank 30 on the free pass before the event ends to fight Giovanni.
As of writing this, we’re unsure if there are more ways that Super Rocket Radars will be distributed.
Just like the leaders, Giovanni will appear in Team Go Rocket balloons or at taken over PokéStops with the Super Rocket Radar equipped. He won’t often be in the first that you encounter — there will be decoy grunts along the way — but keep trying and Giovanni will appear.
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