Best Pokemon in Pokemon GO: Hottest Picks and Full Tier Breakdown for 2025

When Pokemon Go came out in 2016, it really became a sensation not only in the gaming community but also within the general public as well. Its unique concept and gameplay instantly captured everyone's attention, which consisted of catching the virtual Pokemon by locating them through GPS. The way it blends real-world exploration with the Pokemon catching truly made it quite addictive. It's been a decade since its release, and the game has seen significant upgrades with added features like trading, seasonal events, and PvP battles. With millions of players still active, the game is going on smoothly with consistent updates and events.

As of 2025, the game consists of 883 Pokemon, which makes it confusing to know which is the best. So, to make things easy for you, we have made the list of the best Pokemon of every type in Pokemon GO.

Best Pokemon in Pokemon Go by Type

Best Attacker in Pokemon Go

For those who are looking for the best defenders that excel in scenarios like gym battles and PvP, Primal Reversions of Powerful Legendaries are the best options available.

• Crowned Sword Zacian: His Crowned Sword form turns Zacian into an extraordinary, unstoppable being, as it not only has the highest CP in the game but also an amazing Attack stat and multiple resistances. While Metal Claw is his fast move, its energy generation allows players to reach the signature move Behemoth Bash, which is quite powerful.
• Regigigas: It is a super strong Legendary Pokemon from the Sinnoh region who is a white golem with red eyes and yellow dots on his face. In the game you can catch it from the 5-star raids. Hidden Power and Zen Headbutt are his special moves, and his only weakness is the Fighting type. Overall he is a solid attacker in partly cloudy weather.
• Mega Lopunny: The Mega form of Lopunny has a max CP of 4234 and gets boosted in partly cloudy or cloudy weather. To acquire it, evolve Buneary into Lopunny, then use 200 Mega Energy the first time. Mega Lopunny is great for raids and also boosts same-type catches.

Best Defenders in Pokemon Go

If you are more of a defense person who prefers to save the stamina of your Pokemon to use later or use them to tire the opponents, then the below-mentioned Defenders are the perfect choice for you.

• Blissey: She is the best choice for gym encounters, as Blissey has a fabulous amount of stamina with pretty good defense stats. She is a Normal type, so going with Pound and Hyper Beam will prove very beneficial for you.
• Snorlax: Although Snorlax doesn't have huge stamina stats like Blissey, his CP is quite high, with decent Defense and Attack stats. In addition, he has a high max CP of 3,225 that makes him a good choice for PvP, where you can even switch Hyper Beam for Superpower.
• Metagross: With 10 type resistances and key moves like Meteor Mash and Earthquake, this Steel/Psychic-type Pokemon is the finest choice for defending gyms. Interestingly, Metagross can turn into an effective attacker, given its strong move pool and high stats.

If you are looking for the Pokemon Go Guide, do check out our other article.

Best Pokemon For PVP

Pokemon Go consists of three major leagues, namely, the Great, the Ultra, and the Master Leagues. However, these leagues follow a rotation throughout every season, with only one appearing at a time. Each of these leagues has different restrictions, with the common one being the CP limit. If you are looking for the best Pokemon for PVP, it depends on the league and battle format, as the type matchups and stats like energy and bulk are very crucial. Below we have mentioned the best picks for PVP across all three leagues.

Great League

• Azumarill: The Water/Fairy-type Pokemon in Pokemon Go can be claimed by evolving Marill. Bubble, Play Rough, and Hydro Pump are its best moves. Azumarill is great for PvP because it is super bulky and resists Dragon, Fighting, and Dark. It wins most shield battles in Great League.
• MewTwo: The legendary Psychic-type can be claimed by 5-star raids or EX raids. Psycho Cut and Psystrike + Shadow Ball are the best moves of Mewtwo. Its incredible attack can defeat the enemies very quickly in Master League.
• Clodsire: It is really one of the best choices in the Great League, as it is nearly perfect at everything. This bulky Poison/Ground-type Pokémon consists of moves like Poison Sting, Mud Bomb, and Sludge Bomb; it will excel in PvP battles like Great and Ultra. It has a quirky design and multiple resistances, which makes it a fan favorite.

If you want to know about the Pokemon with the highest CP in Pokemon GO, check out the other article on our website.

Ultra League

• Bellibolt: This Electric Type is the best option to use against the Water-Types released in the current season. With 109 HP, a special attack of 103, and powerful moves, he will prove good in the Ultra League. Its unique ability, Electromorphosis, elevates the next move's power, which makes it the strategic choice in battles. Its Thunder Shock provides maximum energy generation, while its fast move Sucker Punch expands the coverage to deal a huge amount of damage.
• Lapras: This Water/Ice pokemon has a variety of moves in its pocket, of which Psywave is the best, as it offers the most energy generation and expands the coverage. Although moves like Skull Bash and Blizzard are great moves, you should prefer using Sparkling Aria as the charged move, as it deals more damage. While using Ice Beam against the Grass, Dragon and Flying types will prove the best.
• Corviknight: This Steel-type has many resistances, including Poison, Grass, Bug, Steel, Psychic, Normal, Ground, Flying, Fairy, and Dragon. It has pretty good defense and stamina stats, which makes it tough for the opponents to weaken him. It has only one fast move, Sand Attack, but its impact and coverage make it a dominant attack move to use. While its Charged moves including Sky Attack and Iron Head, both deal decent damage.

Master League

• Origin Forme Palkia: With a base attack of 280 and max CP of 4,863, this Water/Dragon-type Legendary Pokemon is perfect for ending a battle. Its fast move, Dragon Breath, is quite strong. With Dragon Tail or Dragon Breath as fast moves, it performs better against Dragon, Fire, Ground, and Rock types.
• Zacian (Crowned Sword): The legendary Fairy/Steel-type can be found only on raids with the Iron Will item. With a combat power of 4329 and best moves like Metal Claw and Behemoth Blade, it is one of the best Pokemon you can have. It has insane attack and resists Dragon, Dark and Fairy which makes it the perfect choice for Master League.
• Zekrom: This Electric/Dragon-type Legendary Pokemon can be claimed in 5-star raids. Charge Beam, Fusion Bolt, and Wild Charge are the best moves of Zekrom. With a huge attack that zaps water and flying foes, it is a great choice for Master League. The Fusion Bolt hits hard with STAB.