Pokémon Go Medals list, all Platinum Medals and Catch Bonus explained
Every Medal listed that will increase your capture rates.
Medals in Pokémon Go act as a form of in-game achievement system, cataloguing your many accomplishments from across the game.
You'll be occasionally interrupted by full-screen prompts telling you about a Medal you've just unlocked as you play Pokémon Go - not unlike the full-screen prompts you get when you increase a Trainer level - with the Medal tier you've just unlocked.
These Medals are not only stat-trackers, which record everything you do in the game - from the distance walked to the number of Pokémon Types you have caught - but are also give you a variety of bonuses and rewards.
In October 2016, earning type-based medals offered a Catch Bonus, while in November 2020, Platinum Medals - a fourth tier - for certain categories would help unlock certain Trainer Levels 40 and above was introduced as part of the Go Beyond update and Season of Celebration.
On this page:
How does Pokémon Go's Catch Bonus work?
To get started with Medals, you can view all your Medals by tapping your Trainer icon in the bottom left corner of the map screen and scrolling down.
The Medals screen is sorted into two sets; the upper set displaying 'traditional' Medal goals - such as distance walked and how many big Magikarp you've caught - which don't give you any bonuses, and the lower set grouping together all the Medals by Type, which reward Catch Bonuses.
The higher the Medal, the stronger the Catch Bonus for that Type; Bronze is worth +1, Silver is +2 and Gold is +3.
If the Pokemon you're facing has multiple types - such as the Flying / Normal Type Pidgey and its evolutions - then it'll take the average of those two Catch Bonuses.
The question is, plus three what exactly? Well, that's a bit of a mystery, and it currently has the Pokémon Go community scratching their heads.
The leading theory is it's a percentage increase, which might not sound a lot, but if it's for the base capture rate before bonuses from using more powerful Pokéballs and Razz Berrys are applied, it could be quite powerful for likes of Dragonite which are inherently tough to capture.
But in general, the Catch Bonus means the more Pokémon you catch, the higher your chances of catching Pokémon will be in the future, which is particularly handy when even low-level Pokémon become hard to grab at higher levels.
Pokémon Go Catch Bonuses list, including Platinum Catch Bonus requirements explained
Each Medal in Pokémon Go has Bronze, Silver, Gold and Silver requirements, and for the Type-specific Medal, a corresponding Catch Bonus, which are all listed below.
Thanks to the Silph Road subreddit (virodoran and ginji in particular) for helping us flesh this list.
Type-specific Medals with Catch Bonuses:
Medal | Activity | Bronze (Catch Bonus) | Silver (Catch Bonus) | Gold (Catch Bonus) | Platinum (Catch Bonus) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Schoolkid | Catch Normal-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Black Belt | Catch Fighting-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Bird Keeper | Catch Flying-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Punk Girl | Catch Poison-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Ruin Maniac | Catch Ground-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Hiker | Catch Rock-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Bug Catcher | Catch Bug-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Hex Maniac | Catch Ghost-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Depot Agent | Catch Steel-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Kindler | Catch Fire-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Swimmer | Catch Water-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Gardener | Catch Grass-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Rocker | Catch Electric-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Psychic | Catch Psychic-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Skier | Catch Ice-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Dragon Tamer | Catch Dragon-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Fairy Tale Girl | Catch Fairy-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Delinquent | Catch Dark-type Pokémon | 10 (+1) | 50 (+2) | 200 (+3) | 2500 (+4) |
Other Medals in Pokémon Go, including Platinum Medal requirements, listed
As well as the above Catch Bonus specific Medals, there are also other Medals you can unlock for completing activities in the game.
Most of these have no impact on the game itself, though some are requirements for unlocking specific Avatar equipment and certain Trainer Levels 40 and above.
Thanks to the Silph Road subreddit (virodoran and ginji in particular) for helping us flesh this list, which is written in the order these Medals appear in your Trainer profile.
Medal | Activity | Bronze | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Backpacker | Visit PokéStops | 100 | 1000 | 2000 | 50000 |
Jogger | Walk long distances | 10km | 100km | 1,000km | 10,000km |
Kanto | Register Kanto Pokémon in the Pokédex | 20 | 50 | 100 | 151 |
Collector | Capture Pokémon | 30 | 500 | 2000 | 50000 |
Scientist | Evolve Pokémon | 3 | 20 | 200 | 2000 |
Breeder | Hatch Eggs | 10 | 100 | 1000 | 2500 |
Fisher | Capture Big Magikarp | 3 | 50 | 300 | 1000 |
Battle Girl | Win Gym battles | 10 | 1000 | 1000 | 4000 |
Youngster | Catch tiny Rattata | 3 | 50 | 300 | 1000 |
Pikachu Fan | Catch Pikachu | 3 | 50 | 200 | 1000 |
Johto | Register Johto region creatures | 5 | 30 | 70 | 100 |
Unown | Catch Unown | 1 | 10 | 26 | 28 |
Berry Master | Feed Berries at Gyms | 10 | 100 | 1000 | 15000 |
Gym Leader | Defend Gyms for a number of hours | 10 | 100 | 1000 | 15000 |
Champion | Win Raids | 10 | 100 | 1000 | 2000 |
Hoenn | Register Gen 3 Pokémon in the Pokédex | 5 | 40 | 90 | 135 |
Sinnoh | Register Gen 4 Pokémon in the Pokédex | 5 | 30 | 80 | 107 |
Unova | Register Gen 5 Pokémon in the Pokédex | 5 | 50 | 100 | 156 |
Battle Legend | Win Legendary Raids | 10 | 100 | 1000 | 2000 |
Pokémon Ranger | Complete Field Research tasks | 10 | 100 | 1000 | 2500 |
Idol | Become Best Friends with Trainers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 20 |
Gentleman | Trade Pokémon | 1 | 100 | 1000 | 2500 |
Pilot | Earn km across the distance of all Pokémon trades | 1000 | 100000 | 1000000 | 10000000 |
Ace Trainer ** | Train in Trainer Battles | 10 | 100 | 1000 | 2000 |
Cameraman | Have surprise encounters in Go Snapshot | 10 | 50 | 200 | 2500 |
Great League Veteran | Win Trainer Battles in the Great League | 5 | 50 | 200 | 1000 |
Ultra League Veteran | Win Trainer Battles in the Ultra League | 5 | 50 | 200 | 1000 |
Master League Veteran | Win Trainer Battles in the Master League | 5 | 50 | 200 | 1000 |
Best Buddy | Have Best Buddies | 1 | 10 | 100 | 200 |
Purifier | Purify Shadow Pokémon | 5 | 50 | 500 | 1000 |
Hero | Defeat Team Rocket Grunts | 10 | 100 | 1000 | 2000 |
Ultra Hero | Defeat the Team Go Rocket Boss Giovanni | 1 | 5 | 20 | 50 |
Mega Evolution Guru | Number of unique Mega Evolutions | 1 | 24 | 36 | 46 |
Successor | Number of total Mega Evolutions | 1 | 50 | 500 | 1000 |
Wayfarer | Reviewing Niantic Wayfarer submissions | 50 | 500 | 1000 | 1500 |
Rising Star | Defeat different species of Pokémon in Raids | 2 | 10 | 50 | 150 |
Triathelete | 7 Days Streaks completed | 1 | 10 | 50 | 100 |
Picknicker | Pokémon caught by a Lure Module | 5 | 25 | 500 | 2500 |
Sightseer | Visit Unique PokéStops | 10 | 100 | 1000 | 2000 |
Rising Star Duo | Win raids with a friend | 10 | 100 | 1000 | 2000 |
Friend Finder | Refer new players | 1 | 10 | 20 | 50 |
Raid Expert | Make the Raid Achievement screen | 1 | 50 | 200 | 500 |
Kalos | Register Gen 6 Pokémon in the Pokédex | 5 | 25 | 50 | 72 |
Alola | Register Gen 7 Pokémon in the Pokédex | 5 | 25 | 50 | 86 |
Galar | Register Gen 8 Pokémon in the Pokédex | 5 | 25 | 50 | 89 |
Friend Finder | Refer Trainers | 1 | 10 | 20 | 50 |
Hisui | Register Hisui Pokémon in the Pokédex | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
Tiny Pokémon Collector | Catch XXS Pokémon | 5 | 25 | 100 | 500 |
Jumbo Pokémon Collector | Catch XXL Pokémon | 5 | 25 | 100 | 500 |
Showcase Medal | Win PokéStop Showcases | 1 | 10 | 50 | 100 |
Paldea | Register Gen 9 Pokémon in the Pokédex | 5 | 30 | 80 | 104 |
Expert Navigator | Complete Routes | 10 | 50 | 200 | 600 |
** This originally debuted as "Train at Gyms", but in the summer of 2017, the feature was revamped to remove that feature. This medal was later reintroduced in December 2018 with the introduction of Trainer Battles.
The Max Out Season is here and includes a new global event, Wild Area! Galarian Expedition is currently running in Pokémon Go and it's possible to grab another Master Ball from the pay-to-play Masterwork Research: Master Ball quest. You can now catch Dynamax Pokémon through Max Battles. First, however, you need to visit Power Spots to collect Max Particles and complete the To the Max! quest. Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.
Other things you should know about Catch Bonus and Medals in Pokémon Go
- There are medals for attending Go Fest events throughout the year. These are required you to attend the event in question, provided you have a ticket, and remain in your account as a badge afterward. Each individual has an event, so for example, Chicago Go Fest will have unique entry for 2017, 2018, 2019 and so on.
- Some medals will only display once you've started working towards it. For example, 'Pikachu' won't appear at all until you've caught your first Pikachu (if you want to start with a Pikachu in Pokémon Go, we have a handy guide for that), Wayfarer won't appear until you start reviewing entries and so on. The same applies to various Types and other objectives in the game, too.
- Once you have unlocked a Medal, you can then tap it to see your progress until the next Medal tier. Once you reach Gold, the figure will keep tracking your progress, allowing you to see exactly how many tiny Ratattas or Normal-type Pokémon you've accumulated in your illustrious Trainer career.
- Fun fact - each Medal is named after Trainer classes in the main games (which are the characters you fight on Routes and in dungeons).
- Creatures received through Trading also contribute to Medal progress, including the size specific Medals Fisherman and Youngster.