A shiny Pokémon is a rare Pokémon that has different colours from the normal kind. Since Generation 6 the normal odds are 1 in 4,096 for each Pokémon you meet.
Shinies were added in Generation 2, in Pokémon Gold and Silver. The famous first one is the red Gyarados at the Lake of Rage, which you are guaranteed to meet.
Is a shiny stronger?
No. A shiny plays exactly like a normal one, with the same stats and the same moves. Only the colours are different. A shiny also stays shiny when it evolves, so a shiny Eevee will be a shiny Eeveelution (see Eevee evolutions).
On pokee.si every Pokémon page has a shiny toggle, so you can see the colours without hunting for one. You can start from the Pokédex.
How rare are they?
The chance depends on the game and on what you do.
| Method | Chance |
|---|---|
| Normal odds, Generations 2 to 5 | 1 in 8,192 |
| Normal odds, Generation 6 onwards | 1 in 4,096 |
| Shiny Charm (Generation 6 onwards) | about 1 in 1,366 |
| Masuda method, breeding (Generation 6 onwards) | about 1 in 683 |
| Masuda method plus Shiny Charm | about 1 in 512 |
| Scarlet and Violet: Shiny Charm, Sparkling Power 3 and a 60-plus outbreak | about 1 in 512 |
| Legends: Arceus: Shiny Charm (three extra rolls) | about 1 in 1,024 |
| Sword and Shield: Dynamax Adventures | 1 in 300 |
The odds doubled in Generation 6, from 1 in 8,192 to 1 in 4,096. Behind the scenes the game checks a hidden number for each Pokémon, and a "roll" is one of those checks. Most of the ways to improve your odds work by giving the game extra rolls.
You are never "due" a shiny
Each encounter is a fresh roll. The game does not remember how many Pokémon you have already seen, so it does not owe you one. If you have met 3,000 Pokémon and no shiny, your next one still has the same odds as the very first.
That doesn't mean it is hopeless. Over many encounters, the chance of finding at least one goes up steadily. This table shows how likely you are to have found at least one by a certain number of encounters.
| Encounters | At 1 in 4,096 | At about 1 in 1,366 (Shiny Charm) | At 1 in 512 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 22% | 52% | 86% |
| 2,839 | 50% | 88% | 100% |
| 4,096 | 63% | 95% | 100% |
| 8,192 | 86% | 100% | 100% |
| 10,000 | 91% | 100% | 100% |
Look at the 4,096 row. Even after 4,096 encounters at 1 in 4,096, there is only a 63% chance you have seen one shiny. Roughly one hunter in three would still be waiting, through nothing but bad luck.
Ways to improve your odds
The Shiny Charm is an item you earn by completing a Pokédex. It was introduced in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 and gives you extra rolls. In Scarlet and Violet you earn it by completing the Paldea Pokédex.
The Masuda method is a fan name, after Game Freak's Junichi Masuda. It means breeding two Pokémon from games in different languages. That gets you about 1 in 683 from Generation 6, and about 1 in 512 if you also have the Shiny Charm. You can read how breeding works in the breeding guide.
In Scarlet and Violet, shiny Pokémon appear in the open world without a sparkle to warn you. Mass outbreaks give extra rolls (one after 30 Pokémon are cleared, two after 60), and so do Sparkling Power sandwiches, from one extra roll at level 1 up to three at level 3. Wild Tera Pokémon and Tera Raid bosses aren't helped by the Charm or the sandwiches.
Fans call trying to find shinies on purpose "shiny hunting".
Shiny locked Pokémon
Some Pokémon can never be shiny in a given game. Fans call these "shiny locked". In Scarlet and Violet, every Legendary Pokémon and every gift Pokémon is shiny locked. If you want to know what makes a Pokémon Legendary, read Legendary vs Mythical Pokémon.
A few shinies are the opposite: they are guaranteed. The red Gyarados is one.
What a shiny looks like
A shiny uses a different colour palette. In Generation 2, Charizard turned purple and green, and from Generation 3 its palette became black. When a shiny appears, it is usually surrounded by stars or light with a chime. Sword and Shield used two sparkle styles, stars and squares, and the square kind marks an especially rare roll or an event Pokémon. Scarlet and Violet dropped the square style.
In Legends: Arceus, a shiny is visible in the area with a special sound.
A note for grown-ups
Shiny hunting is a choice, not a requirement for finishing a game. The parents' guide to Pokémon explains how the games work for families. For more on the rules, the shiny Pokémon guide goes into the detail.