Throwing and catch rates (Nice, Great, Excellent, Curveball)
Getting startedLast checked 2026-10-31
In 3 lines
- Ball, Berry, throw ring, Curveball and medal bonuses multiply together to raise your catch rate, and the smaller the ring when you hit it, the bigger the bonus.
- An Ultra Ball gives about 2× the bonus of a Poké Ball, a Golden Razz Berry 2.5×, a Curveball 1.7× and an Excellent throw 1.7–2×.
- For hard-to-catch Pokémon like raid bosses, combining a Golden Razz Berry, a Curveball and a small ring makes a big difference.
Bonuses at a glance
In Pokémon GO, the catch rate is each Pokémon's own base rate multiplied by all of the bonuses below.
| Type | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Poké Ball · Great Ball · Ultra Ball | 1 · about 1.5 · about 2 |
| Razz Berry · Silver Pinap Berry · Golden Razz Berry | 1.5 · 1.8 · 2.5 |
| Nice · Great · Excellent | 1–1.3 · 1.3–1.7 · 1.7–2 |
| Curveball | 1.7 |
| Type medal Bronze · Silver · Gold · Platinum | 1.1 · 1.2 · 1.3 · 1.4 |
| Pokémon encountered as a research reward | 2 |
- The throw bonus gets bigger the smaller the ring is when you hit it. Even among Excellent throws, a smaller ring gets closer to 2×.
- For a Pokémon with two types, the average of the two type medal bonuses is used.
- The ring color (green → yellow → red) shows the chance with the ball, Berry and medals included, but not the throw or Curveball bonuses.
How much difference does it make?
Here is an example the site calculated with the formula: a raid boss with a 5% chance to be caught in one throw with no bonuses (Great 1.5 and Excellent 1.85 are the middle of their ranges).
| How you throw | Chance to catch in one throw |
|---|---|
| No bonuses | 5.0% |
| Ultra Ball | 9.8% |
| Ultra Ball + Golden Razz Berry | 22.6% |
| + Great | 31.9% |
| + Excellent | 37.8% |
| + Great Curveball | 48.0% |
| + Excellent Curveball | 55.4% |
The bonuses aren't multiplied straight onto the chance. They go into an exponent in the formula, so the lower the chance, the bigger their effect feels.
How to throw
- Curveball: Spin the ball with your finger until it starts to sparkle, then throw. The ball curves in, so take a few throws to learn where to aim.
- Small ring: While you hold the ball, the inner ring grows and shrinks. Letting go when the ring is small is a good way to go for an Excellent.
- Berry first: Give the Berry before you throw. Use a Golden Razz Berry on hard-to-catch Pokémon, and a Pinap Berry (more Candy) on easy ones.
In raid catches
- You get a set number of Premier Balls in a raid, so throw each one as a Curveball at a small ring.
- Shiny Pokémon you meet in raids, Max Battles or Team GO Rocket battles, and Giovanni's Shadow Pokémon, are always caught as long as the Premier Ball hits.
- You also get throw XP (Nice 10, Great 100, Excellent 1,000) (How to level up fast).
Checklist
- Practice Curveballs (bonus XP too)
- Pack Golden Razz Berries before raids
- Level up the type medals for types you catch often
Sources
- Bulbapedia: Catch rate (GO)) — catch formula; ball, Berry, throw, Curveball and medal bonuses; guaranteed Premier Ball catches
- Site calculation: the chances in the table above are examples calculated with the same formula
Raids nowSee all
Related Pokémon & events
- Mewtwo
- Rayquaza
More in Getting started
- First-week guide for new players (with how GO differs from the main series)Pokémon GO has different stats, IVs, moves and type matchups from the main series, so main-series numbers give wrong answers here.
- Types of research (Field Research, Special Research, Timed Research, Breakthrough)Research gives you rewards for finishing tasks, and it splits into Field Research, Special Research, Timed Research and more, depending on where you get it and its time limit.
- Adventure Sync (step tracking) and weekly rewardsWith Adventure Sync on, distance you walk with the game closed also counts, using the records in your phone's health app.
- How to use Party Play and Party PowerParty Play lets up to 4 Trainers at level 20 or higher form a party and adventure together.
- How to use PogoHelp tools (IV calculator, PvP, calendar subscription, My Pokédex)Enter CP, HP and the Power Up Stardust in the IV calculator, and it finds every possible IV combination.
- How to read IVs and appraisalsIVs run from 0 to 15 for each of Attack, Defense and HP, and appraisal stars are set by the sum of the three (0–45).
- Trading and Lucky PokémonYou can trade from Trainer level 10 with a friend within 100 m, and the higher your friendship level, the less Stardust it costs.
- Gyms and how to earn PokéCoinsPlace a Pokémon in a gym held by your team and you earn PokéCoins for the time it defends, up to 50 coins a day.
- Exchanging gifts with friends (how to build friendship points)Spinning the Photo Disc at PokéStops and gyms gets you gifts, and you can send one to each friend once a day.
- How to tidy up your bag and Pokémon storageYour bag (items) and Pokémon storage have a set number of slots, and you can add 50 slots at a time with PokéCoins in the shop.
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