Niantic is releasing a new Mega Evolution feature for Pokémon Go, bringing more powerful evolved forms of certain pokémon to the game. Mega Evolution was introduced to the mainline Pokémon series in Pokémon X and Y and continued in Sun and Moon, but it doesn’t appear in the most recent games Sword and Shield, which have a similar feature called Dynamax.
In Pokémon Go, Mega Evolution is handled with a new resource called Mega Energy that is earned by battling Mega-Evolved pokémon in raids. You can Mega Evolve pokémon including Beedrill, Blastoise, Charizard, and Venusaur once you have enough energy. The pokémon will become much stronger in their new forms, so Mega Evolution is likely to have major implications for high-level play.
Only one Mega-Evolved pokémon can be held at once, which is presumably a nod to the effect’s temporary nature in the mainline series. A new pokédex feature will let you keep track of which pokémon you’ve Mega Evolved in the past. Once you’ve Mega Evolved a specific pokémon a single time, you won’t need as much energy to do so again in the future.
Niantic will be holding various events throughout September focusing on Mega Evolutions, and there’ll also be a new special research questline in the game. It’s not clear exactly when the feature will start rolling out, though.
