Players in Pokémon Go now have access to performing a raid remotely. You don’t have to be directly in front of it to interact with it or to be within its circle. If you see it on your map in the game, you can access it only if you have a Remote Raid Pass.
The Remote Raid Pass is available in Pokémon Go in a short time, and you can obtain them from a bundle you can grab in the Pokémon Go in-game shop. Everyone can access the bundle by purchasing it for 1 PokéCoin. When the bundle expires, it’ll be offered for 100 PokéCoins in the shop in the future, which is at a reduced price. Pokémon Go players will need to pay using their coins if they want to participate in raids without having to leave their homes. For those who don’t readily have access to these coins, it could prove a bit more complicated, and some may have to use real-world money.
Right now, this will be the only way to obtain them is through the Pokémon Go store. Because this feature was created due to the need for social distancing, developer Niantic may release these to their players in future events or alternative methods. It will change depending on how long social distancing practices continue, and how long it takes for players to expect they can return to the physical world with minimum dangers of potentially catching and spreading COVID-19.
Remote Raid Passes are made to be temporary, though. In the blog post detailing the use of Remote Raid Passes, Niantic shares those who use it will become weaker than a player physically at a location sometime in the future. There was no set date for when this will occur.
Until this announcement happens, look for Remote Raid Passes coming to Pokémon Go‘s store. All players should receive a notification when the bundle becomes available and when new deals arrive to the game’s digital storefront.
