What counts as a special trade in Pokémon GO?

Q: What counts as a special trade in Pokémon GO?

A special trade in Pokémon GO is any trade involving: a shiny Pokémon, a legendary Pokémon, an ultra beast, or a Pokémon not yet registered in the receiving player's Pokédex. You can only do one special trade per day. Shadow Pokémon cannot be traded at all. Most Mythical Pokémon are also permanently untradeable — including Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Deoxys, Darkrai, Shaymin, Victini, Meloetta, Genesect, Hoopa, and Zarude. The only exception is Meltan and Melmetal, which can be traded.

Understanding what counts as a Special Trade is important because they're limited to one per day and cost significantly more Stardust than normal trades. Planning your Special Trades carefully — especially around events — can save you millions of Stardust.

There are also Pokémon that cannot be traded at all, regardless of friendship level or Stardust. It's worth knowing which these are before you try to arrange a trade.

What counts as a Special Trade?

•Shiny Pokémon — Any shiny, regardless of rarity or friendship level
•Legendary Pokémon — Mewtwo, legendaries from all generations, Ultra Beasts
•Pokémon not yet in the receiving player's Pokédex — Includes regional exclusives the other player hasn't caught before

Pokémon that cannot be traded at all

Shadow Pokémon cannot be traded under any circumstances — you cannot send or receive a Shadow Pokémon through the trade system. If you want someone to have a Shadow, they need to catch it themselves from a Rocket encounter.

Most Mythical Pokémon are also permanently untradeable. Niantic treats them as one-per-account rewards, so trading them would let players bypass that restriction. This applies whether they come from Special Research or raids.

•Mew — Special Research — A Mythical Discovery
•Celebi — Special Research — A Ripple in Time
•Jirachi — Special Research — A Thousand-Year Slumber
•Deoxys — Available in raids, but still untradeable
•Darkrai — Available in raids, but still untradeable
•Shaymin — Available via Special Research
•Victini — Available via GO Fest Special Research
•Meloetta — Available via Special Research
•Genesect — Available in raids, but still untradeable
•Hoopa — Special Research — Season of Mischief
•Zarude — Distributed via email code events

Mew

Celebi

Jirachi

Deoxys

Darkrai

Shaymin

Victini

Meloetta

Genesect

Hoopa

Zarude

The exception — Meltan and Melmetal can be traded

Meltan and Melmetal are the only Mythical Pokémon that can be traded. Because they are available in large quantities through the Mystery Box mechanic (linked to Pokémon HOME), Niantic allows them to be traded like any other Pokémon. Trading a Meltan or Melmetal you don't have registered still counts as a Special Trade.

Meltan

Melmetal

The one-per-day limit

You can only do one Special Trade per day, and it resets at midnight local time. The limit is shared — you can't do two special trades with two different people on the same day. Choose your Special Trade wisely.

Special Trade Stardust costs by friendship

•❤️🤍🤍🤍 Good Friends — 1,000,000 Stardust
•❤️❤️🤍🤍 Great Friends — 800,000 Stardust
•❤️❤️❤️🤍 Ultra Friends — 80,000 Stardust
•❤️❤️❤️❤️ Best Friends — 40,000 Stardust

Event discounts

Niantic periodically reduces Special Trade costs during events — sometimes by 50% or more. GO Fest and Community Days sometimes include trading bonuses. These are the best windows for expensive trades.