A new update to Pokémon GO has brought a powerful feature long familiar to fans of the mainline Pokémon games: Hyper Training, which now allows trainers to significantly boost their Pokémon’s stats using a new in-game item—Gold Bottle Caps.
The addition was announced earlier this week by Scopely, the new co-developer of Pokémon GO alongside Niantic. The Hyper Training feature is modeled after the version introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon for the Nintendo 3DS, allowing for maxed-out stat enhancement through a special resource.
What Hyper Training does in Pokémon GO
Unlike powering up with Stardust and Candies, Hyper Training requires Gold Bottle Caps, a rare item that can currently be earned during the ongoing GO Pass Deluxe: Ancients Recovered event. These caps grant Pokémon across-the-board stat increases—affecting attack, defense, and HP—ultimately leading to higher combat power (CP) and better gym, raid, and PvP performance.
However, not all Pokémon are eligible. Only non-Shadow Pokémon that have reached Good Buddy status or higher and already have maxed IVs (individual values) can participate.
During the training, trainers must complete stat-specific activities:
- Attack Boost: Battle with your Buddy.
- Defense Boost: Catch Pokémon, play, and explore with your Buddy.
- HP Boost: Spin PokéStops, earn Buddy Candy, and go on Adventures.
Gold Bottle Caps: Rare, powerful, and time-limited
The Gold Bottle Cap isn’t just hard to find—it’s also time-sensitive. Trainers can only earn them during the Ancients Recovered event, which ends Sunday, July 6 at 11:59 p.m. local time. After that, any unused caps will expire, and it’s unclear if or when they’ll return to the game.
The only known method for earning Gold Bottle Caps at this time is through completing GO Pass Deluxe tasks tied to the event. The developers have not confirmed whether these items will be made more widely available in the future or if they’ll remain exclusive to certain premium events.
Strategy or cash grab? Fans weigh in
Some trainers have praised the feature for bringing Pokémon GO closer to the mechanics of mainline titles, while others have raised concerns about paywall-like limitations.
“Only having one way to get Bottle Caps through a paid pass? That’s frustrating,” one Reddit user wrote.
Niantic and Scopely have yet to respond directly to the criticism, but player feedback could influence future updates, especially if Gold Bottle Caps become a recurring item in future events.
For now, trainers hoping to max out their best Pokémon will have to act fast.
Jaja has a degree in journalism and took classes in international law and business communication. Her career spans roles at prominent international media outlets, including International Business Times, Celebeat and Delightful Philippines. As a news editor, Jaja covered a wide range of beats, including legal, business, economy, cryptocurrency, personal finance, gaming, technology, and entertainment.