How to Find a Team GO Rocket Leader in Pokémon Go

In Pokémon Go, we occasionally get tasks to find, battle, or defeat Team GO Rocket leaders. The only trouble is that there is no direct explanation of how to find one! In the guide below, we explain the general process and some additional tips to finding specific leaders.

How to Find Arlo, Sierra, and Cliff

The three leaders you'll see most often are Arlo, Sierra, and Cliff. Luckily, finding these villains is straightforward, and can usually be done in a short amount of time. Here's how:

1. Defeat Six Team GO Rocket Grunts to get Mysterious Components. Grunts are easily found throughout the map guarding PokéStops You can tell which PokéStops have a Grunt guarding them, even when you're not close enough to spin it. PokéStops with Grunts are shaded darker near the top of the icon on the map, and the square at the top of the icon moves around erratically. To defeat a Grunt, simply approach the PokéStop and spin it, then the Grunt will appear. Battle them with your three strongest Pokémon.
2. Use the Mysterious Components to make a Rocket Radar. Rocket Radars are special objects that scan the map around you and reveal Team GO Rocket hideouts where leaders are hiding. When you press the icon on your user interface, it will scan. If there are no hideouts nearby, your Team Leader will tell you to look in another area. Alternatively: When you have a Rocket Radar, the next Team GO Rocket balloon that hovers over you will always have a Team GO Rocket Leader ready for battle. Still, it's much faster to go to a PokéStop instead of waiting for a Team GO Rocket Balloon.
3. Go to the PokéStops revealed by the Rocket Radar. This will always be a Team GO Leader. Each PokéStop will be a different leader, so if the one you find isn't the one you were looking for, don't battle them! Instead, go to another hideout to see if the next one has the leader you want to battle. Once you battle a leader, the Rocket Radar is used up, and you will have to battle six more Grunts to get another one.

Related: How to Catch Ditto in Pokémon Go: Current Ditto Disguises (May 2021) - Pro Game Guides

How to Giovanni

Giovanni is the boss of Team GO Rocket. As such, he is harder to find than the other three. One important thing to note is that he is not available until you've completed the special research line titled A Troubling Situation. Once you have finished that questline, you will can find and use Super Rocket Radars to find him the same way that Rocket Radars find the other three leaders.

There are a few ways to get Super Rocket Radars. We've listed them below.

• Special Events. Some special events will have research tasks that reward you with a Super Rocket Radar when they're completed. The most recent one (as of May 2021) was the Luminous Legends X event.
• Special Research. There is one special research line that rewards you with a Super Rocket Radar, and even challenges you to use it to defeat Giovanni. In the third stage of the special research The Higher They Fly, you are given a Super Rocket Radar.

Once you have a Super Rocket Radar, you can use it like a normal Rocket Radar. The only different with this one is that it will also show the locations of normal Grunts that have disguised themselves as Giovanni on the map. If this is the case, skip battling them until you find the real Giovanni.

That's all there is to know about finding the Team GO Rocket Leaders! The methods of finding and defeating them have changed before, so be sure to check back to our Pokémon Go Homepage for updates!

Now that you've found the leaders, be sure to use our guides on how to beat them! Check out our guides on How to Defeat Arlo, How to Defeat Sierra, and How to Defeat Cliff!