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Pokémon GO Spawn Rates: What the 2016 Chart Said About the Original 151

A 2016 Pokémon GO Hub fan chart reported strikingly different rates for common and rare Kanto Pokémon. The figures are historical estimates, not current official odds.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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The all-151 Pokémon GO spawn-rate chart behind this topic is a historical fan-collected estimate reported in 2016—not a current or official table of encounter odds. The figures that BGR published show how sharply the chart separated common Pokémon such as Pidgey from rare ones such as Dragonite, but they should not be used to predict what will spawn today.

What the 2016 chart reported

On August 26, 2016, BGR reported sample figures from a Pokémon GO Hub chart covering the original 151 Pokémon. BGR described the chart as drawing on 100 million data points, with percentages recalculated on a rolling, week-to-week basis. These are estimates from a fan-collected chart as described by BGR, not official Niantic odds.

Pokémon Reported encounter rate Source and date
Pidgey 15.98% Pokémon GO Hub fan-collected chart, as reported by BGR, August 26, 2016
Rattata 13.05% Pokémon GO Hub fan-collected chart, as reported by BGR, August 26, 2016
Weedle 7.12% Pokémon GO Hub fan-collected chart, as reported by BGR, August 26, 2016
Gyarados 0.0032% Pokémon GO Hub fan-collected chart, as reported by BGR, August 26, 2016
Dragonite 0.0011% Pokémon GO Hub fan-collected chart, as reported by BGR, August 26, 2016

The figures illustrate the enormous gap between common and rare species in that historical estimate. BGR’s retrieved report gives these examples but does not reproduce the full chart, so the other 146 entries cannot be reliably listed here. Read BGR’s August 26, 2016 report.

Why those percentages are not current spawn odds

The chart describes a particular historical dataset and reporting method. Its rolling recalculations also mean the numbers were not presented as timeless constants. They do not establish today’s odds, and no current official numerical table for all 151 Pokémon is provided by the sources cited here.

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Current official guidance explains encounter variation qualitatively rather than giving universal species-by-species percentages. Niantic says environmental conditions influence wild encounters; for example, water-type Pokémon may be found in beach biomes. That guidance does not translate into a fixed percentage for any species. Niantic’s Pokémon GO Help Center: How do I find specific Pokémon?

Where to look for a particular Pokémon

Use the environment and nearby alerts

Niantic’s help page recommends considering the local environment and gives Squirtle, Psyduck, Seel, and Magikarp as examples of water types associated with beach biomes. It also recommends using a Pokédex alert for a Pokémon you have previously seen. These are practical pointers, not guarantees that a species will appear at a particular rate or location.

Check event-specific spawn changes

Events can temporarily change which Pokémon appear or make selected species more frequent. For instance, The Pokémon Company’s March 3, 2026 announcement for the Pokémon 30th anniversary event described increased appearances for named Kanto Pokémon and regional appearances for Farfetch’d, Kangaskhan, Mr. Mime, and Tauros. Those details applied to that event window; they are not a permanent spawn table or live guidance. Read the anniversary event announcement.

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A separate historical example is the 2021 Pokémon GO Tour: Kanto announcement, which described version-exclusive Pokémon attracted to Incense and version-dependent increases to shiny encounter chances. Those were event-specific mechanics, not general spawn rates. Read the Pokémon GO Tour: Kanto announcement.

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How to interpret a spawn-rate claim

Before treating a percentage as useful today, check what it measures and when and where it was collected. A historical fan estimate, a biome suggestion, and a temporary event announcement describe different things and cannot be compared as though they were the same rate.

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  • Date and source: Is the number tied to a dated dataset or an official current announcement?
  • Scope: Does it give a species-level percentage, or only say that a Pokémon may be more common in a place or during an event?
  • Conditions: Does it apply to ordinary play, a particular biome, a region, or a named event window?
  • Evidence: Is it an estimate reported from fan-collected data, or an official statement? Neither a qualitative event description nor a historical estimate establishes current universal odds.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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