The Silver Bottle Cap in Pokémon Go is a rare, unique item which allows you to fully increase a single stat on a Pokémon.
This guide explains how to get a Silver Bottle Cap Pokémon Go, and the best use for one in 2026 - including a list of Silver Bottle Cap search strings to help narrow down your options.
Update (14th November): Updated the guide for 2026's version of the Silver Bottle Cap.
What is a Silver Bottle Cap in Pokémon Go?
First introduced in the main series with Gen 7’s Pokémon Sun and Moon, the Silver Bottle cap debuted in as part of 2025's Wild Area event, and is perfect if you have a Pokémon with just a single stat that is lagging behind the others.
As with the Gold Bottle Cap, this item isn't free: not only is it tied behind a time-limited purchase, but increasing this stat then requires a series of challenges as part of a process named Hyper Training.
Matthew Reynolds
How to get a Silver Bottle Cap in Pokémon Go
The Silver Bottle Cap in Pokémon Go is available during Go Wild Area: Global events, specifically as the end reward for completing the 'Into the Wild' Deluxe Battle Pass.
In both 2025 and 2026, this Battle Pass costs £14.99 / $14.99, with the Silver Bottle Cap unlocking at rank 100.
Similar to the Gold Bottle Cap before it - which was released during Go Fest as part of a pricier £19.99 / $19.99 Deluxe Pass - it appears the Silver Bottle Cap will be exclusive to future global events.
In other words, as with the Lucky Trinket and Timed Incubator, Bottle Caps are a class of item which will only likely appear in paid-for Go Pass Deluxe tracks.
How to use a Silver Bottle Cap in Pokémon Go
When you have a Silver Bottle Cap in your possession, select it in your item inventory to use it. Your collection of Pokémon will then appear, and you can browse and search for your desired creature to level up (restricted Pokémon aside - see the next section for details).
Once your selection has been made, you’ll then undergo Hyper Training, which has to be completed within a year.
As with Lucky Trinkets, you only have a set period of time to use the Silver Bottle Cap in your inventory. In the case of its debut during Wild Area Global 2025, this was 11:59pm the following Sunday after the event ended (so seven days). You'll get regular reminders until then, including a prominent feature at the top of your item inventory to let you know it's waiting to be used.
The same time limit also applies to the Gold Bottle Cap, and our best guess as to why there's a time limit at all is it's to force people not to save them for a rainy day - and means it'll be definitely consumed by the time the next Silver Bottle Cap becomes available.
Silver Bottle Cap restrictions
There are certain Pokémon you cannot use a Silver Bottle Cap on, including:
- Shadow Pokémon
- Pokémon with completely max stats already
These restrictions are the same as the Gold Bottle Cap before it - meaning finding Shadow Pokémon with high IVs from raids or encounters are still worth their weight in gold.
Considerations for the best Pokémon to use a Silver Bottle Cap on
Unlike the Gold Bottle Cap, which allows you to give (almost) any Pokémon 15/15/15 IVs - an overwhelming decision for many - the Silver Bottle Cap's more limited use of maxing out just a single stat means you have a narrower pool to work from, meaning a list of fitting candidates are just a few taps away.
The best way to spend your Silver Bottle Cap is on an already powerful Pokémon lacking in either Attack, Defense, or HP, and there's a few ways to narrow down your decision making:
- Sort your Pokémon by Combat Power (CP) first, then with the Appraisal screen open, and swipe through to see which individual stats are low
- Do the same with your available Mega Evolution Pokémon, Gigantamax, and Dynamax Pokémon
- Using Silver Bottle Cap search strings (see the final section of this guide) to see which Pokémon have two 15/15 stats already
Whatever you pick, know your choice a) has to be your Buddy to complete the respective Hyper Training tasks, so pick something you'll want with you for a while, adn b) cannot then be sent to Pokémon Home - so don't opt for something you might want to transfer to another game.
Silver Bottle Cap best use: What is the best Pokémon to use a Silver Bottle Cap on?
As with a Gold Bottle Cap, you should weigh your choice in favour of what's useful in the meta, its rarity (perhaps it's legendary or mythical), whether it's shiny or has a unique Background, and / or has some sentimental value attached.
As for what I chose for my second Silver Bottle Cap in 2026, I went with a shiny Location Background Raichu I acquired in a trade which had two strong stats (15 attack, 10 HP), but a shocking (excuse the pun!) 1 Defense.
Though the eventual result - a 15/15/10 Raichu - isn't perfect stats-wise, between Mega Raichu X and Y being amongst the most powerful Electric-types in the game following its 2026 debut, and it having a Location Background I adore (one I also wouldn't mind sharing as my Profile Background while it's being Hyper Trained), this was an easy decision for me this year.
As for what I chose for my first Silver Bottle Cap in 2025, I went for a 13/15/15 Rayquaza. It wasn't particularly special - not a shiny, or had a rare background - and is already quite close to the cap, arguably making it a poor use of a 'Cap.
But since my Rayquaza sees a lot of use, and has had a great deal of investment in it already (in terms of Candy and XL Candy spent, that it's at max Mega Evolution level, and is a Best Buddy), turning one of the most powerful creatures in my roster into a hundo felt like a safe bet.
Silver Bottle Cap search strings
To help you narrow down your options, it's well worth looking through your entire inventory where two stats are fully maxed out, especially if you haven't trained them at all and could be easily missed - and that's where search strings can really come in handy.
Try using the following to find out which ones you could quickly make a hundo or shundo with the use of a Silver Bottle Cap (you can copy and paste the following, by the way):
- All Pokémon with two 15 stats: !4* & 4attack,4defense & 4attack,4hp & 4defense,4hp+
- All Pokémon (minus Shadow) with two 15 stats: !4* & !shadow & 4attack,4defense & 4attack,4hp & 4defense,4hp+
- Only shiny Pokémon (minus Shadow) with two 15 stats: !4* & !shadow & shiny & 4attack,4defense & 4attack,4hp & 4defense,4hp+
- Only Legendary and Mythical Pokémon (minus Shadow) with two 15 stats: !4* & !shadow & shiny & candykm20 & 4attack,4defense & 4attack,4hp & 4defense,4hp+
As you make your search, since you'll likely be using a lot of filters and it's hard to remember the top picks once you're done, it's well worth making a new Tag (perhaps named "S Bottle Cap") and saving each candidate so you can review your top choices at the end. It also means the next time a Silver Bottle Cap rolls around, you have a shortlist ready to go.
Best of luck making your Silver Bottle Cap choice! When the time comes, here's a Gold Bottle Cap guide helping to make your next Hyper Training decision:
Matthew Reynolds
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