If there is a Pokémon feature I know made me the seasoned player I am today, it is the gyms. Through the numerous battles my Pokémon have fought in them, they have gained invaluable skill and training.
And I mean, all the amazing rewards that come with keeping Pokémon in gyms don’t hurt either 😏.
Although new trainers may be tempted to keep as many Pokémon as they can in gyms, how many can you really have in there at once?
Keep reading to find out.
What Is The Longest A Pokémon Can Be In A Gym?
There is no maximum time a Pokémon can spend in a gym. As all Pokémon trainers know, gyms are essential spots in the Pokémon world where you train your Pokémon and battle rivals for control over the location.
Because it is a battleground and the war is only won when the resident Pokémon’s motivation is completely depleted, there is no stipulated time frame within which Pokémon must stay in gyms. Motivation refers to the zeal a Pokémon has to protect a location or gym.
It is gauged with a motivation meter ⏲.
How Do You Add More Pokémon To Your Gym In Pokémon GO?
Pokémon GO is a great game version to have gyms in because you are actually rewarded with Pokecoins 🥮. Each Pokémon you have in a gym earns 10 Pokecoins every 21 hours (with a limit of 100 Pokecoins per period).
You also get five hundred Stardust for each of your 10 Pokémon in a gym location. With such great incentives, you would definitely want to keep as many Pokémon as you can in there, and luckily, adding them is super easy (you can add up to six).
This is what you need to do:
- Ensure you have passed level 5 and joined a team.
- Find a friendly gym location (gym that your team owns) by looking for a beacon with your team color.
- Go to the gym and tap on it.
- Once open, tap on the plus (+) icon at the bottom left side of the screen.
- Select the Pokémon you want to leave in the gym. You should pick a Pokémon of mid-level strength and skill 💪.
- Confirm your choice in the dialogue box.
Can A Pokémon Stay In A Gym Forever?
Technically, yes, a Pokémon can stay in a gym forever. Because there is no pre-determined time limit a Pokémon team can spend in a gym defending it, battles can go on for as long as necessary.
In fact, there are reports of some record-breaking trainers keeping their Pokémon in gyms for years! 🤯
Check out their stats below:
|
Pokémon Trainer |
Gym Time Record |
|
Graulithe |
2,200 days |
|
P.K. Sanjun |
1,422 days |
|
BootsMade4Walking |
1,332 days |
So, if you’ve recently put one of your Pokémon in a gym and haven’t seen it return in a while, know it will stay there until its motivation hits zero.
Can I Remove My Pokémon From A Gym?
No, you cannot remove a Pokémon from a gym you have placed it in. As earlier stated, gyms are indefinitely occupied until their resident Pokémon are defeated.
Ever since gyms were first introduced to the Pokémon world in 2016, Pokémon could not voluntarily leave their locations, and this has caused quite a bit of outcry from trainers on sites such as Reddit, mainly because this rule has rendered many of their Pokémon inactive and dormant.
Hopefully, Niantic will soon come up with a solution.
Since I started playing Pokemon at a tender age, my love for the game kept growing. My passion is what inspired me to pursue video game journalism. This helped me gain immersive experience of 5 years. I have a lot of expertise in the gaming industry since I have been editing game-related content for a long time. Since I have also been studying this game in-depth for years, I am now a professional player. My desire is to share everything I know about Pokemon to help you broaden your knowledge on the game. You can read more about me on the about us page.