Popular free-to-play games likePokémon GOoften need to be creative when finding ways to profit from their massive player base. One way thatPokemon GOdoes this is by selling individual and bundled premium items, like the GO Pass. This functions like any other battle pass, with trainers collecting rewards as they complete its in-game tasks.Pokemon GO’s upcoming Ancients Recovered Pass is quite interesting, as it provides an all-new item called the Gold Bottle Cap. At a glance, this reward could provide one’s Pokemon with a significant boost, which is why there are recent discussions about it possibly being a pay-to-win feature.
Pokemon GO’s Gold Battle Cap lets players start Hyper Training with one of their critters. This feature was taken from the mainline games, and it involves maxing out aPokemon’s Individual Values (IV). Players can expend a Gold Bottle Cap to improve all IVs or a Silver Cap to improve a specific stat.PGO’s Hyper Training works similarly, but with some crucial differences.
Individual Values are hidden attributes that boost HP, Attack, Speed, Special Attack, and Special Defense, with values ranging from 0 to 31, randomly generated by the game. Meanwhile,Pokemon GO’s critters only have Attack, HP, and Defense as their IVs, with values ranging from 0 to 15. Players can view these values by getting their Pokemon appraised.
Pokemon GO’s Gold Bottle Cap Could be a Game-Changer, But it’s Not F2P-Friendly
Like the mainline games’ IVs, a critter’s main stats inPokemon GOare randomly generated. As such, players who wanted the best units for PvP often catch the same Pokemon over and over in the hopes of getting one with max or high enough values for their ideal stat. Such a process can be a slog, as it requires a lot of time and some luck.Hyper Training using a Gold Bottle Cap inPokemon GOcan reduce this grind significantly by allowing the player to increase a Pokemon’s IVs. However, such a process comes with a relatively hefty price tag.
Why Gold Bottle Caps Could Be Seen as Pay-to-Win
As of June 2025, the only way to acquire a Gold Bottle Cap is by buying theAncients Recovered GO Pass Deluxe for US$19.99and reaching the milestone for the item. Therefore, those who want to max their favorite Pokemon’s stats as soon as possible will likely have to spend real-life money to get a Bottle Cap. Meanwhile, Free-to-Play trainers have no choice but to grind for IVs the usual way. Given this information, it’s easy to see why many players see the item as pay-to-win.
How Pokemon GO Tries to Balance the Gold Bottle Cap
Game Director Michel Steranka said in an interview that thePokemon GOteam carefully designed the Bottle Cap to ensure that it isn’t Pay-to-Win. Niantic plans on achieving this by making it one of the rarest items inPokemon GO. The Director didn’t provide a concrete schedule for theGold Bottle Cap’s availability and stated that it isn’t meant to be a fixture in the game’s web shop. This decision was born out of fan feedback to make the item sparse so players aren’t hard pressed to spend money on the game.
This version of the Bottle Cap doesn’t instantly give a Pokemon max stats, unlike the version in the mainstream games. Instead, trainers will improve each IV by performing different tasks.
The Golden Bottle Cap lets players avoid the grind of trying to encounter the same critter or enteringPokemon GORaid Battlesrepeatedly just to get one with max IVs. It’s a game-changer for those who are willing to pay to perfect their PvP roster. Fortunately, F2Ps and low-spenders won’t feel left behind as much because the item will be rare, and it will still take some elbow grease before Bottle Cap holders can maximize their Pokemon’s stats.
