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How to get Rotom in Pokémon Go, from Wash Rotom to all other Rotom forms explained

How to catch the elusive Plasma Pokémon.

Pokémon Go's Rotom has previously ranked as one of the game's most elusive creatures - with Gen 4 coming and going without a Rotom appearance.

That changed in July 2020, with the arrival of Rotom as part of the Go Fest 2020 celebrations. Wash Rotom would later return as part of the Sixth Anniversary event in July 2022, with Mow Rotom debuting as part of the Go Fest 2022 in-person events.

Rotom is still one of the rarest Pokémon in Pokémon Go though, so this page covers how to get Rotom through photobombing when its available, which Rotom forms are currently available, and the others we know about from the mainline series.

On this page:

Battling and catching the latest Ultra Beast, Guzzlord, in Pokémon Go.

How to get Rotom with Pokémon Go

Rotom, like Smeargle, enjoys being a Snapshot Photobomb Pokémon and, while Rotom is very rarely in Pokémon Go, when it is appearing via this method, you can catch by following these instructions:

  1. Open the Snapshot mode with any Pokémon of your choosing
  2. Take pictures of the Pokémon (turn off AR+ to make this step easier!)
  3. Exit Snapshot mode, where you review the images you have just taken
  4. At this point, Rotom may appear in one of your photos
  5. If Rotom does appear, it will spawn in the wild on the map screen, to be caught like any other Pokémon
  6. If Rotom does not appear, repeat the above steps

That's essentially it - keep using the Snapshot feature until Rotom appears. You may even be able to catch multiple Rotom using this method.

What Rotom Forms are available in Pokémon Go?

Rotom, known as the Plasma Pokémon, has a quality which allows it to take the appearance of different electrical appliances.

The debut form of Rotom in Pokémon Go is Wash Rotom, an Electric / Water type, was made available on July 25th, 2020 as part of Pokémon Go Fest. It would later become available again as part of the Sixth Anniversary event in July 2022 as a reward for the event's timed research quest.

Wash Rotom.

The official Pokémon.com Pokédex entry describes Wash Rotom as:

"This form of Rotom enjoys coming up with water- based pranks. Be careful with it if you don't want your room flooded."

The second Rotom form - Mow Rotom - was released two years later as part of the Go Fest 2022 Berlin in-person event in July 2022. It would later appear at Go Fest 2022 Seattle in the same month and Go fest 2022 Sapporo during August of that year.

Mow Rotom.

At the time of writing, Mow Rotom was only been made available to players who attended these in-person events and, like Wash Rotom, it could only be found via photobombing Go Snapshot. We don't know when Mow Rotom will be available to players wordlwide.

What we do know, however, is that Mow Rotom is an electric and grass-type Pokémon. The official Pokémon.com Pokédex entry describes Mow Rotom as:

"This is Rotom after it's seized control of a lawn mower that has a special motor. As it mows down grass, it scatters the clippings everywhere."

The surprise appearance of Rotom means we have no clue as to whether any other Rotom Forms will be making their way into the game in the near future - but thanks to the main games, we know what to expect when they do...


The Season of Hidden Gems has arrived, bringing with it a new Go Battle League season. Depending on your region, you can currently battle Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf in five-star raids. Elsewhere, be sure to compete in Shadow Raids, use Daily Adventure Incense for the chance of encountering Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos and Galarian Moltres. This incense may also give you encounters with other rare Pokémon in Pokémon Go.


All Rotom Forms Heat, Wash, Frost, Fan and Mow Rotom explained

Debuting in Gen 4, Rotom can possess and take the form of different electrical appliances.

In the process, it will take on new forms and change type along the way.

Here are the Rotom Forms we know about from the mainline entries. To clarify, these are not in Pokémon Go at the time of writing, but the following gives you an idea of what to expect:

Rotom FormType
Rotom
Electric / Ghost
Heat Rotom
Electric / Fire
Wash Rotom
Electric / Water
Frost Rotom
Electric / Ice
Fan Rotom
Electric / Flying
Mow Rotom
Electric / Grass

If you've missed out on a Rotom form, the don't worry - Rotom will eventually return! You might just have to wait a while...

About the Author
Matthew Reynolds avatar

Matthew Reynolds

Contributor

Matthew Reynolds edited guides and other helpful things at Eurogamer from 2010 - 2023. When he wasn't doing that, he was out and about playing Pokémon Go or continuing to amass his amiibo collection.

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