Pokémon Go now lets you fight Team Rocket hot air balloons Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Pokémon Go now lets you fight Team Rocket hot air balloons Current affairs. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Updated on 8 Jul 2020 4 comments Hot air balloons carrying the villainous Team Rocket have appeared in Pokémon Go. The first of these floating vehicles appeared in the game last night, following a week of teases suggesting Team Rocket was up to no good once again. Balloons offer a new way to battle Team Rocket members remotely, rather than visiting a hacked PokéStop. If you have a Rocket Radar equipped you'll be able to battle the group's tough Team Leaders. Or, if you have a Super Radar equipped, you'll be able to battle the group's big boss Giovanni (and without the worry of finding one of his numerous decoys). Balloons seem to be spawning in-game sporadically at the moment, though will feature more heavily in an invasion event set for the game's upcoming battle-themed week of timed research. This is also set to reward a Super Radar so you can take on Giovanni again. The addition of an alternative way to fight Team Rocket feels like a deliberate move to restart the game's Rocket storyline in a post-lockdown world. Pokémon Go previously featured a monthly story quest to take down Giovanni for a new Shadow Legendary Pokémon. This involved visiting numerous PokéStops, battling Team Leaders and finally tracking down the boss himself. It was a great gameplay loop - but one which was suddenly put on pause as Pokémon Go reworked itself to fit lockdown conditions. It's also a neat idea from Pokémon Go maker Niantic, riffing on the Team Rocket hot air balloon from the Pokémon TV series, and the previous appearance of a real-life hot air balloon over the game's real-world events to herald the arrival of Team Rocket into the game last summer. Here's how they look - and how flying Pokémon like Rayquaza can hilariously hit them around: RayRay giving no damn to Team Go Rocket's Balloons! from r/TheSilphRoad To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 3 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 10 Latest Articles Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 3 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store