Why You Don’t Have the Latest Pokemon Go Team Rocket Taken Over Special Research, Explained

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Since its launch in the summer of 2016, *Pokemon Go* has evolved significantly. It now features additions like Raids, Max Battles, and a battle pass with unique rewards. Even features like Professor Willow’s research tasks weren’t always available. Over the years, certain events have become regular occurrences, including the seasonal Team Rocket: Taken Over events. While Team Go Rocket has been part of the game since 2016, many players are still unaware of a strange detail about these events.

Team Go Rocket regularly tries to take over the world of *Pokemon Go* – usually about once every few months, or with each new season. These events always include a new Shadow Legendary Pokemon to catch, increased Team Rocket appearances on the map, and a way to remove the frustrating ‘Frustration’ move from your Shadow Pokemon. However, there’s one part of these events that not everyone can access. Some Team Go Rocket events, like the upcoming Psychic Spectacular in September 2025, have a hidden requirement that could prevent you from completing the latest Special Research.

Why Don’t I Have the New Taken Over Special Research in Pokemon Go?

When a new Team GO Rocket: Taken Over event starts, you should automatically receive the new Special Research. For example, the Psychic Spectacular: Taken Over event’s research became available around 10 AM local time on September 16th. However, some players haven’t received it yet, and the reason is likely that they still have a previous Taken Over Special Research that hasn’t been finished.

The game doesn’t explicitly state this, but if you previously started a Special Research quest called “Taken Over” and didn’t finish it, you won’t receive the newest Special Research. Also, once you start a Team Go Rocket Research quest, you need to complete all its steps before you can begin another one. If you’re not seeing the latest Team Go Rocket Research, this is probably why.

So far, Pokémon Go has released more than 21 different Special Research storylines focused on Team Rocket. If you still have one of these stories open in your Special Research tab, you won’t receive a new one until you finish it. If you’re waiting for the latest Team Rocket research, it’s likely because you haven’t completed an older one that involves things like winning Shadow Raids or defeating Team GO Rocket Grunts.

Is There a Way to Get Rid of Old Team Rocket Special Research You Can’t Finish?

Currently, the only way to clear incomplete Special Research tasks in *Pokemon Go* is to finish them. For example, if you haven’t finished a research line like ‘A Striking Shadow,’ you’ll need to complete all of its steps before you can start new Team Go Rocket research.

As a Pokémon Go player, I’ve figured out how these Research Paths work! If I finish the current one before the Team Go Rocket event ends, the new Research will just pop up automatically. So, I can complete the old event’s research and immediately jump into the next one. But if I don’t get it done in time, I’ll have to do this all over again when the next Team Go Rocket event rolls around. It’s a bit annoying, but at least I know what to expect now!

Players have long asked for a way to remove completed research tasks in *Pokémon Go*, similar to deleting unwanted items. Unfortunately, Niantic hasn’t announced any plans to add this feature yet. For now, the only way to clear Special Research is to complete all the steps.

Page 1 Trick to Make Sure You Get New Team Rocket Special Research

There’s a trick to ensure you can unlock new Special Research related to Team Rocket. If you don’t complete the first step of a research task (like staying on page 1 of 6), the game won’t register it as started, allowing it to become available again later.

Who do people say not to pass page 1?
byu/Platteepus inpokemongo

If you start a new Team GO Rocket Special Research but don’t think you’ll have time to finish it, some players recommend stopping after the first page. This prevents you from being unable to start the next research when it’s released. You’ll miss out on the rewards from later pages, but it might be worth it if you’re worried about being locked out of future research tasks.

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2025-09-18 19:16