This page explains how to battle at Pokémon gyms in Pokémon GO, with tips on taking over a gym and training there.

Overview

Pokémon gyms are special locations in Pokémon GO. Trainers can put their pokémon into a gym for other trainers to battle. If you have a pokémon in a gym, you can go to the Shop and get 10 free PokéCoins, and 500 Stardust, for each pokémon that you have in a gym. You can get this bonus once every 21 hours.

Putting Pokémon into a Gym

If there are no pokémon in a gym, the gym will be grey. Tap it, then tap the plus sign in the corner to add one of your pokémon to the gym.

If there are pokémon in a gym, the gym will be the color of the Trainer's team. For example, if a Team Mystic trainer puts a pokémon into a gym, the gym will turn blue.

You can only add pokémon to a gym controlled by your team. For example, if you are on Team Valor (the red team), you will not be able to add pokémon to a blue or yellow gym.

Gym Battles

You can battle a gym that is controlled by another team. Just tap it, then tap the Battle icon in the corner, then choose the pokémon that you want to send into battle. When you are ready, tap GO.

Each pokémon knows a fast move and a slow move. You can do many fast moves in a short time, but fast moves are weaker. Slow moves take a while to charge up, but they deal more damage than fast moves.

Tap rapidly anywhere on the screen to make your pokémon do its fast move. Each time you hit the enemy pokémon, a blue gauge will fill up under your pokémon's HP gauge. Whenever a segment of the blue gauge fills up, you can hold your finger on the screen to charge up your pokémon's slow move. The blue gauge will be reduced when you attack with the slow move.

You can swipe to the left or right to make your pokémon try to dodge the enemy's attacks. You have to have good timing to dodge the attack.

Other players can help you battle the gym. Just battle the gym at the same time as other players, and you will see them in the gym attacking the enemy pokémon.

How to Take Over Another Team's Gym

If you want to put your pokémon into a gym that is controlled by another team, you will have to reduce the gym's Prestige to 0. Prestige is like the gym's Hit Points. To reduce Prestige, you have to defeat at least one of the pokémon in the gym. For each pokémon that you defeat, you reduce the gym's prestige by 500. In addition, if you defeat all the pokémon in the gym, the prestige is reduced by an additional 1500.

When the gym's Prestige reaches 0, the gym will turn grey and be open to any team. If other trainers are nearby, you have to quickly put a pokémon into the gym to prevent the others from claiming the gym first. It can be helpful to bring a friend on the same team with you so that one of you can battle the gym while the other player waits for the gym to become open again. The other player can quickly take over the gym as soon as you defeat it.

How to Add Pokémon to a Gym that Your Team Controls

You can add pokémon to a gym that your team controls, but only if there is an open space for another pokémon. If there is no space available, you have to increase the gym's Prestige to make another space become available.

To increase the Prestige of a gym that your team controls, you can Train at the gym. Just tap the gym, then tap the boxing glove button in the corner. Then you can choose the pokémon that you want to send into training. When you are ready, tap GO.

For each pokémon that you defeat in training, you increase the gym's prestige by 100. In addition, if the pokémon that you defeat in training has higher CP than yours, you increase the gym's prestige by 500.

When an open space is available in the gym, you can tap the plus sign button in the corner to add one of your pokémon.

Getting PokéCoins and Stardust

If any of your pokémon are currently in a gym, you can go to the Shop and tap the shield button in the corner to get a bonus of 10 PokéCoins and 500 Stardust for each pokémon that you have in a gym. You can get this bonus once every 21 hours.

Getting Your Pokémon Back

Your pokémon will not come back until the gym that it is in loses Prestige. The more Prestige a gym has, the more spaces it has available for pokémon. If the gym loses too much Prestige, it will not have room for all of the pokémon in it, and the lowest-CP pokémon in that gym will be sent back to its trainer. Be sure to heal up your pokémon when they come back. The following table shows how much Prestige is required for the number of pokémon in a gym. As you can see, the more pokémon there are in a gym, the harder it is for an opposing team to take control of that gym.