Pokemon GO's major Gym update is only a few weeks old, but the community is already tearing through all of the available enemies and mastering the Battle Raid system. Players have come up with some very effective strategies to win level 4 Raids and the hardcore trainers are eagerly awaiting those level 5 events. According to the latest reports, Niantic seems to be getting one step closer to launch on those Legendary events...

Multiple users on Reddit have reported seeing 'Test' events appear in the Pokemon GO Raid tracker in the San Francisco area and other regions of the Pacific coast. This is nearby Google and Niantic's base of operations, so it makes sense that the testing is rolling out on that side of the country first.

Here is a look at one of the test Battle Raids...

And here's the same image with a much higher contrast, and a clearer representation of what it might look like:

If you're wondering how the fans can tell this is a level 5/Legendary test, take a closer look at the image right below the word 'Test.' The skulls that indicate difficulty are whited out, but they are still there. There are five little Pokeskulls, which indicates a highest level difficult Battle Raid. It's possible that those are just placeholders, but it's enough to get the rumor mill churning.

There are no confirmed release date for level 5 events yet, but Niantic promised a 'Legendary Summer,' so trainers have been anxiously awaiting the chance to battle against and hopefully capture a Legendary monster.

Because the tests are happening in a live environment, there's good reason to believe that Niantic is getting close to launching the new difficulty level. We expect more information about level 5 Raids to be released in the near future, so check back for updates during the coming weeks.

Pokemon GO is available in select regions on Android and iOS devices. There is no confirmed release date for level 5 Raid Battles at this time.

Source: Reddit