Pokémon GO was released on July 6, 2016, meaning its eighth anniversary is just around the corner. Ahead of its anniversary, Niantic will be hosting an anniversary event to celebrate the occasion which will arrive with event bonuses, themed-Pokémon, raids, field research tasks, and more.
Pokémon GO’s 8-year anniversary party event will kick off on June 28 at 10 a.m. PT and runs until July 3 at 8 p.m. PT.
Featured Pokémon
There are a handful of Pokémon you can encounter during this event, all of which will appear more often during the course of this event. Here are all the featured Pokémon for this anniversary event:
Themed Pokemon
- Pikachu in a cake hat
- Bulbasaur in a party hat
- Charmander in a party hat
- Squirtle in a party hat
- Eevee in a party hat
- Grimer in a party hat
- Muk in a party hat
From this lot, Grimer and Muk will be arriving as new themed-Pokémon to catch. Players may also run into Sprigatito, Fuecoco, Quaxly, and Alolan Grimer during the event.
While all of these Pokémon will be present throughout the event, Niantic has locked other Pokémon behind specific dates. Here are the Pokémon you can catch along with the dates of their availability during this event:
June 28 from 10 a.m. PT to June 29 until 11:59 p.m PT
- Chikorita
- Cyndaquil
- Mudkip
- Totodile
- Treecko
- Torchic
June 30 from 10 a.m. PT to July 1 until 11:59 p.m PT
- Chimchar
- Oshawott
- Piplup
- Snivy
- Tepig
- Turtwig
July 2 from 12:00 a.m. PT to July 3 until 8:00 p.m. PT
- Chespin
- Fennekin
- Froakie
- Litten
- Popplio
- Rowlet
Event bonuses
On top of the event bonuses, there will be an increased chance to get a Shiny Meltan when you open up a Mystery Box, players will be able to open a Mystery Box more frequently during the event.
Here are the event bonuses that will last throughout the event:
- Chances to become Lucky Friends are increased
- Chances to get a Lucky Pokémon during triads are increased
- Friendship levels will increase faster through trades, opening gifts, and battling together during raids, gym, and trainer battles
- Increased chances to get 8 or 88 Gimmighoul Coins while spinning Pokéstops with a Golden Lure Module. Niantic says players may get even more than 88 Gimmighoul Coins
While these bonuses will persist throughout the event, some bonuses will be time-limited. The distance to hatch an egg will be halved on June 28 from 10 a.m. PT onwards, up until June 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Players can earn twice the amount of candy on June 30 from 12 a.m. PT onwards up until July 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT. You can get twice the amount of Stardust when catching Pokémon from July 2 at 12 a.m. onwards with this bonus remaining active until July 3 at 8 p.m. PT.
Raids
Niantic has also revealed all of the Pokémon players can expect to run into one-star raids at their nearby gyms. Moreover, there is an increased chance of players catching a shiny Pokémon in one-star raids, as compared to encountering them in the wild.
One-Star Raids
Bulbasaur in a party hat
Charmander in a party hat
Squirtle in a party hat
Pikachu in a party hat
Grimer in a party hat
Field Research Task Rewards
Bulbasaur, Cyndaquil, and Mudkip among others can be caught after completing event-themed field research tasks. There will also be Mega Energy rewards for Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Sceptile, Blaziken, and Swampert.
Timed Research
As part of the anniversary event, there will be a timed research. Completing this research can reward players with Raticate, Nidorino, and Wobbuffet, all of whom will be wearing a party hat. You may also earn a Meltan through the timed research.
As usual, the event will have a paid timed-research as well. Players can get access to this research for $2. This research will award players with the following rewards upon completion, including a guaranteed encounter with Meltan:
- 1 Incubator
- 1 Super Incubator
- 1 Premium Battle Pass
- 1 Lucky Egg
- 1 Rocket Radar
- 1 Star Piece
- 1 Incense
- 1 Poffin
- 88,888 XP
- An encounter with Meltan
This timed research will expire on July 3 at 8 p.m. PT, so make sure you complete the challenges and claim the rewards before then.
Whispers in the Woods paid research
Speaking of paid content, there’s also a Whispers in the Woods Masterwork Research story you can gain access to. This research costs $5 and lands you with an encounter with Shiny Celebi. The research will be available in-store for purchase until July 3 at 8 p.m. PT. Unlike the timed research for this event, there’s no expiration date to complete the tasks from the Whispers in the Woods research.
Players who get the Whispers in the Woods research will get the following rewards during the event.
- Incense duration is doubled
- Daily Adventure Incense duration is doubled
- Lucky Egg duration is doubled
During this event, new avatar items will be available in the shop. There will also be event-themed stickers up for grabs by spinning PokéStops and opening gifts, and you can also buy them from the in-game shop.
