Trainers,

Now that the ability to raid remotely is available to Trainers level 5 and up, we’re excited to announce that Raid Hour is coming back this week, this time featuring Altered Forme Giratina! With a Remote Raid Pass, you can join a Raid Battle that you can see on the Nearby screen or tap on the map. If you’d like to give raiding remotely a try during Raid Hour, you can pick up a Remote Raid Pass in the shop.

Date + Time

• Wednesday, May 6, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in your local time zone

Features

• Raid Battles featuring Altered Forme Giratina will be happening more frequently.

How to get a Remote Raid Pass

1. Open the Pokémon GO app.
2. Tap the Poké Ball icon, and then tap Shop.
3. Scroll down to the Items section.
4. From there, you can get one Remote Raid Pass for 100 PokéCoins. Please note that if you have three or more Remote Raid Passes in your Item Bag, you won’t be able to acquire more.

To learn more about how to join nearby raids remotely, check out this article...

Trainers,

The following changes have been made to Pokémon GO until further notice.

• Rotating 1 PokéCoin bundles in the shop! New 1 PokéCoin bundles will be available in the shop each week as one-time purchases. The contents of these bundles change weekly, so be sure to get what is available each week. Right now, a new 1 PokéCoin bundle is available for you that contains the following.
• Incense × 3
• Poké Balls × 20
• Razz Berries × 15
• Pinap Berries × 10

You can access the above bundle from now until Monday, May 11, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).

Be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receive push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated. For the latest on in-game-event and feature updates, be sure to check this help center article.

—The Pokémon GO team

Trainers,

Here’s an update on what you can look forward to this month.

Team GO Rocket Special Research update

It seems that Team GO Rocket has been quiet lately, so from May until the end of September, there’ll be no new Team GO Rocket Special Research available. Professor Willow and the team find this very odd and will continue to investigate to see if they can find any leads. We hope this means this is the last we’ll see of Team GO Rocket, but knowing the capabilities of these villains, we highly doubt that’s the case! Stay tuned for any updates. We really don’t expect Team GO Rocket to be quiet all summer...

May Research Breakthrough encounter: Shinx with bonus Shinx Candies!

From Friday, May 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, June 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), the Flash Pokémon, Shinx, will be available as a Research Breakthrough encounter, and it’ll come with bonus Shinx Candies!

Upcoming Pokémon Spotlight Hours

In the next few weeks, Pokémon Spotlight Hour will take p...

UPDATE: Trainers, we've identified a technical issue that needs to be addressed before we transition to Season 2 of GO Battle League. Due to this, we are delaying the start of Season 2 until Monday, May 11, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7). Trainers will also be able to claim their end-of-season rewards then.

Trainers,

As April comes to a close, so does Season 1 of the GO Battle League. A lot has happened these past few weeks!

GO Battle League Season 1 recap

We kicked off the season with a celebration event that helped Trainers prepare for the GO Battle League, where they had the opportunity to catch powerful Pokémon—like Skarmory, Registeel, and Altered Forme Giratina—to add to their battle parties. As Season 1 continued, Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, such as Darkrai, became available as GO Battle League reward encounters for the first time.

On Friday, April 10, 2020, the GO Battle League leaderboard was released, showing the top 500 Trainers in the GO Battle League. In celeb...

Trainers,

Do you ever stop and think about how quickly time flies? It feels like it was just yesterday that some of us were faced with the choice between Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle right before starting our journey through the Kanto region. Now, over 20 years later, some of us are still exploring the world of Pokémon in the Galar region. Whether your journey with Pokémon began in 1996 with Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue or in 2016 with Pokémon GO, let’s celebrate our collective Pokémon journeys together throughout the month of May!

From Friday, May 1, 2020, to Friday, May 29, 2020, you’ll unlock Throwback Challenge Timed Research lines. These Timed Research lines will appear in the Today View and will feature a sequence of limited-time tasks that you’ll have access to until a certain date. Each research line will have eight sets of three tasks.

Each week will feature different tasks themed around different regions of the Pokémon world, inspired by the adventures th...

Trainers,

In celebration of the release of Remote Raid Passes and the ability to take part in nearby Raid Battles remotely, some familiar faces are coming to five-star raids! If you missed out on getting Darkrai, Altered Forme Giratina, or Virizion, now’s your chance. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny one of any of these Pokémon!

• From Tuesday, April 28, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Tuesday, May 5, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), Darkrai will be available in five-star raids.
• From Tuesday, May 5, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Tuesday, May 12, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), Altered Forme Giratina will be available in five-star raids.
• From Tuesday, May 12, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Tuesday, May 19, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), Virizion will be available in five-star raids.

Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change. Be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receiving ...

Trainers,

The following changes have been made to Pokémon GO until further notice.

• Rotating 1 PokéCoin bundles in the shop! New 1 PokéCoin bundles will be available in the shop each week as one-time purchases. The contents of these bundles change weekly, so be sure to get what is available each week. Right now, a new 1 PokéCoin bundle is available for you that contains the following.
• Ultra Balls × 20
• Pinap Berries × 15
• Razz Berries × 15

You can access the above bundle from now until Monday, May 4, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).

Be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receive push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated. For the latest on in-game-event and feature updates, be sure to check this help center article.

—The Pokémon GO team

Trainers,

The following events have been canceled, postponed, or changed.

• Landorus in raids: Landorus will now be available to challenge in raids until Tuesday, April 28, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).

Be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receive push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated.

—The Pokémon GO team

Trainers,

The following changes have been made to Pokémon GO until further notice.

• Rotating 1 PokéCoin bundles in the shop! New 1 PokéCoin bundles will be available in the shop each week as one-time purchases. The contents of these bundles change weekly, so be sure to get what is available each week. Right now, a new 1 PokéCoin bundle is available for you that contains the following.

• Great Balls × 50

You can access the above bundle from now until Monday, April 27, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).

Be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receive push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated. For the latest on in-game-event and feature updates, be sure to check this help center article.

—The Pokémon GO team

Trainers,

Time to buddy up and enjoy an event together with your Pokémon GO buddy! Spend time with your Buddy Pokémon with special bonuses, like decreased walking distance for earning Buddy Candy and hearts with your buddy. If you’re a dedicated Trainer, you may even get more items and Souvenirs from your buddy! Looking for a Pokémon to make your pal during this event? Alolan Meowth, Chansey, Eevee, Feebas, Lillipup, and Joltik make great buddies and will appear more often in the wild. Woobat will also be making a special appearance!

Volbeat and Illumise, the Firefly Pokémon, will be joining the fun and will be available in all regions during this event. If you’re lucky, you may encounter a Shiny Volbeat or a Shiny Illumise! Don’t miss your chance to find both before they return to being exclusive to their usual regions. Volbeat is usually found only in Europe, Asia, and Oceania, while Illumise is usually found only in the Americas and Africa.

Date + Time

Tuesday, April 21, 20...

Trainers,

We’ve made some temporary changes to Community Day to make it easier for you to participate from anywhere you play, including at home. We’d like to introduce you to Community Day: Play at Home Edition.

Date + Time

Rescheduled from March, April Community Day will still feature Abra, the Psi Pokémon. The event will take place on Saturday, April 25, 2020, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time—yes, you’ll have an additional three hours of Community Day gameplay to enjoy!

Features Remember our previous Abra Community Day announcement? From that, the following will still be happening.

• Abra will be appearing more frequently in the wild.
• If you’re lucky, you may encounter a Shiny Abra.
• Evolve Abra during the event or up to two hours afterward to obtain an Alakazam that knows an exclusive attack. We’d like to announce here that that exclusive attack will be the Fighting-type Fast Attack Counter!
• For US$1 (or the equivalent pricing tier in your local currency), you’ll be abl...

Trainers,

What do Water-, Fire-, Grass-, Psychic-, Bug-, and Ground-type Pokémon all have in common? They’ll all be featured in our first-ever Incense Day event! For the first time ever, Incense will attract certain Pokémon of certain types during specific time periods. Regardless of the time though, all Incense will attract Sentret during the event. Who knows—you might encounter a Shiny one!

We’re continuing to prioritize Pokémon GO experiences that can be enjoyed in individual settings. Incense will last for one hour until further notice, so be sure to activate one during the event to experience the Type Shuffle!

Date + Time

Sunday, April 19, 2020, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time

Features

• Incense will attract more Sentret for the duration of the event!
• An event-exclusive 1 PokéCoin bundle featuring three Incense will be available to pick up in the shop.
• In addition to Sentret, Pokémon of different types will be attracted by Incense. The type of Pokémon attracted by I...

Trainers,

We’re excited to announce upcoming changes to Pokémon GO. In our continued efforts to prioritize Pokémon GO experiences that can be enjoyed in individual settings and from home, you’ll soon be able to enjoy the following.

• With a Remote Raid Pass, you can access Raid Battles you can see on the Nearby screen from wherever you are.
• You’ll receive a bonus Field Research task daily without having to spin a PokéStop.
• As you run low on Gifts, your Buddy Pokémon will venture to nearby PokéStops and bring some Gifts back for you to send out to your friends.
• You’ll be able to power up your Pokémon to the desired CP by using all the required Candies and Stardust at once.
• After using a Star Piece, Lucky Egg, or Incense, you’ll be able to use more of the same item to extend the item’s effect beyond the usual 30-minute limit. No more waiting for an item effect to expire before you can use another one!
• Look out for other updates, including improved battle-screen design.

Access Rai...

Trainers,

The following changes have been made to Pokémon GO until further notice.

• Rotating 1 PokéCoin bundles in the shop! New 1 PokéCoin bundles will be available in the shop each week as one-time purchases. The contents of these bundles change weekly, so be sure to get what is available each week. Right now, a new 1 PokéCoin bundle is available for you that contains the following.

• Poké Balls × 30

• Great Balls × 20
• Razz Berries × 15
• Pinap Berries × 20

You can access the above bundle from now until Monday, April 20, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).

Be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receive push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated. For the latest on in-game-event and feature updates, be sure to check this help center article.

—The Pokémon GO team

Trainers,

Ever wanted to see who’s at the top of their game in the GO Battle League? On Friday, April 10, 2020 (PDT), you’ll be able to with the launch of the GO Battle League leaderboard on PokemonGOLive.com! The leaderboard is launching just after the GO Battle League changes from Ultra League to Master League, giving you an opportunity to see where you and others might stand right after the GO Battle League switches to a new format.

Here’s what you can expect from the GO Battle League leaderboard.

• It will show the top five hundred Trainers in the world and their Trainer nicknames, teams, ranks, ratings, and total matches.
• Rankings are based on the previous day’s in-game ratings for Trainers rank 7 and up. The leaderboard is scheduled to update between approximately 8:00 p.m. UTC and 10:00 p.m. UTC every day. (Note that leaderboard updates may be delayed by things such as maintenance.)
• Trainers with active disciplinary action or inappropriate Trainer nicknames will be exclud...

Trainers,

The following changes have been made to Pokémon GO until further notice.

• Rotating 1 PokéCoin bundles in the shop! New 1 PokéCoin bundles will be available in the shop each week as one-time purchases. The contents of these bundles change weekly, so be sure to get what is available each week. Right now, a new 1 PokéCoin bundle is available for you that contains the following.

• Ultra Balls × 20

• Pinap Berries × 15

You can access the above bundle from now until Monday, April 13, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).

Be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receive push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated. For the latest on in-game-event and feature updates, be sure to check this help center article.

—The Pokémon GO team

Trainers,

Thank you for all your feedback on Pokémon Spotlight Hour and Mystery Bonus Hour. We’re continuing to test these minievents, and we’re happy to report that we’ll be combining them into one weekly event for the month of April. We wanted to provide some information on this combined event in advance so you can prepare.

For the month of April, Pokémon Spotlight Hour will take place every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. local time, but this time around, both a Pokémon and a special bonus will be featured! For each Pokémon Spotlight Hour, you can expect a different Pokémon and bonus.

• Tuesday, April 7, 2020: Purrloin will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the XP for catching Pokémon.
• Tuesday, April 14, 2020: Magnemite will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the Candy for catching Pokémon.
• Tuesday, April 21, 2020: Wobbuffet will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the Candy for transferring Pokémon.
• Tuesday, April 28, 2020: Pidgey will be in the spotlight, a...

Trainers,

Spring has sprung for those of you in the northern hemisphere, and what better way to celebrate than with a springtime event! Buneary joins the celebration by wearing a flower crown, while egg- and spring-themed Pokémon are appearing more often in the wild! Pokémon Eggs just got eggs-tra special too, as Pichu and Togepi with flower crowns will be hatching from them.

We're continuing to prioritize Pokémon GO experiences that can be enjoyed in individual settings. You’ll receive 1/2 Hatch Distance when Eggs are placed into Incubators until further notice, so be sure to turn on Adventure Sync and make every step count.

Date + Time

From Thursday, April 9, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Thursday, April 16, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time

Features

• The following Pokémon will be appearing more often in the wild: Exeggcute, Chansey, Mareep, Marill, and Torchic. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Exeggcute!
• Buneary wearing flower crowns and Pikachu wearing flower hats will als...

Trainers,

In celebration of Pokémon’s Grass-type month, we’d like to highlight some changes to Grass-type attacks and Grass-type Pokémon in Trainer Battles, along with a few other changes.

Updates to existing attacks in Pokémon GO

There have been updates to the following existing attacks in Pokémon GO.

• Bullet Seed - This Grass-type Fast Attack now generates energy more quickly.
• Energy Ball - This Grass-type Charged Attack now reaches full charge more quickly and has a chance of lowering the opponent’s Defense by one stage.
• Leaf Tornado - This Grass-type Charged Attack now has a chance of decreasing your opponent’s Attack by two stages.
• Ancient Power - The damage that this Rock-type Charged Attack deals has been decreased in Trainer Battles.
• Silver Wind - The damage that this Bug-type Charged Attack deals has been decreased in Trainer Battles.
• Ominous Wind - The damage that this Ghost-type Charged Attack deals has been decreased in Trainer Battles. It also reaches full ch...

Pokémon Shirts is an online service that allows you to customize your own original shirt freely using a combination of patterns based on Pokémon. In celebration of the release of a new set of patterns based on the Pokémon who appeared in Pokémon: Gold and Silver, 4 new patterns have been added to the Style Shop in Pokémon GO! Look out for shirts based on Ledyba, Skiploom, Smoochum, and Unown.

For more information on Pokémon Shirts, you can check out the homepage here: https://pokemon.originalstitch.com/

Physical Pokémon Shirts merchandise is currently only on sale in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, the UK, and the United States. Check out this link for more info on Pokémon Shirts. Happy exploring!

—The Pokémon GO team