The Pokémon GO team

Trainers,

The strange events of Pokémon GO Fest 2021 continue in the Season of Mischief! This Season will focus on an adventure featuring Hoopa, the Mischief Pokémon, which you’ll be able to encounter early on in this Season’s Special Research story: Misunderstood Mischief!

When Hoopa summoned Legendary Pokémon to Pokémon GO during Pokémon GO Fest 2021, time and space were distorted. Hoopa has also brought Pokémon originally discovered in the Galar region to Pokémon GO for the first time! Be sure to follow along during the Season to see what else might happen!

The Season of Mischief will run from Wednesday, September 1, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to Wednesday, December ...

Trainers,

The Season of Mischief begins in just a few days! There’ll also be plenty more to look forward to coming in the month of September.

September Research Brea...

Trainers,

GO Battle League Season 9 is set to kick off!

Your ranking at the end of this season will be more important than it ever has, so make sure to start your climb early! As the season progresses, we’ll have more to share on how this season’s results will impact things going forward—so stay tuned!

Now, let’s get into what you can expect during GO Battle League Season 9!

Season 9 Start Date, Rank Resets, and End-of-Season Rewards

GO Battle League Season 9 will start on Monday, August 30, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).

The following will occur at t...

Trainers,

We’re excited to announce that Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokémon, will be featured during September’s Community Day event!

Date + Time

Sunday, September 19, 2021, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time

Features

• Oshawott will be appearing more frequently in the wild! It will also be attracted to Rainy Lure Modules. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Oshawott!
• Evolve Dewott (Oshawott’s Evolution) during the event or up to two hours afterward to get a Samurott that knows the Charged Attack Hydro Cannon.
• Samurott will now be able to learn the Charged A...

Trainers,

Have you had a chance to listen to the lyrical version of Pokémon GO’s Night Theme? This song has been playing in the game every night since Pokémon GO Fest 2021 ended!

The original song was created by Junichi Masuda, composer of many of Pokémon’s iconic video game songs, and the lyrical version was produced by Ed Goldfarb, composer of some music recently featured in the Pokémon anime series. The lyrical version features the vocals of Haven Paschall and Ben Dixon, who’ve previously lent their voices to the Pokémon anime series.

The song will play in the game during the night until Wednesday, September 1, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. local time, so make sure to turn up the game’s volume to experience it firsthand. After the song leaves the game, you can listen to it via the YouTube video.

Lyrics

We can share the beauty of the world tonight
Stars up in ...

Trainers,

You can now add friends in Pokémon GO directly from your device’s contacts list! Whether you’re looking to find friends who are already active Trainers, or perhaps invite others to start their Pokémon GO journeys, connecting with people you know is now easier than ever before.

How to add friends in Pokémon GO from your device’s contacts list

1. Go to the Add Friends screen and tap Add Friends from Contacts.
2. Decide if you’d like to opt in to be discoverable by Trainers who also import their contacts lists.
3. Tap on the button to find and add friends from your contacts list.
4. Once your contacts ...

UPDATE: 8/20/2021: Trainers, due to a bug causing Falinks to appear distorted during raids, it’ll no longer be appearing in three-star raids during this event.

Instead, Falinks will now be appearing more frequently in the wild during the event. You’ll also still be able to encounter Falinks after you complete event-exclusive Field Research tasks.

In its place, the following Pokémon will be appearing in raids.

• Machamp will be appearing in three-star raids from Friday, August 20, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to Thursday, August 26, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. local time
• Gengar will be appearing in three-star raids from Thursday, August 26, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to Wednesday, September 1, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. local time.

Trainers,

Hoopa’s mischief from Pokémon GO Fest 2021 continues with the final part of our Ultra Unlock event—Part 3: Sword and Shield! No one could have predicted that Po...

Trainers,

With Pokémon GO Fest 2021 now behind us, it’s time to look ahead to all the Ultra Unlock bonuses you’ve earned, along with other fun events coming up in August!

August Research Breakthrough encounters

From Sunday, August 1, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. to Wednesday, September 1, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), you’ll encounter Chimecho in Research Breakthrough encounters.

Double XP for Research Breakthroughs will also continue throughout this month as part of the Season of Discovery!

Weekly 1 PokéCoin bundles

Every Monday in August, a one-time purchase bundle containing a Remote Raid Pass and other items will ...

Trainers,

We’re excited to announce that Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon, will be featured during August’s Community Day event—which will span two days instead of just one! And that’s not all: when you evolve Eevee into any of its Evolutions from Friday, August 13, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to Monday, August 16, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. PDT (GMT −7), that Pokémon will know a special attack! During this time, evolving Eevee into Sylveon will also require fewer hearts than usual.

In celebration of Eevee Community Day, stickers inspired by Eevee and its Evolutions will be available throughout August! You can get stickers inspired by Eevee by spinning PokéStops, opening Gifts, and purch...

Trainers,

Incredible work completing all 24 challenges in the Global Challenge Arena during Pokémon GO Fest 2021! As is tradition with Pokémon GO Fest events, we’re excited to unveil more details on this year’s Ultra Unlock bonus events.

As you know, the Mythical Pokémon Hoopa appeared during Pokémon GO Fest 2021 just the other day. Hoopa seemed intent on causing mischief and summoned all kinds of Legendary Pokémon to raids! That mischief is continuing even now, and it seems the Legendary Pokémon Dialga and Palkia will be summoned to raids next! Keep an eye on how time and space are distorted by the appearance of each of these Legendary Pokémon. There’s still no sign of...

Trainers,

With Pokémon GO Fest 2021 now behind us, it’s time to reminisce on our favorite memories from the event!

This year’s Pokémon GO Fest was filled with celebration and music, and we hope you had as much fun as we did! Like last year’s event, Pokémon GO Fest 2021 was held as a virtual event, bringing the Pokémon GO Fest experience to millions of Trainers all over the world. Here’s a look at some of the numbers from the weekend.

• Trainers caught over 1.5B Pokémon.
• Trainers spun over 900M PokéStops.
• Trainers completed over 23M raids.
• Trainers collectively walked over 125M kilometers.

We also brought special Pokémo...

Trainers,

Pokémon GO Fest 2021 is almost here, and we’re excited to share some special content for you to enjoy in the meantime! Everything you see listed below is now live on our YouTube channel.

Video

• Pokémon GO Fest 2021: Event Kickoff Welco...

Trainers,

As part of Google Play’s sponsorship of Pokémon GO Fest 2021, and in celebration of Pokémon GO’s fifth anniversary, we’re excited to share that eligible Trainers can receive three months of YouTube Premium on us!*

You can claim your trial here. For more info on what you can look forward to with YouTube Premium, read on below.

• Watch your favorite videos with no commercial breaks.
• Play videos and music seamlessly whether you’re on the move, you’re using other apps, or your screen is turned off.
• Download your favorite videos and view them on the go, wherever and wheneve...

Trainers,

The Pokémon GO Fest Print at Home kit is back! Bring the excitement and adventure of Pokémon GO Fest 2021 wherever you play with fun crafts and decorations that Trainers of all ages can enjoy. The kit is available now on the Pokémon GO Fest website. Here’s a look at some of what you can find in the Print at Home kit.

Trainers,

Pokémon GO Fest 2021 is quickly approaching, and we’re so excited to finally share more details on what to look forward to this year—including a new Ultra Unlock! Want to catch up on what we already shared? Check out the ...

Trainers,

We’re excited to welcome Google Play as the official sponsor of Pokémon GO Fest 2021! Read on to learn more about the exclusive perks and surprises you can look forward to.

Leading up to Pokémon GO Fest 2021

• Three months of YouTube Premium: To celebrate the fifth anniversary of Pokémon GO, eligible trainers will get three months of YouTube Premium for free! YouTube Premium is everything viewers love about YouTube—uninterrupted. The service enables users to enjoy both YouTube and YouTube Music ad-free, offline, and in the background. Look out for more news on this next week!
• Google Play Points mult...

Trainers,

What an incredible five years they’ve been. Remember back in 2016 when Pokémon GO was just about exploring the world and catching Pokémon? While this is still the core of the game today, the world of Pokémon GO is now so much more than that! Here are some of our favorite features from each year.

• 2016: ...

Trainers,

The Pokémon GO Fest 2021 news doesn’t stop! We’re excited to announce that real-world Pokémon GO Fest celebrations will be held in more than 20 cities this year. While we can’t all gather on the scale of previous Pokémon GO Fest events, these outdoor and socially distanced experiences will still certainly be worth attending if you’re nearby!

Don’t worry—the Pokémon GO Fest 2021 in-game experience will still be the same for everyone around the world. However, Trainers who attend these in-person celebrations can look forward to enjoying photo ops as they explore the city! Please note that these real-world celebrations are scheduled for Saturday...

Trainers,

Pokémon GO Fest 2021 may be just around the corner, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have to wait to enjoy exciting events in July! Read on for what we have in store.

July Research Breakthrough encounters

From Thursday, July 1, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. to Sunday, August 1, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), you’ll encounter Rufflet in Research Breakthrough encounters. As an extra bonus throughout July, you’ll also receive a free Remote Raid Pass when you achieve a Research Breakthrough.

Double XP for Research Breakthroughs will also continue throughout this month as part of the Season of Discovery!

Featured Pokémon in raids...

Trainers,

Bidoof! Bidoof! Bidoof doof doof. Bidoof...Bidoof! Bidoof.

Bidoof doof.

Date + Time

Thursday, July 1, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time

Features

• Features that are available throughout ...