What do we know about the 8th Anniversary celebrations?
We hate to make you feel old, but Pokémon Go is about to celebrate its eighth anniversary.
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a decade since the world started to double its step count in search of virtual anime monsters, but here we are.
So, what’s on the cards for the big event? There are already festivals in the real world that celebrate the game, so what will the augmented reality mobile game do to celebrate this milestone?
Developers Niantic have a few treats in store for us, so have the party poppers at the ready.
Let’s take a look at the anniversary’s proceedings.
When is the Pokémon Go 8th Anniversary event? Start date and time
So, when do the celebrations start? If we think back to the big craze of 2016, we remember that the sun was shining. You could say it was our generation’s summer of love…
With it currently being summer, you’d be right to assume that it’s not far away.
The Pokémon Go 8th Anniversary event starts on Friday 28th June at 10am and ends on Wednesday 3rd July at 8pm local time.
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What to expect from the Pokémon Go 8th Anniversary event
The Pokémon Go team are promising a festive event for this big milestone, but what exactly will it entail? Let’s take a look at the box of treats…
Pokémon in party hats
Not only will certain Pokémon appear more frequently in the wild, but some of them will be wearing hats. Pikachu stands out from the rest, though, because he’ll be in a cake hat.
The following Pokémon will make more appearances in the wild:
- Pikachu (cake hat)
- Eevee (party hat)
- Bulbasaur (party hat)
- Charmander (party hat)
- Squirtle (party hat)
- Grimer (party hat)
- Sprigatito
- Fuecoco
- Quaxly
Event Bonuses
The celebrations will include the following event bonuses:
- Higher chance to become Lucky Friends
- More likely to get Lucky Pokémon in trades
- Friendship levels increase faster when you open Gifts, trade Pokémon and battle together
- There’s a chance you’ll find eight or 88 Gimmighoul Coins when you spin a PokéStop with Golden Lure Module
Mystery Box
While the 8th Anniversary event is taking place, you’ll be able to open the mystery box more frequently than usual.
This is very welcome on its own, but there’s also a high chance you’ll encounter a Shiny Meltan! Keep your finger crossed for that one.
Research Opportunities
Field Research tasks, themed for the event, will also be available. Complete Field Research task rewards for a chance to encounter first-partner Pokémon like Bulbasaur, Cyndaquil and Mudkip.
There will also be event-themed Timed Research, the completing of which will earn you XP, Stardust and encounters with hat-wearing Pokémon!
You can read about the whole 8th Anniversary event in more detail, and straight from the horse’s mouth, on the official blog post now.
Read more on Pokémon:
- Pokémon Go Raids schedule – upcoming battles
- Best Pokémon gifts – the greatest merch
- Best Pokémon games on Switch – our ranking
- Best shiny Pokémon – the coolest creatures
- Best Dragon-type Pokémon – who’s your fave?
- All cat Pokémon – the felines to catch
- Pokémon natures guide – all you need to know
- Pokémon type chart – strengths and weaknesses explained
- Legendary Pokémon – the full list
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet cheats – handy hacks
- Pokémon Emerald cheats – what you need to know
- Pokémon Fire Red cheats – all codes
- Pokémon Go friend codes – and how to find them
- Pokémon games in order – where to start
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