Happy birthday Pokémon GO!
Pokémon GO is celebrating its 8th anniversary at the end of June, and there is a lot of things to dive into to celebrate. Pokémon GO released on July 6th 2016, and these celebrations will run just shy of that release date.
The Pokémon GO 8th Anniversary event till take place from Friday, June 28 (10am) until Wednesday, June 3 (8pm). As per usual, this event will run off local timezones.
Amongst the highlights of this event is a brand new masterwork research for Shiny Celebi, lots of Friendship bonuses and more.
Pokémon GO 8th Anniversary event bonuses
The annual anniversary celebrations are always one of the biggest Pokémon GO events of the year, and the 8th edition is no exception.
The following bonuses will be in effect across the entire event:
- Increased chance to become Lucky Friends.
- Increased chance to get Lucky Pokémon in trades.
- Friendship levels will increase faster than normal through opening Gifts, trading Pokémon, or battling together in raids, Gyms, or Trainer Battles!
- Chance of finding 8 or 88 (or maybe more!) Gimmighoul Coins when you spin a PokéStop with a Golden Lure Module.
In addition, there will be special event bonuses on certain dates:
- 1/2 Egg Hatch Distance when Eggs are placed in an Incubator on these days. (June 28-29)
- 2× XP for catching Pokémon. (June 30-July 1)
- 2× Stardust for catching Pokémon. (July 2-3)
The increased chance for a Lucky Trade makes this a great chance to exchange Pokémon with your fellow Trainers. Perhaps you have some Necrozma from Pokémon GO Fest Madrid or Sendai?
Wild Encounters
There will also be special Pokémon spawning during the event. Again, some of these will be for the entire event and others will be for selected days only.
The following Pokémon will appear more frequently during the entire event:
- Bulbasaur wearing a party hat
- Charmander wearing a party hat
- Squirtle wearing a party hat
- Pikachu wearing a cake hat
- Grimer wearing a party hat
- Eevee wearing a party hat
- Sprigatito
- Fuecoco
- Quaxly
- Alolan Grimer
Then, there will be rotations of all the other starter Pokémon across the different days.
June 28-29:
- Chikorita
- Cyndaquil
- Totodile
- Treecko
- Torchic
- Mudkip
June 30-July 1:
- Turtwig
- Chimchar
- Piplup
- Snivy
- Tepig
- Oshawott
July 2-3:
- Chespin
- Fennekin
- Froakie
- Rowlet
- Litten
- Popplio
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Pokémon GO 8th Anniversary Raids and Research
The following Pokémon will appear in raids. Pokémon appearing in one-star raids will have a greater chance of being a Shiny Pokémon than when found in the wild.
One-Star Raids:
- Bulbasaur wearing a party hat
- Charmander wearing a party hat
- Squirtle wearing a party hat
- Pikachu wearing a cake hat
- Grimer wearing a party hat
Then, there will be a range of Field Research tasks avaliable. Complete them to earn encounters with first-partner Pokémon, such as Bulbasaur, Cyndaquil, Mudkip, and more.
Some Field Research tasks will also award Mega Energy for the following Pokémon:
- Venusaur
- Charizard
- Blastoise
- Sceptile
- Blaziken
- Swampert
Pokémon GO 8th Anniversary Timed Research ticket
Wherever there is a Pokémon GO event, there is a timed research. The Pokémon GO 8th Anniversary will have a Paid Timed Research ticket costing $2.
Complete the event-themed research tasks, such as spinning eight PokéStops or evolving eight Pokémon, to receive the following.
- 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
New Masterwork Research
Finally, this 8th Anniversary event will see a new Masterwork Research come to Pokémon GO. For $5, Trainers can purchase a Masterwork Research story called Whispers in the Woods that leads to an encounter with Shiny Celebi.
However, Trainers who completed the Distracted by Something Shiny Special Research story will not be able to purchase this Masterwork Research story.
Trainers who purchase this Masterwork Research story or have previously received the Distracted by Something Shiny Special Research story (either active or completed) can also enjoy the following bonuses for the duration of the 8th Anniversary Party event in Pokémon GO.
- 2× Incense duration
- 2× Daily Adventure Incense duration
- 2× Lucky Egg duration