With the occasion of celebrating the 2025 Pokemon Championships, Pokemon GO is preparing an event that will blow the house out of the window. With tons of activities, bonuses, and spanwns of featured species, this event will challenge trainers as they compete against each other for a chance to earn tons of rewards. Plus, a new costumed Pikachu is making its debut during the event.
Learn everything about the Pokemon GO: 2025 Pokemon World Championships Celebration event with a full guide on all there’s to know about this special date, all the available bonuses, featured Pokemon, available Raids, encounters, and Field Research Task Rewards.
Pokemon GO: 2025 Pokemon World Championships Celebration Event Time & Date
The Pokemon GO: 2025 Pokemon World Championships Celebration Event will run from Friday, August 15, at 10 AM to Sunday, August 17, 2025, at 8 PM local time. Trainers can expect a lot of movement, since the whole event is packed with tons of things to do.
The following bonuses will be active during the event:
- Up to five Special Trades can be made each day.
- Additional Pokémon encounters along the GO Battle League reward track.
- Increased chance to encounter Shiny Pikachu wearing a varsity jacket.
Additionally, certain Pokemon caught or evolved during the event will have a special move:
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Lapras caught during the event will know the Charged Attack Ice Beam. |
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Evolve Mankey during the event to get a Primeape that knows the Charged Attack Rage Fist. |
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Evolve Primeape during the event to get an Annihilape that knows the Charged Attack Rage Fist. |
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Evolve Paldean Wooper during the event to get a Clodsire that knows the Charged Attack Megahorn. |
During the event, there will be special 1-Star and 3-Star Raids featuring Pikachu with a varsity jacket, Honedge, Lapras, Dusclops, and Diggersby. From all of these featured Pokemon, only Lapras and Pikachu can be shiny.
Field Tasks & Encounters
Field Tasks will be active, and the following Pokemon can be encountered after completing them. Except Honedge, all of these Research Encounter Pokémon can be Shiny:
- Pikachu wearing a varsity jacket
- Marill
- Paldean Wooper
- Honedge
This event is an ideal opportunity to get Honedge, one of the most powerful Pokemon on the roster. But trainers can also take advantage of the numerous buffs and additional chances to get prized shiny Pokemon like Lapras, Marill, and Paldean Wooper.
Last but not least, wild encounters will feature a special array of species to catch (some of them might even be shiny). During the Pokemon GO: 2025 Pokemon World Championships Celebration Event, trainers will be able to encounter and catch the following Pokemon: Female Nidoran, Mankey, Marill, Paldean Wooper, Spoink, Inkay, Rookidee, Fuecoco, Male Frillish, and Vullaby.
GO Battle Weekend: Delightful Days
Those participating in the PvP event GO Battle Weekend: Delightful Days (from Friday, August 15, at 12 AM to Sunday, August 17, 2025, at 11:59 PM local time), will also notice that a special new Battleground has been added to Pokemon Trainer Battles, featuring the logo of the 2025 World Championships.
During this event, players will receive x4 Stardust from PvP wins, plus they will be able to complete more battle sets per day (cap increased to 20). Players will also receive a free Special Research that will reward them with an Avatar item (Battle Tower-inspired shoes).