It was back in July 2016 when Pokémon GO first captured the hearts of fans and players around the world. If you're keeping count, that means the game is celebrating its eighth birthday next month. The thing is all trainers are invited to join in on the fun. Pokémon GO's 8th Anniversary Party is happening from June 28 at 10:00 a.m. (local time) to July 3 at 8:00 p.m. (local time).
During this special event, new costumed Pokémon are going to appear. These are Grimer wearing a party hat and Muk wearing a party hat. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg and there's a lot happening. Today we're going to look into these different activities.
Enjoy the Bonuses
Of course, it won't be a Pokémon GO event without the bonuses and for this one players can enjoy:
- Increased chance to become Lucky Friends.
- Increased chance to get Lucky Pokémon in trades.
- Friendship levels 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 spinning a PokéStop with a Golden Lure Module.
But wait there's more! The 8th Anniversary Party also offers special bonuses on certain days. These are:
- June 28 at 10:00 a.m. (local time) to June 29 at 11:59 p.m. (local time)
- 1/2 Egg Hatch Distance when Eggs are placed in an Incubator on these days.
- June 30 at 12:00 a.m. (local time) to July 1 at 11:59 p.m. (local time)
- 2× XP for catching Pokémon.
- July 2 at 12:00 a.m. (local time) to July 3 at 8:00 p.m. (local time)
- 2× Stardust for catching Pokémon.
Wild Encounters
During the special event, these Pokémon are appearing more frequently in the wild:
- 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
Some Trainers lucky enough could encounter Alolan Grimer.
There's also going to be Pokémon appearing more frequently on these dates:
- June 28 at 10:00 a.m. (local time) to June 29 at 11:59 p.m. (local time)
- Chikorita
- Cyndaquil
- Totodile
- Treecko
- Torchic
- Mudkip
- June 30 at 12:00 a.m. (local time) to July 1 at 11:59 p.m. (local time)
- Turtwig
- Chimchar
- Piplup
- Snivy
- Tepig
- Oshawott
- July 2 at 12:00 a.m. (local time) to July 3 at 8:00 p.m. (local time)
- Chespin
- Fennekin
- Froakie
- Rowlet
- Litten
- Popplio
Do the Research
Event-themed Field Research tasks are available and those who complete them earn encounters with first-partner Pokémon like Bulbasaur, Cyndaquil, and Mudkip, to name a few. There are also several Field Research tasks that award Mega Energy for these Pokémon:
- Venusaur
- Charizard
- Blastoise
- Sceptile
- Blaziken
- Swampert
Event-themed Timed Research are also available and completing the tasks allow trainers to earn XP andStardust. They also earn encounters with event-themed Pokémon that include Raticate wearing a party hat, Nidorino wearing a party hat, Wobbuffet wearing a party hat, and Meltan.
Finally, there's also an event-exclusive Timed Research available for $2. Completing these research tasks let trainers receive:
- 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
Pokémon GO is available to download free on mobile platforms through Google Play and the App Store.
