Pokémon GO Events This Week is unusually busy, with several very different reasons to open the game between September 21 and September 27. The Pokémon Horizons celebration is reaching its deadline, the Kanto Legendary birds are taking over Max Battles, regional Ultra Beasts are changing the raid map, and the weekend brings both Phantump Catch Mastery and another round of City Safari events.
It is a week that looks more complicated on the calendar than it really is. This guide brings the whole schedule into one place, highlights the events that have a fixed one-hour window, and points out the deadlines worth dealing with early so you can decide what is actually worth your time.
Pokémon GO Events This Week: September 21-27 schedule
Image credit: Pokémon GO
| Date | What is happening |
|---|---|
| Monday, September 21 | Dynamax Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres feature in Max Battles. |
| Tuesday, September 22 | Pokémon Horizons: The Series Celebration ends at 8:00 p.m. local time. |
| Wednesday, September 23 | Pheromosa, Buzzwole and Xurkitree enter regional five-star raids; Raid Hour runs 6:00-7:00 p.m.; Twilight Trails Choose Your Path begins. |
| Thursday, September 24 | Rattata Spotlight Hour runs 6:00-7:00 p.m. local time with 2× Evolution XP and more XXS Rattata. |
| Friday, September 25 | Friendship Friday bonuses make in-person trading the main recurring activity. |
| Saturday, September 26 | Phantump Catch Mastery runs 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. local time; City Safari weekend begins in six cities. |
| Sunday, September 27 | City Safari continues in Boston, Brisbane, Lisbon, Marseille, Munich and Rio de Janeiro. |
The useful way to approach Pokémon GO Events This Week is to separate the global activities from the ticketed local ones. Max Battles, the Horizons deadline, Raid Hour, Spotlight Hour and Phantump Catch Mastery are relevant wherever you play. City Safari requires you to be in the host city with the correct ticket.
Monday and Tuesday in Pokémon GO Events This Week
Monday starts Pokémon GO Events This Week with Dynamax Articuno, Dynamax Zapdos and Dynamax Moltres at Power Spots. The current Max Battle schedule places all three Kanto birds into the September 21 rotation, and they remain part of the week’s Max Battle pool. Only Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokémon can enter Max Battles, so build the team before spending Max Particles.
Tuesday is mostly a deadline day. The Pokémon Horizons: The Series Celebration Event ends September 22 at 8:00 p.m. local time. Its free web-store research uses the code 0004POKEMONGO, and the associated Timed Research must be completed and claimed before the event deadline. Our Pokémon GO Horizons Research Code guide covers the redemption steps.
Wednesday is the busiest day in Pokémon GO Events This Week
Wednesday changes the raid pool. Pheromosa appears in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India, Buzzwole appears in the Americas and Greenland, and Xurkitree appears in the Asia-Pacific region. The same three regional Ultra Beasts headline Raid Hour from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time. See our September 23 Raid Hour guide for the region split and weaknesses.
Pokémon GO Events This Week also brings back the Twilight Trails Choose Your Path Timed Research on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. local time. Pokémon GO has confirmed Explore, Catch and Battle paths, with your choice changing the tasks and bonuses available during the research week.
Thursday and Friday in Pokémon GO Events This Week
Thursday is built around the Pokémon GO Rattata Spotlight Hour. From 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time, Rattata spawns increase, Evolution XP is doubled and there is an increased chance of encountering XXS Rattata. Shiny Rattata is available, but no boosted Shiny rate has been announced for the hour.
Friday is quieter, which makes it a good preparation day in Pokémon GO Events This Week. Friendship Friday supports in-person trading, so it is useful for clearing saved trades before the weekend and for players working on Candy XL or Lucky Pokémon. Check the in-game Today view before trading because recurring bonuses can be adjusted between seasons.
The weekend in Pokémon GO Events This Week
Saturday has two separate priorities. Pokémon GO Phantump Catch Mastery runs from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time with increased Shiny Phantump chances, free Timed Research, Field Research and bonuses for accurate throws. Cherubi and Drifloon also receive increased Shiny chances during the event.
The September City Safari weekend also runs September 26 and 27 in Boston, Brisbane, Lisbon, Marseille, Munich and Rio de Janeiro. Those events are ticketed and location-specific, so they should not be confused with the global Phantump event running on Saturday.
What should you prioritise from Pokémon GO Events This Week?
For most players, the priorities from Pokémon GO Events This Week are straightforward: redeem the Horizons code before Tuesday evening, decide whether you need any of the three Dynamax birds, prepare raid teams for the regional Ultra Beast that appears in your area, save evolutions for Thursday’s XP bonus and leave room for Phantump encounters on Saturday.
Because schedules can change, check the official Pokémon GO site and the in-game Today view before travelling or spending paid passes. We will keep the Pokémon GO hub and the individual event guides updated when live research tasks or rewards reveal something that deserves its own search-focused page.
