Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026 begins on August 25 and starts several days of celebrations leading directly into the 2026 Pokémon World Championships, with event wild spawns, one-star raids, a new costumed Pikachu, featured attacks, Field Research, GO Battle League bonuses and a special GO Pass.
The PokémonXP portion of the in-game event runs for three days before the World Championships event takes over on August 28.
For Trainers preparing for both parts of the celebration, Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026 is particularly useful for finding Pokémon such as Ralts, Spheal, Sobble and Deino that connect directly to several of the featured attacks available during the wider event.
Important Dates & Stream Times
Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026 Dates and Times
Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026 begins on Tuesday, August 25 at 10:00 a.m. local time and ends on Friday, August 28 at 10:00 a.m. local time.
The 2026 Pokémon World Championships in-game event begins immediately afterwards and runs until Sunday, August 30 at 8:00 p.m. local time.
| Event | Start | End |
|---|---|---|
| PokémonXP | August 25 at 10:00 a.m. local time | August 28 at 10:00 a.m. local time |
| World Championships 2026 | August 28 at 10:00 a.m. local time | August 30 at 8:00 p.m. local time |
The two parts share several features, including the GO Pass, Battle League bonuses and access to special featured attacks, but the raid and wild encounter pools change when PokémonXP ends.
Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026 Bonuses
The wider PokémonXP and World Championships celebration includes two GO Battle League bonuses.
Trainers will be able to complete up to 15 GO Battle League sets per day instead of the normal five sets.
That allows a total of up to 75 battles in a day.
Pokémon encountered through GO Battle League rewards will also have a wider variance of Attack, Defense and HP.
The wider IV range is particularly relevant for Trainers searching for Pokémon with stat combinations suited to Great League or Ultra League rather than simply looking for high-IV encounters.
Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026 Wild Spawns
A dedicated wild encounter pool will be active during Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026.
The following Pokémon will appear more frequently between August 25 and August 28.
| Pokémon | Shiny available |
|---|---|
| Ralts | Yes |
| Numel | Yes |
| Spheal | Yes |
| Drifloon | Yes |
| Elgyem | Yes |
| Sobble | Yes |
| Pawmi | Yes |
Deino will also be available as a less common wild encounter.
Deino can potentially be Shiny.
Wild Encounters
Ralts
Numel
Spheal
Drifloon
Elgyem
Sobble
Pawmi
Deino
Best Pokémon to Catch During PokémonXP 2026
Several Pokémon in the Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026 spawn pool are particularly relevant because their evolutions can receive featured attacks during the event.
| Pokémon | Evolution | Featured Attack |
|---|---|---|
| Ralts | Gardevoir | Synchronoise |
| Ralts | Gallade | Synchronoise |
| Spheal | Walrein | Powder Snow and Icicle Spear |
| Sobble | Inteleon | Hydro Cannon |
| Deino | Hydreigon | Brutal Swing |
Ralts gives Trainers two possible featured-move evolutions, as both Gardevoir and Gallade can learn Synchronoise during the event.
Spheal is also notable because Walrein receives two featured attacks rather than one. Walrein can obtain the Fast Attack Powder Snow and Charged Attack Icicle Spear.
Sobble can be evolved into Inteleon with Hydro Cannon, while the less common Deino encounters provide an opportunity to work towards Hydreigon with Brutal Swing.
Trainers planning to use Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026 to prepare these evolutions can catch candidates and collect Candy before completing the relevant evolution while the featured attacks are available.
Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026 Raids
Two Pokémon will appear in one-star raids during the PokémonXP portion of the event.
| Pokémon | Raid Tier | Shiny available |
|---|---|---|
| Pikachu wearing a Cosmog-themed spacesuit | One-Star | Yes |
| Impidimp | One-Star | Yes |
This raid pool remains active from August 25 at 10:00 a.m. until August 28 at 10:00 a.m. local time.
When PokémonXP ends, the one-star raid pool changes for the World Championships event.
Event Raids
| Pokémon | Phase | Raid | Shiny | Tracker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pikachu wearing a Cosmog-themed spacesuit | PokémonXP | One-Star | Yes | |
| Impidimp | PokémonXP | One-Star | Yes | |
| Pikachu wearing a Cosmog-themed spacesuit | 2026 World Championships | One-Star | Yes | |
| World Championships 2026 Pikachu | 2026 World Championships | One-Star | Yes | |
| Honedge | 2026 World Championships | One-Star | Yes |
Pikachu Wearing a Cosmog-Themed Spacesuit
Pikachu wearing a Cosmog-themed spacesuit makes its Pokémon GO debut as part of the PokémonXP and World Championships celebration.
The new costumed Pikachu can appear in its Shiny form.
During Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026, Pikachu wearing a Cosmog-themed spacesuit will be available through one-star raids.
It continues to appear in one-star raids after the World Championships portion of the event begins on August 28.
There is also another opportunity to obtain the costumed Pikachu through PokémonXP Timed Research connected to the Celebrating 10 Years of Pokémon GO panel on August 29.
Costumed Pokémon
Pikachu wearing a Cosmog-themed spacesuit
World Championships 2026 Pikachu
Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026 Field Research
Event-themed Field Research will be available during Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026.
Completing Field Research tasks will provide opportunities to encounter event-themed Pokémon.
Eligible encounter Pokémon can potentially be Shiny.
The individual Field Research tasks and their exact encounter rewards have not yet been announced.
Those tasks can be added once PokémonXP begins and the complete Field Research pool becomes available.
Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026 Featured Attacks
The wider PokémonXP and World Championships event includes a large selection of featured attacks.
While the complete featured attack list covers Pokémon from both event phases, PokémonXP provides increased wild access to several of the relevant evolution families.
The full list of featured moves available across the celebration is:
| Pokémon | Featured Attack |
|---|---|
| Alolan Sandslash | Shadow Claw |
| Primeape | Rage Fist |
| Lickitung | Body Slam |
| Feraligatr | Hydro Cannon |
| Quagsire | Aqua Tail |
| Gardevoir | Synchronoise |
| Walrein | Powder Snow |
| Walrein | Icicle Spear |
| Metagross | Meteor Mash |
| Lickilicky | Body Slam |
| Togekiss | Aura Sphere |
| Gallade | Synchronoise |
| Hydreigon | Brutal Swing |
| Greninja | Hydro Cannon |
| Decidueye | Frenzy Plant |
| Incineroar | Blast Burn |
| Inteleon | Hydro Cannon |
| Corviknight | Air Cutter |
| Annihilape | Rage Fist |
The Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026 period is therefore useful not only for catching the featured wild Pokémon but also for preparing evolutions before the celebration ends.
Featured Attacks Checklist
| Pokémon | Featured attack | Type | PvP | Raids | Done |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alolan Sandslash | Shadow Claw | Fast Attack | High | Low | |
| Primeape | Rage Fist | Charged Attack | High | Low | |
| Lickitung | Body Slam | Charged Attack | High | Low | |
| Feraligatr | Hydro Cannon | Charged Attack | High | Medium | |
| Quagsire | Aqua Tail | Charged Attack | High | Low | |
| Gardevoir | Synchronoise | Charged Attack | Situational | Low | |
| Walrein | Powder Snow | Fast Attack | High | Low | |
| Walrein | Icicle Spear | Charged Attack | High | Low | |
| Metagross | Meteor Mash | Charged Attack | High | High | |
| Lickilicky | Body Slam | Charged Attack | High | Low | |
| Togekiss | Aura Sphere | Charged Attack | Situational | Medium | |
| Gallade | Synchronoise | Charged Attack | Situational | Low | |
| Hydreigon | Brutal Swing | Charged Attack | Situational | High | |
| Greninja | Hydro Cannon | Charged Attack | High | Medium | |
| Decidueye | Frenzy Plant | Charged Attack | Medium | Medium | |
| Incineroar | Blast Burn | Charged Attack | Medium | Medium | |
| Inteleon | Hydro Cannon | Charged Attack | Medium | Medium | |
| Corviknight | Air Cutter | Charged Attack | Situational | Low | |
| Annihilape | Rage Fist | Charged Attack | High | Low |
PokémonXP and 2026 Worlds GO Pass
Trainers will automatically receive GO Pass: PokémonXP & 2026 Worlds when Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026 begins on August 25 at 10:00 a.m. local time.
The GO Pass is free and allows Trainers to collect GO Points and increase their rank to unlock rewards.
GO Points can be earned through Sunday, August 30 at 8:00 p.m. local time, meaning the Pass remains active after PokémonXP ends and throughout the World Championships portion of the celebration.
A paid GO Pass Deluxe upgrade will cost US$4.99 or the equivalent regional pricing tier.
GO Pass Deluxe + 6 Ranks will cost US$6.99 and automatically provides enough GO Points to reach Rank 7.
Confirmed Deluxe rewards include an encounter with Zapdos, additional event-themed Pokémon encounters and the PokémonXP and 2026 Worlds Backpack.
Zapdos obtained through this GO Pass can potentially be Shiny and will have a wider variance of Attack, Defense and HP.
GO Pass: PokémonXP & 2026 Worlds
Unlimited GO Points: August 29 at 12:00 a.m. to August 30 at 7:59 p.m. local time. Earn points until: August 30 at 8:00 p.m. local time.
Headline rewards
- Encounters with event-themed Pokémon
- Deluxe: 2026 Worlds/PokémonXP Backpack
- Deluxe: encounter with Zapdos that can have a wider IV variance
- Deluxe: additional event-themed Pokémon encounters
Major milestones
PokémonXP GO Pass Milestone Bonuses
Major Milestones within the GO Pass unlock additional event bonuses.
| Rank | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Rank 10 | 2× Stardust for catching Pokémon |
| Rank 20 | Additional 3,000 XP from raids |
| Rank 20 with GO Pass Deluxe | Up to two additional free Raid Passes from spinning Gym Photo Discs |
There will also be no daily limit on GO Points from Saturday, August 29 at 12:00 a.m. until Sunday, August 30 at 7:59 p.m. local time.
Unlocked GO Pass rewards expire on Tuesday, September 1 at 7:59 p.m. local time.
What Happens After PokémonXP Ends?
Pokémon GO PokémonXP 2026 ends on August 28 at 10:00 a.m. local time, but the overall celebration does not end.
The Pokémon GO World Championships 2026 event begins immediately at the same local time.
The wild spawn and raid pools then change.
Pokémon such as Alolan Sandshrew, Mankey, Lickitung, Totodile, Wooper, Froakie and Litten become more common, while World Championships 2026 Pikachu and Honedge join the one-star raid pool.
The GO Pass, increased GO Battle League sets and featured attack opportunities continue across the wider celebration.
The actual 2026 Pokémon World Championships competition also begins in San Francisco on August 28 and runs through August 30.
