Pokémon GO Top Hat Zubat arrives during Halloween 2026 Part I, bringing a new costume to one of the game’s most familiar wild Pokémon. The event runs from Tuesday, October 27, at 10am to Sunday, November 1, at 10am local time, and Zubat wearing a top hat is among its featured wild encounters. A Shiny version is available, too.
You can hunt the new costume without using a Raid Pass or buying Deluxe. If you’re trying to collect one, your priorities are simple: know when Zubat is featured, check each encounter for the top hat, and save a copy before experimenting with evolution.
How to find Pokémon GO Top Hat Zubat
The confirmed method is catching it in the wild during Halloween Part I. Look for Zubat on the map, tap each encounter and check for the little top hat before catching it. The announcement describes the costumed Pokémon as part of the featured wild spawn pool rather than as a raid boss, so you do not need a Raid Pass just to start hunting.
Like other featured wild encounters, Pokémon GO Top Hat Zubat shares the map with other species. Not every encounter will be a Zubat, and Niantic has not supplied a guaranteed spawn rate. Walking through an area with several spawn points gives you more Zubat to check, although the announcement doesn’t promise a particular rate or a guaranteed Shiny.
For the full rotation alongside it, see our Halloween 2026 wild spawns guide. Our costume Pokémon checklist also separates the new wild Zubat from Pikachu and Sinistea, whose confirmed encounter method is one-star raids.
Top Hat Zubat dates and UK times
Pokémon GO Top Hat Zubat is a featured wild encounter from October 27 at 10am until November 1 at 10am local time. In the UK that means GMT throughout, because the clocks go back on October 25. The start of Halloween Part II on November 1 changes the featured wild encounter list.
| Question | Confirmed answer |
|---|---|
| When does it start? | October 27, 2026, at 10am local time |
| When does Part I end? | November 1, 2026, at 10am local time |
| Where do you find it? | Featured wild encounters in Halloween Part I |
| Can it be Shiny? | Yes |
| Is it featured in Part II? | Not named in Part II’s published wild encounter list |
Part II focuses on Pokémon including Litwick, costumed Rowlet, Greavard and occasional Spooky Festival Gengar. That is why your main Pokémon GO Top Hat Zubat hunt should happen during Part I. See the Part I event hub and Part II event guide for the wider changeover.
Can Pokémon GO Top Hat Zubat be Shiny?
Yes. The official Halloween Part I announcement puts a Shiny eligibility marker beside the new top-hat costume. An encounter can therefore be Shiny, although the publisher has not announced a special numerical Shiny rate for this Pokémon. You might be lucky on your first check or go through plenty of ordinary Zubat without finding a Shiny.
A regular Shiny Zubat caught before the event is not the same collectible as a Shiny Pokémon GO Top Hat Zubat. If the outfit is your goal, inspect the encounter itself and check the costume on the Pokémon’s summary screen after catching it. The Shiny availability relates to the event costume, not to a system that adds a hat to Zubat already in storage.
Can top-hat Zubat evolve into Golbat and Crobat?
For the normal species, evolving Zubat into Golbat costs 25 Zubat Candy; evolving Golbat into Crobat costs a further 100 Zubat Candy. But Niantic’s 2026 Halloween announcement does not say whether this particular costume can evolve or whether its hat would remain on Golbat and Crobat. That detail needs an in-game check when the event begins.
If you are collecting the Pokémon GO Top Hat Zubat costume, keep at least one Zubat unevolved until you can inspect the evolution button and preview. Costumes haven’t always behaved the same way across Pokémon GO events, so the in-game evolution preview will settle the question. Our existing Zubat Pokémon GO guide and Golbat reference guide explain the ordinary evolutionary line.
Can Trick or Treat give Zubat Candy?
Yes. Halloween Part I introduces surprises left behind by mischievous wild Pokémon. Tapping those surprises can provide several rewards, including Zubat Candy, Pikachu Candy, Sinistea Candy, event-themed Pokémon encounters and, if you’re lucky, Rare Candy.
Those Candy rewards don’t mean you’ll receive the costumed Zubat itself. Niantic has not identified the precise encounter species behind every Trick or Treat reward. Use the wild spawn pool for the costume hunt and treat surprise rewards as an extra opportunity to stock up on Candy. Our Trick or Treat guide explains the mechanic.
Does the Halloween GO Pass help with the hunt?
The GO Pass increases the Candy and Stardust you receive from your Pokémon GO Top Hat Zubat catches after you unlock its milestone bonuses. Once you reach Rank 10 in the Halloween GO Pass, the free track unlocks 2× catch Candy, rising to 3× for Deluxe. Rank 20 adds 2× catch Stardust on the free track or 3× with Deluxe. Those multipliers can make a long Zubat-catching session more rewarding.
Neither milestone promises more costumed Zubat spawns or better Shiny odds. Pokémon GO Top Hat Zubat remains a featured wild encounter whether you buy Deluxe or not. The free GO Pass arrives automatically on October 27, so there is no need to buy anything just to benefit from the free milestone bonuses after you earn the required ranks.
Why can’t I find Pokémon GO Top Hat Zubat?
First check your local date and time. The featured Zubat window begins at 10am on October 27 and ends at 10am on November 1. During the event, Zubat competes with other wild Pokémon for encounter slots, so seeing Duskull or costumed Piplup instead is entirely consistent with the published spawn list.
Make sure you are looking for Zubat wearing a top hat, not just any ordinary Zubat. If you cannot find one immediately, keep checking fresh encounters while Part I is live. And if you’re collecting Shiny Pokémon across Halloween, our Shiny Greavard guide covers the separate debut that begins in Part II on November 1.
Official source: Pokémon GO: Halloween 2026 Part I announcement.
