Pokémon Go Halloween Celebration 2026: A Spooky Two-Part Event

I tend to think October 27th deserves a little respect this autumn. The Pokemon Go Halloween celebration for 2026 is finally here, and it refuses to behave by showing up all at once. Instead, we get two messy, overlapping stages. Part one kicks off right at ten in the morning on October twenty-seventh. It sticks around until November first at that exact same hour. Then, just as you catch your breath, part two stumbles onto the stage.

What are we even hunting? Costumes, obviously. Because nothing says stealthy ghost hunter quite like a Zubat wearing a fancy top hat. I could argue all day that a top hat improves any flying mammal. Pikachu shows up wearing a cute little capelet and a matching hat. Sinistea sports a bow now. Yes, a bow. Wild encounters also drag out classic friends like Halloween Mischief Piplup, Drifblim, Misdreavus, Duskull, and Pumpkaboo. Shiny variants are hiding in there somewhere, probably.

You might not even have to sweat too hard for the rewards this time. Log in during part one to drop a new Timed Research story into your inventory. While it won't quite finish itself—you'll still have to check off some standard spooky tasks—it's a relatively easy path to six Rare Candies and that capelet-wearing Pikachu. PokeStops also hand out Field Research tasks if you prefer walking around pretending you have a schedule to keep.

Then comes the middle of the week. Mark October thirty-first on your calendar right now.

Between two and five in the afternoon, we get the Chandelure Super Mega Raid Day. Mega Chandelure makes its grand entrance. Catching one from these raids instantly hands you a Pokémon with Mega Level 1 already unlocked, alongside a surprisingly decent shiny chance. You can spin gym discs for up to six free raid passes. The remote raid limit even jumps to twenty lobbies across October thirtieth and thirty-first.

Niantic is handing out freebies, which always feels a little suspicious.

Go outside and look at the local parks. Central Park and Hibiya Park turn into absolute battlegrounds. Team Mystic and Team Valor argue over gym control like kids fighting over a stray toy just to grab extra Premier Balls. Watch out for the Wi-Fi, too. When thousands of phones try to load local cells at the exact same second, the servers throw a tiny, predictable tantrum.

The game changes its clothes right along with us. The night music switches to that old, slightly haunting Lavender Town tune. PokéStops wear little carved pumpkins. Gift boxes float around on the map like lost ghosts dropping candy bundles. If you level up your Go Pass, rank ten hands you double catch candy. Rank twenty gives you double Stardust. Upgrade to the Deluxe track and watch those numbers triple. More candy feels like the only correct answer.

Wait, do not pack your bags just yet. November first rolls around at ten in the morning to start Halloween Part two. This half brings out shiny Greavard. Greavard deserves every bit of praise it gets. Gengar and Rowlet join the costume party with brand-new outfits.

Mega Sableye gets a massive power boost into a Super Max Level, allowing it to learn a special charged attack called Night Shade+.

Go catch things.