Pokémon GO announces Lunar New Year event, Gigantamax Kingler and more

January is almost half over, but there’s still more to look forward to in Pokémon GO. The game’s developer Niantic has revealed new upcoming events which you can read up on below.

Ring in the Year of the Snake in Pokémon GO

The Lunar New Year event will be taking place in Pokémon GO from Wednesday, January 29, at 10 a.m. to Sunday, February 2, 2025, at 8 p.m. local time. Fans can expect:

Event Bonuses and activities

  • Timed Research
  • Event-themed Field Research tasks
  • A Pokémon Collection Challenge
  • PokéStop Showcases
  • Paid Timed Research
  • Increased chance to get Lucky Pokémon in trades.
  • Increased chance to become Lucky Friends.

Wild Pokémon spawns

  • Ekans*
  • Onix*
  • Snivy*
  • Darumaka*
  • Dunsparce*
  • Gyarados* (Rare)
  • Dratini* (Rare)

Pokémon Eggs

During the event, players can collect 2 km Eggs that will hatch into one of the Pokémon below. Nosepass has an increased chance of being Shiny when hatched.

  • Nosepass*
  • Makuhita*
  • Meditite*
  • Duskull*
  • Skorupi*

*An asterisk denotes that this Pokémon can be Shiny.

Ho-Oh Shadow Raid Day

Players can take part in Ho-Oh Shadow Raid Day in Pokémon GO on Sunday, January 19, 2025, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time.

Event bonuses

  • Seven total free Raid Passes from spinning Gym Photo Discs
  • Increased chance of encountering Shiny Ho-Oh from Shadow Raids
  • Remote Raid Passes can be used to participate in Raids*

*The Remote Raid limit will increase to 20 from Saturday, January 18, at 4 p.m. to Sunday, January 19, 2025, at 7 p.m. PST.

Ho-Oh can learn the Charged Attack Sacred Fire if players use a Charged TM. The attack has a base power of 130 in Trainer battles and 120 when used in Gyms and Raids.

Gigantamax Kingler gets a Max Battle Day

On Saturday, February 1, 2025, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time, Gigantamax Kingler will be making its debut in Pokémon GO and event bonuses will be active. Like many other events, a paid Event Ticket will be available for players who are interested in purchasing one.

Event bonuses and activities

  • Max Particle collection limit increased to 1,600
  • All Power Spots will host Gigantamax Battles
  • Power Spots will refresh more frequently
  • 8× Max Particles from Power Spots

Active from 12 a.m. until 5 p.m.:

  • 2× Max Particles from exploring*
  • 1/4 adventuring distance to receive Max Particles*

*Note from Niantic: For these bonuses to apply, Trainers must first collect all Max Particles available in the Nearby menu.

*Note from Niantic:Trainers can collect Max Particles via the Nearby menu each day by exploring. Adventure Sync can help make sure your distance counts! Keep an eye on the Nearby menu for the icon that shows when Max Particles are ready to collect.


Let us know if any of these events in GO pique your interest! I’m a big Kingler fan and may try to participate in the Max Battle Day if I can! Don’t forget to hop into our Discord server and find new GO friends!