Pokémon GO is celebrating the launch of Pokémon Pokopia on Nintendo Switch 2 with a packed limited-time event. Two brand new costumed Dittos make their debut, boosted spawns fill the overworld, and a full set of Timed Research tasks and Collection Challenges give you plenty of reasons to get out and play. The deadline is tight, so here is everything you need to know to make the most of it before time runs out.
Pokémon GO Pokopia Celebration Event Overview
| Detail | Info |
| Event Name | Pokémon Pokopia Celebration Event |
| Start Date | Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at 10:00 AM local time |
| End Date | Monday, March 16, 2026 at 8:00 PM local time |
| New Pokémon Debuts | Ditto wearing a hat, Ditto wearing a cap |
| Shiny Boosts | Shiny Sudowoodo, Shiny Zorua, Shiny costumed Ditto |
| Season | Season of Memories in Motion |
Event Bonuses
The following bonuses are active for the full duration of the Pokémon Pokopia Celebration event:
- 2x XP for spinning PokéStops
- 10x XP for spinning a PokéStop for the first time
- Increased chance to encounter Shiny Sudowoodo and Shiny Zorua
- Debut of Ditto wearing a hat and Ditto wearing a cap
Additionally, the following Season of Memories in Motion bonuses remain active throughout the event: increased XP for a seven-day PokéStop spin streak, increased XP and Stardust for a seven-day Pokémon catch streak, one additional Candy when trading Pokémon in-person, and one guaranteed Candy XL when trading in-person for Trainers at level 31 and above.
New Pokémon Debuts: Costumed Ditto
The star attraction of the Pokémon Pokopia Celebration event is the debut of two costumed versions of Ditto. Ditto wearing a hat and Ditto wearing a cap both appear in the wild for the first time during this event. Both costumed Dittos can be Shiny, and both can appear with an event-themed Special Background if you are lucky.
Important: Both costumed Dittos are event-exclusive wild spawns, meaning they will stop appearing in the wild after March 16, 2026. However, any costumed Ditto you caught during the event or received through research rewards remains in your collection permanently after the event ends.
During the event, costumed Ditto change their disguise pool, meaning they disguise themselves as nearly all of the boosted wild spawns. The full disguise pool below is confirmed through in-game data and community research:
Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Pikachu, Hitmonchan, Scyther, Marill, Sudowoodo, Combee, Drilbur, Timburr, and Goomy.
Timed Research: Pokémon Pokopia Timed Research
The Pokémon Pokopia Timed Research runs for the full duration of the event. You must complete all tasks and claim all rewards before Monday, March 16, 2026 at 8:00 PM local time, or the rewards will expire permanently.
The full task and reward list below reflects in-game confirmed steps rather than a complete pre-event Niantic announcement, as Niantic typically does not publish every Timed Research step in their event blog posts ahead of time.
| Task | Reward |
| Catch 25 Pokémon | 10 Ditto Candy |
| Explore 1 km | Pikachu encounter |
| Spin 10 PokéStops or Gyms | 5 Great Balls |
| Send 5 Gifts to friends | 3,000 Stardust |
| Catch 50 Pokémon | Snorlax encounter |
| Explore 2 km | 10 Pinap Berries |
| Spin 30 PokéStops or Gyms | 10 Rare Candy |
| Complete 15 Field Research tasks | Tangrowth encounter |
| Catch 75 Pokémon | Costumed Ditto (Cap) encounter with Special Background |
| Explore 3 km | Costumed Ditto (Hat) encounter with Special Background |
Completion rewards: 10,000 XP and 10 Pokémon Pokopia stickers.
Collection Challenges
Two Collection Challenges run alongside the Timed Research throughout the event. Completing each one also contributes to your Elite Collector medal. Both challenges expire at 8:00 PM local time on March 16, 2026, and that deadline includes claiming the rewards. The Pokémon required for each challenge and their sources are confirmed through in-game data and community research.
Pokémon Pokopia Collection Challenge 1
| Pokémon to Catch | How to Find |
| Pikachu | Wild or Timed Research (Explore 1 km) |
| Combee | Wild or seasonal research task (Hatch an Egg) |
| Scyther | Wild or seasonal research task (Hatch an Egg) |
| Zorua | Wild |
Reward: Costumed Ditto (Cap) encounter with Special Background guaranteed.
Pokémon Pokopia Collection Challenge 2
| Pokémon to Catch | How to Find |
| Marill | Wild, seasonal research (Catch 7 different species) or event Field Research (Explore 1 km) |
| Goomy | Wild |
| Hitmonchan | Wild or event Field Research (Catch 10 Pokémon) |
| Sudowoodo | Wild, seasonal research (Make 5 Nice Throws) or event Field Research (Catch 10 Pokémon) |
Reward: Costumed Ditto (Hat) encounter with Special Background guaranteed.
Event Field Research Tasks
You can find the following event-exclusive Field Research tasks by spinning PokéStops during the event. As with Timed Research, the full task list is confirmed through in-game data rather than a complete pre-event Niantic announcement:
| Task | Reward |
| Catch 5 Pokémon | 3 Poké Balls, 3 Razz Berries, or 1,000 Stardust |
| Catch 10 Pokémon | Hitmonchan, Sudowoodo, or Scyther encounter |
| Catch a Ditto | 1 Rare Candy |
| Explore 1 km | Pikachu, Marill, or Gulpin encounter |
| Spin 5 PokéStops or Gyms | Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle encounter |
| Win 3 Raids | Lapras, Snorlax, or Dragonite encounter (Special Background guaranteed) |
Lapras, Snorlax, and Dragonite caught specifically from the Win 3 Raids task will always come with an event-themed Special Background guaranteed.
Wild Pokémon Spawns
The following Pokémon spawn more frequently in the wild throughout the Pokémon Pokopia Celebration event. Note that only Sudowoodo and Zorua have an explicitly boosted Shiny rate during this event. The remaining Pokémon below benefit from increased spawn frequency but do not carry a specific Shiny rate boost:
| Pokémon | Boosted Shiny Rate |
| Bulbasaur | No |
| Charmander | No |
| Squirtle | No |
| Pikachu | No |
| Hitmonchan | No |
| Scyther | No |
| Marill | No |
| Sudowoodo | Yes |
| Combee | No |
| Drilbur | No |
| Timburr | No |
| Zorua | Yes |
| Goomy | No |
All Pokémon in the wild can still be Shiny if their Shiny form exists in the game. However, only Sudowoodo and Zorua benefit from an event-specific Shiny rate increase. Costumed Ditto also carry a boosted Shiny rate as newly debuted Pokémon.
Raids
Niantic officially highlights Lapras, Snorlax, and Dragonite in Three-Star Raids as the core raid content for this celebration event. The One-Star, Five-Star, and Mega Raid rotations listed below follow the standard weekly schedule that overlaps with the event window rather than being unique event-specific content.
Three-Star Raids (Event Featured Content)
Lapras, Snorlax, and Dragonite appear in Three-Star Raids throughout the event. All three can be Shiny. Lapras, Snorlax, and Dragonite also have a chance of appearing with an event-themed Special Background when encountered in Three-Star Raids, with a guaranteed Special Background when caught via the Win 3 Raids Field Research task.
Five-Star Raids
| Pokémon | Dates |
| Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres | March 10 only (10 AM to 8 PM local time) |
| Zacian (Hero of Many Battles) | From March 11 at 6 AM through March 17 at 10 AM local time |
Mega Raids
| Pokémon | Dates |
| Mega Pinsir | Until March 11 at 6 AM local time |
| Mega Steelix | From March 11 at 6 AM local time |
One-Star Raids
| Pokémon | Dates |
| Pikachu | March 10 only (10 AM to 8 PM local time) |
| Gulpin, Drilbur, Timburr, Minccino | March 11 at 6 AM through March 16 at 8 PM local time |
Shadow Raids
| Tier | Pokémon |
| One-Star | Shadow Dratini, Shadow Gligar, Shadow Cacnea, Shadow Joltik |
| Three-Star | Shadow Alolan Marowak, Shadow Lapras, Shadow Stantler |
| Five-Star | Shadow Latias |
Free Avatar Item and Stickers
Niantic is releasing a new free avatar item during the event. The Ditto Eye Mask is available at no cost via the Style button in the Trainer Me section of the app. Unlike most event-exclusive content, the Ditto Eye Mask remains available after the event ends, so you do not need to rush to claim it before March 16.
Event-themed stickers featuring Pokémon from Pokémon Pokopia are available throughout the event by spinning PokéStops and Gyms, opening Gifts, purchasing them from the in-game shop with PokéCoins, or completing Timed Research tasks.
Key Takeaways
- The Pokémon Pokopia Celebration event runs from March 10 to March 16, 2026. All tasks and rewards must be completed and claimed before 8:00 PM local time on March 16.
- Ditto wearing a hat and Ditto wearing a cap make their Pokémon GO debut. Both are event-exclusive wild spawns and stop appearing after March 16, but any you catch or earn through research stay in your collection permanently.
- Costumed Ditto disguise themselves as nearly all boosted wild spawns, including Sudowoodo, which was missing from earlier reporting. The full disguise pool is confirmed through in-game data.
- Only Sudowoodo, Zorua, and the newly debuted costumed Dittos carry an explicitly boosted Shiny rate. Other boosted spawns appear more frequently but do not have a specific event Shiny rate increase.
- Complete the Timed Research across 10 tasks to earn 10,000 XP, 10 Pokémon Pokopia stickers, and guaranteed encounters with both costumed Dittos with Special Backgrounds.
- Two Collection Challenges reward a costumed Ditto encounter with a guaranteed Special Background each. Both count toward the Elite Collector medal.
- Lapras, Snorlax, and Dragonite are the officially featured Three-Star Raid content. One-Star, Five-Star, and Mega rotations follow the standard weekly schedule overlapping the event.
- The Ditto Eye Mask avatar item is free and remains available after the event ends.
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