First introduced during the 2016 Holiday season, Special Event Pokémon are just like regular Pokémon — but with some fancy clothes. Typically that's been a hat but, more recently, Pokémon Go has added sunglasses to the mix. Can a microphone be far behind?
Here's the complete list of Special Event Pokémon as of right now, so you can make sure you've caught — and continue to catch — 'em all!
Which Special Event Pokémon have been released in Pokémon Go?
As of July 2018:
- Pikachu with Santa Hat
- Raichu with Santa Hat
- Pikachu with Party Hat
- Raichu with Party Hat
- Pichu with Ash Hat
- Pikachu with Ash Hat
- Raichu with Ash Hat
- Pichu with Witch Hat
- Pikachu with Witch Hat
- Raichu with Witch Hat
- Pichu with Santa Hat
- Pichu with Summer Style (Hat + Sunglasses)
- Pikachu with Summer Style (Hat + Sunglasses)
- Raichu with Summer Style (Hat + Sunglasses)
- Squirtle with Sunglasses (NEW)
- Wartortle with Sunglasses (NEW)
- Blastoise with Sunglasses (NEW)
July 8, 2018: Squirtle, Wartortle, Blastoise with Sunglasses out for July Community Day
The seventh Pokémon Go Community Day brings with it Squirtle Squad Sunglasses! Available through Field Research from spinning PokéStops. And, yeah, you could even get them Shiny!
- (Shiny) Sunglasses Squirtle
- (Shiny) Sunglasses Wartortle
- (Shiny) Sunglasses Blastoise
July 5, 2018: Celebrate Pokémon Go's second anniversary with Summer Styling Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu until July 21
Previously there were hats. Now, escalation: hats and sunglasses.
None other than Pikachu has joined in to celebrate this momentous occasion, so keep an eye out for Pikachu and Pichu as they will appear more frequently tomorrow (July 6 PT) until July 31. Plus, this year, you can say hello throughout the month to a special "Summer Style" Pikachu, that's decked out in a straw hat and sunglasses.
- Pichu with Summer Style (Hat + Sunglasses)
- Pikachu with Summer Style (Hat + Sunglasses)
- Raichu with Summer Style (Hat + Sunglasses)
February 26, 2018: Party Hat Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu are here for Pokémon Day
Party Hat Pikachu and Raichu are back for Pokémon Day, and this time they've brought Party Hat Pichu with them!
- Pichu with Party Hat.
- Pikachu with Party Hat.
- Raichu with Party Hat.
December 21, 2017: Santa Hat Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu get in on the Holiday action
Santa Hat Pikachu and Raichu are back for the Holidays, and this time they've brought Santa Hat Pichu with them!
Starting today at 1:00 p.m. PST, a familiar festive Pikachu is back—and bringing a few frosty friends along for the fun!
- Pichu with Santa Hat.
- Pikachu with Santa Hat.
- Raichu with Santa Hat.
December 21, 2017: Witch Hat Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu debut for Halloween
There's an all-new Special Event version of Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu out for Halloween — with Witch Hats!
A special Pikachu will be out celebrating Halloween in an all-new costume, and you can, too!
- Pichu with Witch Hat.
- Pikachu with Witch Hat.
- Raichu with Witch Hat.
July 6, 2017: Ash Hat Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu celebrate one year of Pokémon Go
Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu have gotten hats just like Ash wore in the classic Pokémon cartoon show and they're wearing them to celebrate the first anniversary of the game.
The celebration continues with a special Pikachu wearing a familiar hat appearing all over the world.
- Pichu with Witch Hat.
- Pikachu with Witch Hat.
- Raichu with Witch Hat.
February 24, 2017: Party Hat Pikachu and Raichu are here for Pokémon Day
It's Pokémon Day and, to celebrate, Pikachu and Raichu are getting festive Party Hats.
From February 26 at 1:00 P.M. PST to March 6 at 1:00 P.M. PST, special Pikachu appearing all over the world will be celebrating Pokémon Day by wearing festive party hats. These special Pikachu will keep their party hats forever, but they can only be found during this limited-time celebration, so make sure to keep an eye out for them as you explore!
- Pichu with Party Hat.
- Pikachu with Party Hat.
- Raichu with Party Hat.
February 24, 2017: Party Hat Pikachu and Raichu are here for Pokémon Day
It's Pokémon Day and, to celebrate, Pikachu and Raichu are getting festive Party Hats.
Special Pikachu wearing festive hats will also be staying around a bit longer! You are more likely to find these limited-edition Pikachu during the time period of this celebration.
- Pichu with Party Hat.
- Pikachu with Party Hat.
- Raichu with Party Hat.
December 16, 2016: Santa Hat Pikachu and Raichu are here for the holidays!
Happy holidays! Pikachu and Raichu are donning Santa caps to celebrate!
Special Pikachu wearing festive hats will also be staying around a bit longer! You are more likely to find these limited-edition Pikachu during the time period of this celebration.
- Pikachu with Santa Hat.
- Raichu with Santa Hat.
Do Special Event Pokémon spawn?
You bet. They won't always show up on Sightings, especially if there are a lot of PokéStops nearby, but if walk within 40m, the Special Event Pokémon will burst onto the scene.
Do Special Event Pokémon have an increased spawn rate?
Lately, yes. Party hat Pikachu wasn't everywhere the way Santa hat Pikachu was, but it's far more places than Party hat Pikachu was last year. Summer Style Pikachu has also been everywhere. Sunglasses Squirtle, by contrast, was in Field Research.
Pokémon Go can adjust the spawn rate at any time, though, so get it while you can!
Can you track Special Event Pokémon?
If you can find a nest or a spawn near a PokéStop, you should be able to track Special Event Pokémon, no problem.
- Tap the Nearby Tab at the bottom right of the screen.
- Tap the holiday Pokémon you want to track.
- Tap the Footprints button to start tracking.
Once you get to the PokéStop, the Pokémon will spawn and you can catch away!
How to track Pokémon with Nearby and Sightings in Pokémon Go
Can you get Special Event Pokémon from incense or lures?
Also yes. Special Event Pokémon are just Pokémon. So, Lure and Incense away!
Can you get Special Event Pokémon from an egg?
Recently, yes. Pikachu, for example, has been replaced in eggs by baby Pichu, and while baby Pichu didn't get a Party Hat or a Santa hat previously, it got an Ash hat, Santa hat, and Summer Style more recently.
How do you increase your odds of catching a Special Event Pokémon when you find it?
Some Pokémon can be notoriously hard to catch. Not Dragonite hard, but certainly not easy. Pikachu and Squirtle, for example, often has a red target circle, teasing its low catch rate Still, there are things you can do!
- Use a Razz Berry (1.5x). Golden Razz Berry (2.5x) if you have 'em. Unlike other bonuses, it's not dependent on you hitting the target. It'll work when you do.
- Throw a Curve Ball (1.7x). A successfully thrown Curve Ball has a higher catch rate than a Great Ball and almost as good as an Ultra Ball.
- If you're going for your first Party-hat Pikachu, throw a Great Ball (1.5x) or even Ultra Ball (2x) too. The bonuses stack.
- Go for a Nice, Great, or Excellent throw by nailing the center of the target circle. Again, the bonuses stack.
How to stack bonuses and to catch tough Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Can you evolve Special Event Pokémon?
So far, so yes! Special Event Pikachu has been able to evovle into Raichu since the first Santa Hat appeared, and Sunglasses Squirtle was able to evolve into Sunglasses Wortortle and Blastoise just fine.
- Tap on the Pokémon ball icon.
- Tap on the Party-hat Pikachu you want to evolve.
- Tap on Evolve.
Any Special Event Pokémon questions?
If you have any questions about Shiny Pokémon, drop them in the comments below!
