Pokémon Go celebrates its anniversary with even more Pikachu costumes
It's the only way it knows
- Pokémon Go's Special Anniversary Pikachu Celebration runs from July 13th to 20th
- Rotating waves of costumed Pikachu return across wild encounters and one-star raids
- Go Pass bonuses and Field Research round out a week dedicated almost entirely to Pikachu
Niantic has been running Pikachu events for almost a decade now and somehow hasn't run out of costumes. The Special Anniversary Pikachu Celebration kicks off in July, and there are a lot of Pikachus. A lot.
The event runs from July 13th to July 20th, split into three overlapping celebrations that rotate through different costumed variants. Each one swaps a few things around, so it's worth checking which celebration is active before heading out for the day. Wild encounters include Pikachu wearing a Tricks & Treats costume, a Winter Carnival outfit, and one described as having summer flair. That last description is doing some work, but fine.
One-star raids pull in some older costumes too. Dapper Pikachu shows up in three colour variants, alongside Pikachu in a safari hat, a varsity jacket, and an amethyst crown, plus the World Championships versions from 2022 through 2024. Most of them can be shiny, so if you've been waiting on one in particular, this is probably your best chance for a while.
The Go Pass sticks around for the whole event. The free track gives double candy for transfers at rank 10 and double Stardust for catches at rank 20. The Deluxe version pushes both bonuses up to triple, with prices starting at $4.99 or $6.99 if you'd rather begin at rank seven. The web store version throws in a few extra items as well.
Field Research tasks are running all week too, with encounters waiting at the end. Niantic hasn't said exactly what's in there, so it'll be the usual routine of spinning stops and seeing what turns up. Honestly, I'm mostly curious how many costumes Pikachu still has tucked away somewhere. Ten years in and the answer somehow still isn't “enough.” I'll be out there regardless.
Grab the latest Pokémon Go codes before you head out.
