Pokémon Go trainers can look forward to a varied August 2026 event and raid schedule, as announced by Niantic. The end of summer will feature several weekend events, including Max Battle Days and Community Days, alongside a rotating lineup of Legendary and Mega Raids.
August 2026 Event Highlights
The month kicks off on Saturday, August 1st, with a Gigantamax Rillaboom Max Battle Day. The following week, from Tuesday, August 4th to Monday, August 10th, players can participate in the "Summer Marathon: Arctic Embers" event. A Fire and Ice Hatch Day is scheduled for Saturday, August 8th.
A key event for August is Nickit Community Day on Sunday, August 16th. Later in the month, from Tuesday, August 18th to Monday, August 24th, players can engage with the "Ultra Unlock: Water Festival." This is followed by an "Ultra Unlock: Starmie Super Mega Raid Day" on Saturday, August 22nd. The month concludes with a special event from Tuesday, August 25th to Sunday, August 30th, focusing on "PokémonXP and 2026 Worlds."
Legendary and Mega Raid Lineup
August's five-star Legendary raids will feature several sought-after Pokémon. Kyurem will be available from July 29th to August 4th, with its shiny form also appearing. From August 5th to August 11th, the regional Lake Guardians—Uxie (Asia-Pacific), Mesprit (Europe, Middle East, Africa, India), and Azelf (The Americas, Greenland)—will all be present, with shiny versions available. Groudon returns for raids from August 12th to August 18th, followed by Lunala from August 19th to August 25th, introducing its shiny form to the game. The month concludes with Regirock, Regice, and Registeel appearing in raids from August 26th to September 8th.
Mega Raids will showcase powerful evolutions throughout August. Mega Aggron is available from July 29th to August 4th, followed by Mega Blaziken (August 5th-11th), Mega Garchomp (August 12th-18th), and Mega Swampert (August 19th-25th). Mega Gyarados will conclude the Mega Raid schedule from August 26th to September 8th. The notes highlight Mega Garchomp as a particularly valuable Mega Evolution to focus on during this period due to its effectiveness as both a Dragon and Ground-type attacker.
Max Battles and Spotlight Hours
The Max Battle schedule includes Magmar from August 3rd to 9th, Beldum from August 10th to 16th, Magikarp from August 17th to 23rd, and Hitmontop from August 24th to 30th. A special Max Monday event featuring Eevee runs from August 31st to September 6th. Players looking to bolster their teams are advised to focus on Beldum for a chance at a strong Dynamax Metagross, Magmar for Dynamax Magmortar, and Magikarp for Dynamax Gyarados.
Spotlight Hours will take place every Thursday. On August 6th, Delibird will be featured with a Double Catch Stardust bonus. Wurmple offers Double Evolution XP on August 13th. August 20th highlights Magikarp with Double Catch XP, making it a prime opportunity for players to gain experience and potentially catch a high-IV Magikarp for a powerful Gyarados. Mankey will provide Double Catch Candy on August 27th.
Shadow Raids
August will also see Shadow Giratina (Altered Forme) appearing in five-star Shadow Raids, with its shiny form being available. Players can utilize Remote Raid Passes for these challenging battles, though preparation is advised.