Pokemon Go is ushering in October with a slate of new events as part of its ongoing Twilight Trails season. Players can look forward to a Community Day featuring Zorua, a two-part Halloween celebration, and various legendary and Mega Pokemon returning to Raid Battles. New Pokemon are also set to debut, including Bramblin and Gigantamax Cinderace, alongside Astronaut Pikachu for a World Space Week event.
October Raid Schedule
The game's Raid rotations for October will feature several popular legendary Pokemon. Xerneas and Yveltal will be available from September 30 to October 13. Following them, Dialga, Palkia, and Origin Forme Giratina will appear from October 14 to November 3. Mega Raids will showcase Mega Victreebel and Mega Dragonite from September 30 to October 20, with Mega Blastoise appearing from October 7 to 13. Mega Charizard X and Y will be available from October 21 to 27, followed by Mega Sableye from October 28 to November 3. Shadow Incarnate Forme Thundurus will be a Shadow Raid boss until October 6, with Shadow Incarnate Forme Landorus taking over from October 7 to November 3. Max Battles will feature a rotating selection of Dynamax Pokemon, including Sobble, Sizzlipede, Rookidee, Sneasel, and Sableye throughout the month.
Spotlight Hours and Bonuses
Each Thursday in October, from 6 PM to 7 PM local time, a Spotlight Hour event will increase the spawn rate of a specific Pokemon. The schedule includes Seedot on October 1 with a 2x catch XP bonus, Elgyem on October 8 with a 2x catch candy bonus, Stufful on October 15 with a 2x transfer candy bonus, Morelull on October 22 with a 2x catch Stardust bonus, and Gastly on October 29 with a 2x evolution XP bonus.
Harvest Festival: Taken Over
From October 2 to 5, Team Go Rocket will be more active, appearing frequently at PokeStops and in hot air balloons with new Shadow Pokemon, including Wimpod, Fomantis, and Sandygast. Giovanni will also return, offering a chance to battle him and rescue Shadow Zekrom. During this event, Pokemon like Koffing, Slugma, and Magmar will appear more frequently in the wild, and shiny Shroodle will be available for the first time. Additionally, Pokemon caught from Shadow Raids will have more varied stats, and players can use a Charged TM to remove the move Frustration from Shadow Pokemon.
Gigantamax Cinderace Max Battle Day
October 3 marks a Max Battle Day event where Gigantamax Cinderace will debut as a six-star Max Battle boss from 2 PM to 5 PM local time. Shiny Gigantamax Cinderace will also have a chance to appear. Bonuses for this event include an increased Power Spot refresh rate and an increased daily Remote Raid limit to 20 from October 2 to 3.
World Space Week 2026
Celebrating World Space Week from October 4 to 10, Pokemon Go will introduce Astronaut Pikachu. This costumed Pokemon can be encountered as a Raid boss or through Timed Research tasks, with a chance for a shiny variant.
Zorua Community Day
On October 10, Zorua will be the featured Pokemon for Community Day from 2 PM to 5 PM local time. Zorua will appear disguised as the player's current buddy Pokemon. Evolving Zorua into Zoroark before 9 PM local time will grant it the Fast Attack Sucker Punch. Bonuses include triple XP, double candy for catching Pokemon, and extended duration for Incense and Lure Modules. Trades will also cost 50 percent less Stardust, and players can make one additional Special Trade.
Fall Marathon: Buddy Trek
From October 13 to 19, the Buddy Trek event will introduce Bramblin, a Grass/Ghost-type Pokemon, which can be encountered via Incense or Go Pass tasks. Other Pokemon like Galarian Ponyta, Hoppip, Hisuian Growlithe, and Nincada will also be featured. Mega Manectric's Mega Level will be upgradeable to Super Max Level. Field and Timed Research will be available, with increased chances to encounter shiny Electrike and Hisuian Growlithe.
Sandile Hatch Day
October 17 will host a Hatch Day event focused on Sandile. From 11 AM to 5 PM local time, Sandile will hatch more frequently from 2 km eggs, with an increased chance of hatching a shiny Sandile. Bonuses include half egg hatch distance and double candy for hatching eggs. Players will also have a higher chance of receiving 2 km eggs from spinning PokeStops.
Halloween 2026
The annual Halloween event will be split into two parts. Part I runs from October 27 to 31, featuring a Super Mega Raid Day on October 31 with a new Mega-Evolved Pokemon. Part II of the Halloween event continues from November 1 to 5.