Pokémon GO joins the 2025 Pokémon World Championships, celebrating with Raids, themed items, and more

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Story Highlights

  • The event features wild and Shiny encounters, five Special Trades per day, exclusive Timed Research, and more.
  • Varsity Jacket Pikachu will debut during the event, along with its Shiny version.
  • GO Battle League is also getting a new arena, battle music, 100 daily battles, 4x Stardust, and themed Timed Research.

As a die-hard Pokémon GO enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be joining thousands of fellow trainers at the 2025 Pokémon World Championships! This epic event is happening from August 15 to 17, 2025, right in Anaheim, California. In anticipation of this grand occasion, the game has been teeming with special events, avatar items, and other surprises. The Championships were actually announced a year ago, back in August 2024! Can’t wait to see you there!

CelebratePokémon World Championships with in-game surprises in Pokémon GO

The global top-tier Pokémon GO players are preparing to battle it out for the Pokémon GO World Champion title at the Championships. If you’re keen, the live coverage starts at 9:00 a.m. PDT every day, and you can grab a code for the 2025 Worlds T-Shirt (White) on the inaugural day.

Trainers, get ready for the Pokémon World Championships 2025 celebration and everything related to GO Battle League! The event takes place from August 15th at 10:00 a.m. to August 17th at 8:00 p.m., in your local time.

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) August 1, 2025

To mark the occasion, a unique Pikachu dressed in a varsity jacket will make its first appearance in the game. If you’re fortunate, you might stumble upon its Shiny version. You can discover them in One-Star Raids, as well as through Field Research tasks. Additionally, Lapras, Dusclops, and Diggersby will be featured in Three-Star Raids.

Starting August 15th, you’ll come across Pokémon such as Nidoran♀, Mankey, Marill, Paldean Wooper, Spoink, Inkay, Rookidee, and Fuecoco during your wild adventures. You might also stumble upon their shiny variants! Additionally, rarer species like Male Frillish and Vullaby may appear too. You can engage in five Special Trades daily to find more of these Pokémon, or you could discover additional ones in the GO Battle League track.

Explore Timed Research, GO Battle League upgrades, event-exclusive items, and more

For a mere $5, you’ll have the opportunity to unlock event-specific Timed Research, brimming with exciting perks such as a Premium Battle Pass, 25,000 Stardust, and encounters with intriguing Pokémon like Lickitung, Lapras, Azumarill, Sableye, Swalot, Claydol, Carbink, Guzzlord, and Lokix. What’s even more enticing is that some of the captured or evolved Pokémon will acquire or learn powerful Charged Attacks!

During the period from August 11 to 17, the GO Battle League will undergo a makeover, introducing a revamped battle arena and new background music for battles. This transformation allows you to engage in up to 100 battles per day, yielding quadruple the usual Stardust rewards upon victory. Moreover, special Timed Research missions with a battle theme will be available during Go Battle Weekend.

I’m looking forward to purchasing the 2025 Worlds Jersey and Visor from the in-game shop, plus themed stickers from PokéStops, gifts, and the in-game store. Additionally, you can obtain different boxes such as the GO Battle Weekend Ultra Ticket Box and the TM Elite Master Box from the Pokémon GO online store.

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2025-08-04 15:11