Pokémon GO Fest is always a whirlwind, and Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Global is happening July 11 and 12, 2026 from 10:00 to 19:00. local time is no exception. Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y will make their Pokémon GO debut in Super Mega Raid Battles, and Zeraora will also make her world-wide debut as part of a special research story! As always, we remind you that GO Fest is a marathon, not a sprint. There is a lot of work to be done and it will take you 18 hours, so make sure to drink water, take breaks to rest and eat, and as always, wear sunscreen. Luckily, there are several steps you can take to prepare before the event to ensure you get the most out of it. Once you’ve stocked up on sunscreen, snacks and water, here’s what you need to know to prepare for Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Global.
Friend up
Everything is more fun with friends and they will help you get the most out of the event. Many of the raids taking place during Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Global will require the collaboration of many strong trainers. A squad of strong trainers will help you be ready for any raid at any time. Additionally, Party Play will be active for nine hours during the event, so having three friends ready when the event starts will ensure a seamless Party Play experience. You’ll also be able to make up to six special trades per day, so if your Pokémon are tagged and your friends are ready to trade, you’ll have one less thing to think about during the event.
Storage, Storage, Storage
If you don’t accidentally fall asleep or nap for the entire 18 hour event, there’s a chance you’ll catch many Pokemon. Legendary Pokemon, Shiny Pokemon, and maybe even a few Pokemon you don’t currently have in your Pokédex. Taking the time to transfer Pokemon to the Professor before the event starts will allow you to focus on catching Pokemon during the event. You can also get more space by purchasing additional Pokemon storage from the store. The current Pokémon limit in Pokémon GO is 11,650, and you can exchange 200 PokéCoins to make room for 50 more Pokémon.
Just as storing your Pokémon can be a challenge during the Pokémon GO Fest, running out of storage for your item bags can also slow you down. There are many things that will help you on your trip, but you need a place to store them. The current Pokémon GO item cap is 11,750, and you can redeem 200 PokéCoins to get 50 additional item bag slots in the store. Alternatively, you can do a major seasonal cleanout of items you don’t currently need before GO Fest starts.
Stock up on supplies
- We’ve already established that you’re going to catch a lot of Pokemon, which means you’ll need a lot of Pokeballs.
- Incense will attract Tropius, Bouffalant, and all forms of Unown, making it a useful item to run around during the event.
- Berries are useful when catching Pokemon, and they can be especially useful after raids if you want to increase the amount of candy you get for catching legendary Pokemon.
- GO Fest is a great time to accumulate XP and Stardust, and Lucky Eggs and Star Pieces will help increase the amount of XP and Stardust you earn during the event.
Preparing for research
There are a few things you can do to ensure success in preparing for Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Global Time Research and Special Research.
- Tag your Pokemon. Frequent research tasks involve evolving Pokémon and enhancing Pokémon, so take the time to choose which Pokémon you would like to enhance or evolve if the research requires it.
- Pack your Poffins. Earning hearts with your Pokémon Buddy is another popular research challenge, and Poffin can help you complete this challenge with ease.
- Make sure you have gifts that you can send to friends. Sending gifts is another common research task in Pokémon GO, so spin up a few PokéStops before the event to make sure you have gifts to send to friends.
Ready for raids
There’s a lot going on during Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Global, but the incredible number of Pokémon appearing in raids is sure to be the highlight. Taking the time to determine which Pokémon you’d like to focus on in raid battles before the event starts will save you some mental energy. Hence, choosing a team of Pokemon as your opponents and buffing up those Pokemon before the raid is another way to set yourself up for success.
Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y will debut in Pokémon GO worldwide and will likely top many trainers’ lists during the event. Super Mega Raids are very difficult and require the combined efforts of many trainers to successfully complete. Every trainer participating in a Super Mega Raid must include a powerful Mega Evolved Pokémon in their lineup, although this Pokémon does not have to be first in line.
Mega Mewtwo X is a Psychic and Fighting-type Pokémon, making it vulnerable to Flying, Ghost, and Fairy-type attacks. Strong counters include Mega Gardevoir/Gardevoir/Shadow Gardevoir, Enamorus, Shadow Granbull, Mega Rayquaza/Rayquaza, Shadow Moltres/Moltres, DawnWings Necrozma, Mega Gengar/Gengar, and Mega Banette/Banette.
Mega Mewtwo Y is a Psychic-type and is vulnerable to Bug, Ghost, and Dark-type attacks. Solid counters include Dawnwings Necrozma, Mega Gengar/Gengar, Mega Banette/Banette, Mega Heracross/Heracross, Shadow Vikavolt/Vikavolt, Mega Pinsir/Pinsir, Mega Tyranitar/Tyranitar/Shadow Tyranitar, Shadow Hydreigon/Hydreigon, and Shadow Darkrai/Darkrai.
Other Pokemon that appear in raids include the following.
- Saturday
- Super Mega Raids
- Mega Raids
- Mega Pidgeot
- Mega Relationships
- Mega Gengar
- Mega Aerodactyl
- Mega Ampharos
- Mega Blaziken
- Mega Swampert
- Mega Salamence
- Mega Abomasnow
- Five Star Raids
- Articuno
- Zapdos
- Moltres
- Raiko
- Entei
- Suicune
- Lugia
- Ho-Oh
- Kögre
- Groudon
- Rayquaza
- Wuxi (varies by region)
- Mesprit (varies by region)
- Azelf (varies by region)
- Dialga
- Palkia
- Giratina (Altered Form)
- Giratina (Origin Form)
- Reshiram
- Zekrom
- Kyurem
- Xerneas
- Yveltal
- Solgaleo
- Lunala
- Sunday
- Super Mega Raids
- Mega Raids
- Mega Beedrill
- Mega Pinsir
- Mega Tyranitar
- Mega Sceptile
- Mega Gardevoir
- Mega Metagross
- Mega Garchomp
- Mega Lucario
- Mega Audino
- Five Star Raids
- Love (embodied form)
- Enamor (Therian form)
- Deoxys (normal form)
- Deoxys (attack form)
- Deoxys (defensive form)
- Deoxys (Emergency Form)
- Dialga (origin form)
- Palkia (Origin Form)
- Tornadus (Incarnate Forms)
- Tornadus (Therian form)
- Thundurus (embodied forms)
- Thundurus (Therian form)
- Landorus (incarnate form)
- Landorus (Therian form)
- Genesect (Shock Drive)
- Genesect (Burn Drive)
- Genesect (Chill Drive)
- Genesect (Douse Drive)
- Sacred cocoa
- Saint Lele
- Tapu Bulu
- Tapu Fini
- Maybe
- Guzzlord
- Necrosma
- Stakataka
- Blacephalon
- Zacian (Hero of many battles)
- Zamazenta (Hero of many battles)
- Regeleks
- Regidrago
Catching Pokemon in the wild
Different types of Pokemon will appear in the wild at specific times throughout the event. Mark your calendar for the Pokemon you want to catch!
- Saturday
- Stormfire Peaks: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- Astral tides: from 13:00 to 16:00.
- Dragon Flight Summit: 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
- Sunday
- Earthforged Domain: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- Green anomaly: from 13:00 to 16:00.
- Twilight Battle: from 16:00 to 19:00.
Happy Pokémon GO, trainers!