Pokémon Go celebrates 30 years of Pokémon with rare encounters and web shop promotions

• Some of Pokémon Go's rarest species will return between March 3rd and March 9th, 2026.
• The celebration will also reward monetised players via the web shop.

Pokémon Go is set to celebrate 30 years of Pokémon with rare encounters, Legendary raids, a web shop tie-in and more.

The geolocation title was highlighted during Pokémon Day on February 27th, 2026, via the annual Pokémon Presents presentation.

Go’s segment showcased nine generations of Pokémon species from Venusaur to Fuecoco, with "a huge range of Pokémon" promised to reappear in-game soon.

It's been almost 10 years since Go first launched, and there are various species which have become harder to encounter for newer players who missed their initial run.

Featured Pokémon will appear from March 3rd to March 9th, including Ditto, Mewtwo, Giratina, Zygarde and Urshifu. Almost every original Kanto Pokémon will be available, and nearly all Pokémon that have appeared in Go across the generations can be discovered in specific biomes during this time.

Catch ‘em all while you can

Almost one year on from acquiring Go as part of a $3.5 billion deal, the now Scopely-owned title is celebrating its own 10th anniversary this summer. First, it is celebrating 30 years since Red and Green released in Japan for the Game Boy.

Outside of wild encounters, certain Mythical Pokémon will be obtainable via raid battles like Darkrai and Genesect, among the most elusive species in the franchise. Even in the main series games, these Pokémon are typically available for only a short window.

While these returns are likely to draw engagement from lapsed and long-time players as well as newcomers, Scopely is also directly monetising the celebration through the Go Pass Deluxe and Go Pass Deluxe Plus 10. These battle passes offer extra rewards on top of the free tier.

There are further milestone bonuses tied to the battle pass too, with twice the Catch Candy and Catch XP available once players hit Tier 1 and Tier 2 on the free level. Those who upgrade to Deluxe can triple their Catch Candy and Catch XP instead.

A battle pass purchased during this anniversary event on the web shop will net buyers 10 Ultra Balls, five Max Revives, one Premium Battle Pass and five Max Potions as a gift. Other purchases tied to 30th anniversary bundles also offer extra rewards if bought via the web shop, as companies continue to incentivise users away from in-app purchases.

Our mobile mavens weighed in on the impacts of the Pokémon series over 30 years and lessons to be learned from its brand power.