Niantic just dropped yet another update on us, this time outlining what we can expect for February! We've got a brand new Legendary Pokemon, a few events, a new Research Breakthrough, a new type of event, and more! Let's get into it!
New Legendary Raid Boss: Tornadus
It's time that we begin the Forces of Nature trio with its first member; the Flying Type Legendary Pokemon, Tornadus!
Tornadus is the only pure flying type Pokemon in the game, and the first primary flying type in Go. This will be our first chance to see the Flying type Background in-game, and will offer a chance to add a powerful new Pokemon to your team.
Tornadus comes to us in what's called its "Incarnate Forme", which takes on the appearance of a Genie or Djinn. However, it also has a second forme in a manner similar to Giratina called its "Therian Forme".
This forme has not been confirmed for release during this event, but is worth keeping in mind. The Incarnate Forme has higher attack, and the Therian forme has higher defense, so they may end up with different uses moving forward. If you want the best odds of getting a new counter to this Legendary Pokemon, then consider voting for a Rhydon Community Day on February 1, as Tornadus would indeed be weak to Rock Wrecker!
Expect a more in-depth analysis of Tornadus: Incarnate Forme in the coming days!
Giovanni: Shadow Raikou
Now that Giovanni has cycled through all of the Legendary Birds of Kanto as Shadow Pokemon, it's time for him to look to the trio's counterparts from Johto! Raikou, the Electric Type Legendary Pokemon will become a part of the new Giovanni special research for February!
Raikou is a powerful Pokemon with some nasty attacks, so be ready to challenge it in order to add it to your team! You can expect our Giovanni guide to be updated for Shadow Raikou in the coming days!
February Research Breakthrough: Woobat
Another month, another breakthrough! This time around we're getting the grand debut of the Generation 5 Flying/Psychic Type Pokemon, Woobat!
Woobat is an interesting choice to say the least, and apparently capturing it will bring a higher than normal amount of candy, which will make it a bit easier to evolve into Swoobat!
February Events
The Sinnoh Region Celebration
It's time for another region-themed event! This time we're re-visiting Sinnoh for a chance to catch those elusive Generation 4 Pokemon that we may have missed when they were rolling out last year.
Event Duration
| Event Start | Event End |
|---|---|
| Friday, February 7, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. local time | Monday, February 10, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time |
During this period, Pokemon that were originally discovered in Sinnoh will be available in the wild, and 7k eggs will exclusively hatch a selection of Sinnoh-Native Pokemon! While we don't have a full list yet, below is the list of hatches confirmed thus far.
Among these, Riolu and Hippopotatos will see their first shiny release! This might be a great time to stock up on incubators! As the icing on the cake, event-research will be released that will award players Sinnoh Stones or encounters with Sinnoh Pokemon! Overall, this could be a great event for players looking to shore up their collections or score a few key Pokemon!
Valentines Day 2020
Once again, Valentines day is coming to Pokemon Go!
Event Duration
| Event Start | Event End |
|---|---|
| Friday, February 14, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. local time | Monday, February 17, 2020 at 10:00 p.m. local time |
As has been the tradition, we're going to see an increase in spawns for pink Pokemon, as well as hatches, raids, and research encounters. We also get 2x candy! Along with this, we're also set to see the debut of two more pokemon from Unova: Audino and Alomomola!
For the record: no, Alomomola is not related to Luvdisk. That said, Niantic has said that they will be very rare! To help with this, lures are set to last for a full six hours when set during the event. To top it all off, players will be able to encounter a shiny Chansey or hatch a shiny Happiny during this event!
Lickitung Raid Day
After a few months without one, it's finally time for another raid-day! This time featuring the fairly rare Kanto Pokemon Likitung!
Raid Day Window: Saturday February 15
| Raid Day Start | Raid Day End |
|---|---|
| 3:00 p.m. local time | 5:00 p.m. local time |
Lickitung will be able to know the exclusive move Body Slam if caught from four-star raids during this event. As is customary, players will be able to obtain 5 free passes by spinning Gyms during the event duration!
Friendship Week Event
Another fun event, this one focuses on building friendship!
Event Duration
| Event Start | Event End |
|---|---|
| Friday, February 21, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. local time | Monday, February 24, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time |
During the event, players will be able to take benefit of the following:
- 1/2 Trade Stardust cost
- 2x Trade Candy
- Higher friendship-level gains
- The number of gifts that you can open daily will be increased to 40.
- The number of Gifts you can carry in your inventory increased to 20.
New Experimental Events: Pokemon Spotlight Hour/Mystery Bonus Hour
Time for a new type of event! Niantic is going to begin trying two new events this month: Pokemon Spotlight Hour and Mystery Bonus Hour.
Pokemon Spotlight Hour seems of kin to a mini-community day, as it will feature an increased spawn for one specific Pokemon species, though we don't know what that species will be, and we don't have any confirmation of an exclusive move.
Mystery Bonus Hour will apparently give us a one-hour bonus to play with that we're not yet aware of. Could it be 2x EXP? 2x Stardust? Reduced Incubator distance? We'll have to participate to find out!
Pokemon Spotlight Hour: Tuesday, February 4, 2020
| Event Start | Event End |
|---|---|
| 6:00 p.m. local time | 7:00 p.m. local time |
Mystery Bonus Hour: Thursday, February 6, 2020
| Event Start | Event End |
|---|---|
| 6:00 p.m. local time | 7:00 p.m. local time |
And Even More!
That's not it, either! Niantic has stated that they have even more plans for the month of February, so keep an eye on Gamepress for the latest updates as they roll out.
So what do you think of all of this? Think that February is going to be a good time? What event are you most excited for? Let us know below!
Expand
Full Announcement
Trainers,
Be still, your heart! Get ready for new Research Breakthrough encounters, Shadow Legendary Pokémon, and debuting Legendary Pokémon coming in February. This month will also feature events celebrating the Sinnoh region and Valentine’s Day, as well as entirely new kinds of events that we’re testing. There’s much to look forward to during this season of love.
- Save Shadow Raikou from Giovanni!
- February Research Breakthrough encounter: Woobat with bonus Woobat Candies!
- Tornadus zooms into five-star raids!
- A Sinnoh region celebration event
- Pokémon GO Valentine’s Day Celebration 2020
- Celebrate your love for friends with a special friendship weekend event
- New experiments: Pokémon Spotlight Hour and Mystery Bonus Hour
Save Shadow Raikou from Giovanni!
If you’ve completed your most recent set of Team GO Rocket Special Research, then you’ll have access to February’s Team GO Rocket Special Research, A Professor's Work Is Never Done. This time, you’ll be tasked to defeat Team GO Rocket, its leaders, and Giovanni once more for a chance to rescue the Legendary Shadow Pokémon Raikou! Be sure to finish this Special Research by the end of February before Shadow Raikou leaves.
Team GO Rocket never rests, Trainers, and neither can we! Be on the lookout for new Team GO Rocket Special Research from Professor Willow every month. For more information, please see our help center article.
February Research Breakthrough encounter: Woobat with bonus Woobat Candies!
From Saturday, February 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Sunday, March 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8), the Bat Pokémon Woobat with bonus Woobat Candies will be available as Research Breakthrough encounters! This Pokémon originally discovered in the Unova region will be making its Pokémon GO debut.
Can you guess why it’s making its debut in February, the month of love? Well, look no further than its cute nose! This Psychic- and Flying-type Pokémon uses the suction from its nose to stick to cave walls as it sleeps. The heart-shaped mark it leaves on skin is said to bring good fortune, so we hope an encounter with Woobat will bring you not only good luck but also a new friend!
Tornadus zooms into five-star raids!
From Tuesday, February 4, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Tuesday, February 25, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8), Tornadus, the Cyclone Pokémon, will be in five-star raids! This Pokémon originally discovered in the Unova region will be making its Pokémon GO debut. It’s said that when Tornadus flies, it creates winds so powerful that everything surrounding it gets blown away.
This Flying-type Pokémon could be a legendary addition to your battle team, so get ready to take it on with Pokémon that know Electric-, Ice-, and Rock-type attacks!
A Sinnoh region celebration event
In appreciation of all the great Pokémon that we’ve befriended that were originally discovered in the Sinnoh region, we’re happy to announce a Sinnoh region celebration event! From Friday, February 7, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, February 10, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time, Pokémon originally discovered in the Sinnoh region will be appearing more often in the wild and in raids.
All 7 km Eggs obtained during the event period will exclusively hatch certain Pokémon from the Sinnoh region, including Budew, Combee, Bronzor, Gible, Riolu, Hippopotas, and Mantyke. Event-specific Field Research tasks will reward you with encounters with Pokémon that were originally discovered in this beautiful region, as well as Sinnoh Stones. And last but not least, if you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Riolu or a Shiny Hippopotas! Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to the event.
Pokémon GO Valentine’s Day Celebration 2020
Love will soon be in the air! Our annual Valentine’s Day event is back. From Friday, February 14, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, February 17, 2020 at 10:00 p.m. local time, pink Pokémon will be appearing more often in the wild, in raids, in Eggs, and as Field Research encounters.
Audino, the Hearing Pokémon, and Alomomola, the Caring Pokémon, will be making their Pokémon GO debut! They're rare though, so you might encounter them only if you’re very lucky! During this event, regular Lure Modules will last six hours and you’ll receive a 2× Catch Candy bonus. If you’re lucky, you might hatch a Shiny Happiny or encounter a Shiny Chansey in the wild!
To continue the pink Pokémon festivities in celebration of Valentine’s Day, there will be a Raid Day on Saturday, February 15, 2020, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time featuring Lickitung! Lickitung will be in four-star raids and know Body Slam! You can receive up to five additional Raid Passes at no cost during the event by spinning Photo Discs at Gyms. You cannot hold more than one of these Raid Passes at once, and they will not be available after the event ends. Lucky Trainers might encounter Shiny Lickitung!
Celebrate your love for friends with a special friendship weekend event
Romantic love isn’t all that we’re celebrating this month! Show some love for your friends from Friday, February 21, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, February 24, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time with these exclusive bonuses.
- Friendship levels will increase faster
- 2x Trade Candy
- 1/2 Trade Stardust cost
- The number of Gifts you can open daily will increase to 40.
- The number of Gifts you can carry in your inventory will increase to 20.
New experiments: Pokémon Spotlight Hour and Mystery Bonus Hour
The Pokémon GO team is always looking for more ways to improve the gameplay experience. This month, we’re excited to test out two new types of events: Pokémon Spotlight Hour and Mystery Bonus Hour.
Pokémon Spotlight Hour will feature...a surprise Pokémon! All we’ll tell you is that it will appear more frequently in the wild on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time.
Mystery Bonus Hour will feature—you guessed it—a mystery bonus! This unknown bonus will be live in the app on Thursday, February 6, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time.
And that’s not all! We’ll be doing even more new and surprising things this month, so be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receive push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated. Let’s GO!
—The Pokémon GO team
