Not too long ago, the video game developer Niantic decided to keep the content train rolling for its mobile augmented reality game,Pokemon GO, by adding some highly anticipatedGeneration 4 evolutionsand Pokemon to the title. Now, the company has updatedPoGOwith an event helping players celebrate the Lunar New Year, and has also added a Shiny variant of the pig-like Psychic-type known as Spoink.
According to Niantic,Pokemon GO’s Lunar New Year event is set to run from June 26, 2025 at 1:00 PM PST through July 18, 2025 at 1:00 PM PST. During the course of this event, Trainers should encounter a much higher frequency of Rattata, Ekans, Mankey, Ponyta, Electabuzz,Dratini, Mareep, Miltank, Torchic, Poochyena, Spoink, and Buneary, as each are the Pokemon equivalent to the animals of the Chinese zodiac.
In addition to the increased spawn rates of the aforementioned Pocket Monsters during the Lunar New Year event,Pokemon GOwill also be doubling catch XP, and there will be twice as much XP doled out when evolving Pokemon in the game. Not to mention, Niantic has made it so that when players trade a given Pokemon, there will be an increased chance that it will become a Lucky Pokemon in the process.
What’s more is thatPokemon GOplayers now have the chance to encounter a Shiny Spoink, and the differently colored variant of the Psychic-type has already been spotted in the wild by many different Trainers. Instead of the original’s gray skin and pink ball being balanced on its head, the Shiny variant of Spoink sports a peach hue on its skin with a gray ball on top of its head.
While the Lunar New Year event should have plenty of content to sustain manyPokemon GOplayers, there are always those who will be keeping their eyes peeled for what Niantic has coming just around the bend. Luckily enough, once the Lunar New Year event ends, the game’s annual Valentine’s Day event ought to begin thereafter on February 14, whilePokemon GO’s nextCommunity Day event featuring Swinubwill take place on February 16.
Pokemon GOis available now for Android and iOS devices.
