Pokémon GO Fest 2026 landed this weekend, and for the first time in the game's ten year history, it's free for everyone who logs in, with Mega Mewtwo's debut and a first ever Zeraora encounter pulling in the crowds.
The event runs Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, and the game added an extra hour to each day this year, nine hours total, to mark the anniversary. Trainers get a shot at all 18 Pokémon types over the weekend, with habitats rotating every three hours so different species show up in the wild and in raids.Mega Mewtwo X shows up in Super Mega Raids on Saturday, Mega Mewtwo Y takes over on Sunday, and any Mewtwo caught that way already has a Mega Level unlocked, no grinding for energy first.Didn't expect them to make the whole weekend free, honestly. That's a real shift from past years, when a ticket was the only way past the front door.
Zeraora, the Thunderclap Pokémon, arrives through a special research line that doesn't expire, so trainers who missed the in person GO Fest stops in Tokyo, Chicago and Copenhagen still get a shot at catching it, though anyone who already met Zeraora there gets candy instead, and trainers chasing extra rewards can still grab the GO Pass, Road of Legends, either the free version or the nineteen dollar deluxe upgrade, before it disappears Sunday night. The deluxe pass throws in a Gold Bottle Cap at rank 100, enough to max out any Pokémon's stats. Pull off enough Global Challenges as a group and Ultra Unlocks kick in at 15, 30 and 45 wins, boosting later events like the Water Festival. Nobody needs a ticket to join in this time, but every reward from both passes vanishes for good on July 14.
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