In Pokémon GO a new event has been announced. There you can expect bonuses for trading with friends as well as an increased chance for multiple Shinies.
What kind of event is this? In China, the Lunar New Year will be celebrated on February 17, 2026, based on the Chinese lunar calendar. Accordingly, there will be an event in Pokémon GO that starts on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 10:00 AM and runs until Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 8:00 PM.
In addition to some interesting bonuses, you can especially look forward to an increased chance of getting several Shinies here – albeit with some minor restrictions.
Trading and Collecting
What bonuses are there in the event? In addition to the increased Shiny chance for several monsters, there are bonuses in the Lunar New Year event:
- increased chance of receiving lucky Pokémon when trading with friends
- increased chance of becoming lucky friends
- PokéStops can also become Golden PokéStops without using a golden lure module
It is worth trading gifts with your friends during the event, with whom you have already reached the “Best Friend” level, as you can become lucky friends with daily interaction. Accordingly, you can receive, send, and store more gifts, if you have reached level 25 in the current GO Pass.
A lucky monster is worth it twice: on the one hand, the stardust costs are reduced when you perform level-ups. In addition, monsters receive new IV values when traded. If you receive a lucky monster, it has at least 12 points in all 3 IV values. With a bit of luck, you can also get a Hundo (a monster with all values at 15).
Which monsters have an increased Shiny chance? During the event, there are 3 monsters that you can receive as Shiny more easily: Elezeba, Flampion, and Gierspenst. Elezeba and Flampion are among the monsters that you can find in the wild during the event. However, they are rarer than the other wild spawns of the event.
Gierspenst is obtained through the use of the coin pouch. To obtain this, you must connect Pokémon GO with a Nintendo Switch. With a bit of luck, Gierspenst can also appear at Golden PokéStops. These will also be present in the event without the need to use a Golden lure module.
If you do not have a coin pouch, it will be quite difficult to obtain Gierspenst.
What monsters are in the event? In addition to the slightly rarer Elezeba and Flampion, you can also encounter Ponita, Galar-Ponita, and Krokel in the wild. The 3 monsters have a higher chance of appearing in the wild than Elezeba and Flampion. While the Shiny chance is increased for Flampion and Elezeba, it is not additionally increased for the other monsters.
Additional contents of the event: There are also event field research tasks in which you can receive encounters with event monsters as rewards. Also, a collector challenge, where you can earn stardust and more monsters from the Lunar New Year, is part of the event.
For $1.99 (about €2), you can also purchase a paid, limited research. Here you will receive 200 PokéCoins, 2 lucky eggs, 1 incense, and further encounters with Elezeba and Flampion.
Not only the Lunar New Year awaits you this month in the game. There are plenty of events, raids, spotlight hours, and more content again. If you want to know what to expect when, feel free to take a look at our overview with all events in February 2026 in Pokémon GO.
