Niantic has announced what the final part of 2021's Ultra Unlock event will bring to Pokemon GO, with some of the newest additions to the Pokemon roster as a whole making an appearance in the mobile game. Fans of the most recent Pokemon title on Switch especially should be excited to see exactly what the developer has in store to bring over from the Galar region.
This whole Ultra Unlock event comes alongside Pokemon GO's 5th anniversary, after having originally launched on July 6th all the way back in 2016. So far, players have been treated to new Pokemon from across several generations, including some of the past games' best Legendary creatures to add to fans' collections.
RELATED: Pokemon GO – Best Palkia Counters For Space Ultra Unlock Event
According to an announcement video made by Niantic, Pokemon from the Switch's Pokemon Sword and Shield will be joining the AR game and heading to "real" world of Pokemon GO. These new Pokemon will be arriving on Friday, August 20, 2021, and will be available until Tuesday, August 31, 2021. This should give players a week and a half to finish Pokemon GO's challenges in the latter part of August necessary for unlocking these new Pokemon from the newest region to the series.
Among the new creatures that players can earn include Galar specific Pokemon like Skwovet and Wooloo, though newer variants like Slowpoke who take on new forms in this region will also be arriving. However, fans might be most excited to see the several shiny Pokemon coming from the Galar region, as well as new raids involving the Sword and Shield's titular Legendary creatures. These will also all come with their own challenges that need to be completed in order to obtain and raise several of these new and rare Pokemon outside of running into them by luck.
While this is one of several ways that more creatures have been arriving to Pokemon Go, giving players limited challenges in order to earn rare Pokemon as prizes can make collecting them feel more impressive. However, as much as this adds more reason to sign into the game than simple random encounters might, it still hasn't completely restored the public perception of Niantic after the recent PokeStop changes. As many have already commented under the developer's initial announcement, fans are excited to engage with this new content, but many will have trouble playing while trying to stay safe during the current state of the world in 2021.
Full details on the final Ultra Unlock goes as follows:
Date + Time
Friday, August 20, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to Tuesday, August 31, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. local time
- Skwovet and Wooloo will be appearing more frequently in the wild! You can also look forward to finding Galarian Darumaka, Trubbish, and more! If you’re lucky, you might encounter Falinks!
- The following Pokemon will be hatching from 7 km Eggs: Galarian Meowth, Galarian Ponyta, Galarian Slowpoke, Galarian Farfetch’d, Galarian Zigzagoon, Galarian Darumaka, and Galarian Stunfisk.
- If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Galarian Meowth, Shiny Galarian Farfetch’d, Shiny Galarian Weezing, or Shiny Galarian Stunfisk. See below for when some of these Pokemon will be appearing in raids during the event.
- Complete event-exclusive Timed Research for a chance to encounter Pokemon first discovered in the Galar region!
- Get themed Field Research tasks from PokeStops. If you complete Field Research, you may encounter Skwovet, Wooloo, or Falinks.
- Starting on Thursday, August 19, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), uniforms that appear in the Galar region will be available as avatar items in Pokemon GO! Pick up the Gym Challenger Uniform avatar item for free, which is worn by Pokemon Trainers challenging Gyms in the Galar region. If you want to show off your Dragon-type or Dark-type pride, you can purchase Dragon-Type Sport Uniform and Dark-Type Sport Uniform avatar items in the shop.
- Starting on Friday, August 20, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. local time, event-exclusive Gift stickers will also be available! Pick them up in the shop or by spinning Photo Discs at PokeStops and Gyms.
In addition, you can look forward to challenging different Pokemon in raids during each week of the event.
The following Pokemon will be appearing in raids from Friday, August 20, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to Thursday, August 26, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. local time.
- Galarian Slowpoke, Galarian Farfetch’d, Unown U, and Galarian Zigzagoon will be appearing in one-star raids. If you’re lucky, you might find a Shiny Galarian Farfetch’d or a Shiny Unown U.
- Galarian Weezing, Lapras, and Falinks will be appearing in three-star raids. If you’re lucky, you might find a Shiny Galarian Weezing.
- Zacian in its Hero of Many Battles form will be appearing in five-star raids. You can also look out for a Raid Hour event featuring Zacian happening on Wednesday, August 25, 2021, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time.
- Mega Beedrill will be appearing in Mega Raids. Mega Evolve Beedrill for an advantage against Zacian in its Hero of Many Battles form.
Week 2 raids
The following Pokemon will be appearing in raids from Thursday, August 26, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to Wednesday, September 1, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. local time.
- Galarian Meowth, Galarian Ponyta, Unown U, and Galarian Darumaka will be in one-star raids.
- Snorlax, Galarian Stunfisk, and Falinks will be appearing in three-star raids.
- Zamazenta in its Hero of Many Battles form will be appearing in five-star raids. Look out for a Bonus Raid Hour featuring Zamazenta happening on Monday, August 30, 2021, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time.
- Mega Pidgeot will be appearing in Mega Raids. Mega Evolve Pidgeot for an advantage against Zamazenta in its Hero of Many Battles form.
MORE: The Best Way to Get Every Starter in Pokemon GO
Source: VG247