October is another packed month for Pokémon GO. We are looking forward to the October Community Day featuring Zorua, multiple Max Battle events, a new Shadow Legendary, World Space Week, Sandile Hatch Day, the Fall Marathon, weekly Spotlight Hours, rotating Legendary Raids, and the return of Halloween celebrations.
October also continues the Twilight Trails season, with several events introducing new Pokémon, Shiny variants, and new gameplay features.
Here is the complete Pokémon GO October 2026 events calendar, including everything announced so far.
Pokémon GO October 2026 Event Calendar
| Date | Event | Main Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| September 29 – October 5 | Harvest Festival: Applin Picking | Shiny Applin |
| October 2 – 5 | Harvest Festival: Taken Over | Shadow Zekrom |
| October 3 | Gigantamax Cinderace Max Battle Day | Shiny Gigantamax Cinderace |
| October 4 – 10 | World Space Week | Astronaut Pikachu |
| October 6 – November 3 | GO Pass: October | Kyogre and Lucky Trinket |
| October 10 | Zorua Community Day | Shiny Zorua |
| October 13 – 19 | Fall Marathon: Buddy Trek | Bramblin debut |
| October 17 | Sandile Hatch Day | Shiny Sandile |
| October 24 | Max Battle Day | Dynamax Pokémon |
| October 27 – 31 | Halloween 2026 Part One | Halloween event |
| October 31 | Super Mega Raid Day | Details to follow |
| November 1 – 5 | Halloween 2026 Part Two | Halloween event |
The October calendar is based on currently announced events and is subject to change as Niantic reveals additional details.
Harvest Festival: Applin Picking
The Harvest Festival begins in late September and continues into the first few days of October, running until October 5 at 8:00 p.m. local time.
The major attraction is the Pokémon GO debut of Shiny Applin. You also have an increased chance of encountering Shiny Smoliv.
Mossy Lure Modules have a special role during the event, attracting various apple-themed Pokémon and allowing Trainers to collect different types of Apples.
The event also features a GO Pass, Field Research, Timed Research, and PokéStop Showcases.
Harvest Festival: Taken Over
Team GO Rocket takes over the Harvest Festival from October 2 at 12:00 a.m. until October 5 at 8:00 p.m. local time.
The biggest attraction is the debut of Shadow Zekrom. You can progress through the event GO Pass to obtain a Super Rocket Radar, which can then be used to track down Giovanni and rescue Shadow Zekrom.
The event also introduces Shiny Shroodle through Eggs, while Shiny Slugma has an increased encounter chance.
Team GO Rocket appears more frequently at PokéStops and in balloons, and you can use Charged TMs to remove Frustration from Shadow Pokémon during the takeover.
Several new Shadow Pokémon are also entering Team GO Rocket’s lineups, including Shadow Wimpod, Shadow Fomantis and Shadow Sandygast.
Gigantamax Cinderace Max Battle Day
One of October’s biggest Max Battle events takes place on October 3 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time.
Gigantamax Cinderace will appear in six-star Max Battles, and for the first time, you can encounter Shiny Gigantamax Cinderace.
During the event, all Power Spots will host Gigantamax Battles, Power Spots will refresh more frequently, additional Power Spots will become available, and you can collect up to 1,600 Max Particles.
Power Spots will also provide 8× Max Particles. There will also be up to three Special Trades during the event.
A paid event ticket costing US$4.99 provides additional Timed Research, a Max Mushroom, 25,000 XP and 6,400 Max Particles, along with 2× XP from Max Battles.
World Space Week
From October 4 through October 10, Pokémon GO celebrates World Space Week.
The event introduces a new costumed Pokémon: Astronaut Pikachu.
Astronaut Pikachu can appear in One-Star Raids and through free Timed Research.
A Shiny Astronaut Pikachu is also possible. The free Timed Research must be completed and claimed by October 12 at 11:59 p.m. local time.
GO Pass: October
The October GO Pass begins on October 6 at 10:00 a.m. and runs until November 3 at 10:00 a.m. local time.
The free GO Pass includes an encounter with Kyogre, Rare Candy XL, Premium Battle Passes, and other rewards.
The Deluxe version adds additional Pokémon encounters and brings back the Lucky Trinket.
The Lucky Trinket can turn a Great Friend into a Lucky Friend immediately, which makes the next trade between the two players to produce Lucky Pokémon.
The free GO Pass also provides additional Candy when trading, and higher milestones increase Gift limits and provide bonuses to Daily Adventure Incense and Egg rewards.
Zorua Community Day
The biggest regular Community Day event of October takes place on Saturday, October 10, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time.
The featured Pokémon is Zorua, the Tricky Fox Pokémon from Pokémon’s Unova region.
Shiny Zorua will be available, and evolving Zorua into Zoroark during the event or within four hours afterward gives Zoroark the exclusive Fast Attack Sucker Punch.
The event bonuses include 3× Catch XP, 2× Catch Candy and a 2× chance for Trainers at Level 31 or higher to receive Candy XL from catches.
Incense activated during the event lasts for three hours, while Lure Modules last for one hour.
You can also make one additional Special Trade, allowing up to two Special Trades that day, with trades costing 50% less Stardust.
Zorua will also have a very high chance of appearing at PokéStops with active regular Lure Modules between 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. local time.
If you are hunting Shiny Zorua, this is one of the most important events of the month.
Fall Marathon: Buddy Trek
The Fall Marathon: Buddy Trek event runs from October 13 at 10:00 a.m. through October 19 at 8:00 p.m. local time.
The top Pokémon is Bramblin, which makes its Pokémon GO debut during the event. Bramblin can be encountered through GO Pass tasks and Incense.
The event also introduces Super Max Level for Mega Manectric. Once Mega Manectric reaches the required Max Level, you can continue progressing it toward Super Max Level.
Mega Manectric also gains access to the new Charged Attack Discharge+, which has 50 power in Trainer Battles and 150 power in Raids. Its power increases with Mega Level.
Shiny Electrike encounters will be boosted throughout the event, while Shiny Hisuian Growlithe encounters from Incense receive an increased chance starting October 16.
The event also includes a free Timed Research path that rewards 16,800 XP and an encounter with Pikachu wearing a marathon visor.
Sandile Hatch Day
Sandile Hatch Day takes place on October 17 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time.
Sandile will hatch much more frequently from 2 km Eggs, with an increased chance of hatching Shiny Sandile.
The event bonuses include 2× Hatch Candy, half Egg Hatch Distance, increased Shiny Sandile odds, and an increased chance of receiving 2 km Eggs from PokéStops.
Free Timed Research will also be available, rewarding an Incubator and XP.
A paid Timed Research ticket costs US$1.99 and adds a 1/4 Egg Hatch Distance bonus along with rewards including a Star Piece and two Super Incubators.
October Spotlight Hours
Spotlight Hour continues every Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time during October.
| Date | Pokémon | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| October 1 | Seedot | 2× Catch XP |
| October 8 | Elgyem | 2× Catch Candy |
| October 15 | Stufful | 2× Transfer Candy |
| October 22 | Morelull | 2× Catch Stardust |
| October 29 | Gastly | 2× Evolution XP |
All five featured Pokémon can be encountered in their Shiny forms.
The October Spotlight Hours are particularly useful for Trainers looking to stockpile Candy, XP, or Stardust.
The Morelull Spotlight Hour on October 22 is useful for Stardust farming because of the 2× Catch Stardust bonus.
October 2026 Legendary Raids
The Legendary Raid rotation changes throughout the month.
| Dates | Five-Star Raid Boss |
|---|---|
| September 30 – October 6 | Xerneas |
| October 7 – 13 | Yveltal |
| October 14 – 20 | Dialga |
| October 21 – 27 | Palkia |
| October 28 – November 3 | Origin Forme Giratina |
Raid Hours are scheduled for 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time on October 7, 14, 21, and 28, featuring Yveltal, Dialga, Palkia, and Origin Forme Giratina, respectively.
October Mega Raids
Mega Raid rotations are also changing throughout October.
| Dates | Mega Raid Boss |
|---|---|
| September 30 – October 6 | Mega Victreebel |
| October 7 – 13 | Mega Blastoise |
| October 14 – 20 | Mega Dragonite |
| October 21 – 27 | Mega Charizard X and Mega Charizard Y |
| October 28 – November 3 | Mega Sableye |
The final rotation is important because Mega Sableye will be available as October comes to an end.
October Shadow Raids
Shadow Raid fans will see another major rotation during October.
Shadow Incarnate Forme Thundurus remains in Shadow Raids through the beginning of the month, after which Shadow Incarnate Forme Landorus takes over weekend Shadow Raids from October 7 through November 3.
October Max Battles
The regular Max Battle rotation features several Dynamax Pokémon throughout the month:
| Dates | Max Battle Pokémon |
|---|---|
| September 28 – October 4 | Dynamax Sobble |
| October 5 – 11 | Dynamax Sizzlipede |
| October 12 – 18 | Dynamax Rookidee |
| October 19 – 25 | Dynamax Sneasel |
| October 26 – November 1 | Dynamax Sableye |
These rotations run alongside October’s larger Max Battle events.
Halloween 2026
Halloween will once again be one of the biggest events of the month.
Halloween 2026 Part One is scheduled for October 27 through October 31, while Part Two begins on November 1 and continues through November 5.
At the time of writing, the dates have been announced, but the complete Pokémon, raid bosses, bonuses, and Shiny details for the Halloween celebration have not yet been fully revealed.
October 31 will also feature a Super Mega Raid Day, making Halloween weekend busy. The event date was confirmed by Niantic as part of the 2026 Community Day and event calendar.
October 24 Max Battle Day
Another Max Battle Day is scheduled for October 24. Niantic has confirmed the date, although the complete featured Pokémon and event bonuses were not yet included in the initial seasonal announcement.
This event should be worth watching for Trainers building their Dynamax and Gigantamax collections, particularly after the month’s Gigantamax Cinderace event.
What to Prioritize in October 2026
There are several events worth putting on your calendar.
October 2-5 is important for anyone who wants Shadow Zekrom, while October 3 is the major opportunity to hunt Shiny Gigantamax Cinderace.
October 10 is the big Community Day date. Shiny Zorua, the Sucker Punch Zoroark, and the event’s XP and Candy bonuses make it a particularly useful day for catching and evolving Pokémon.
October 17 is the key date for Shiny hunters targeting Sandile, especially because of the increased hatch rate and boosted Shiny odds.
For Legendary Raid fans, Yveltal, Dialga, Palkia, and Origin Forme Giratina rotate through Five-Star Raids during the month, while October 31 brings the start of a major Halloween weekend alongside a Super Mega Raid Day.
