Different Legendary Raid Bosses each week, Victini Special Research, and more in September!

Trainers,

Victini Special Research is coming to Trainers worldwide! Plus, you can look forward to different Legendary Raid Bosses each week! Read on to learn about what’s happening in the world of Pokémon GO in September.

September Research Breakthrough encounter

From Tuesday, September 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Thursday, October 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), Alolan Raichu, the Mouse Pokémon, will be available as a Research Breakthrough encounter. If you’re lucky, you might even encounter a Shiny one!

A month of different Legendary Raid Bosses!

Look forward to challenging a different Legendary Raid Boss during every week of September!

• From Friday, August 21, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Thursday, September 10, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), Heatran will be available to challenge in five-star raids.
• From Thursday, September 10, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Friday, September 18, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), Cresselia will be available to challenge in five-star raids.
• From Friday, September 18, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Friday, September 25, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), Articuno will be available to challenge in five-star raids.
• From Friday, September 25, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Friday, October 2, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), Zapdos will be available to challenge in five-star raids.

Each week in September, there’ll be a Raid Hour event on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. local time featuring that week’s Legendary Raid Boss in five-star raids.

Pokémon Spotlight Hours

In the month of September, Pokémon Spotlight Hour will take place every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. local time, and each hour will spotlight a different Pokémon and special bonus!

• Tuesday, September 1, 2020: Eevee will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the XP for catching Pokémon.
• Tuesday, September 8, 2020: Houndour will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the Candy for catching Pokémon.
• Tuesday, September 15, 2020: Tentacool will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the Candy for transferring Pokémon.
• Tuesday, September 22, 2020: Spearow will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the XP for evolving Pokémon.
• Tuesday, September 29, 2020: Skitty will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the Stardust for catching Pokémon.

GO Battle Night

On Thursday, September 24, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. local time, you’ll receive twice the Stardust for winning battles, completing sets of battles, and ranking up in the GO Battle League. You’ll also be able to complete 20 sets of GO Battle League battles, up from the regular five sets, for a total of up to 100 battles.

Victini Special Research: Investigate a Mysterious Energy

At the end of September, you can look forward to helping Professor Willow uncover the mysteries of the Mythical Pokémon Victini, the Victory Pokémon, in a new Special Research story—Investigate a Mysterious Energy! If you accessed the exclusive Pokémon GO Fest 2020: Rocket Straight to Victory Special Research during Pokémon GO Fest 2020, completing this new Special Research will earn you Victini Candy.

Jessie and James might be blasting off soon!

Great job keeping Team GO Rocket’s balloons at bay, Trainers. We’re getting word that Jessie and James will no longer appear in Pokémon GO starting on September 30th, so if you haven’t battled them yet, keep an eye out for that Meowth balloon before they make their escape!

Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change. Be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receiving push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated. For the latest on in-game events and feature updates, be sure to check this help center article.

—The Pokémon GO team