Niantic has unveiled an ambitious lineup of in-game events for July as Pokémon GO marks its 10th anniversary, rolling out three back-to-back celebrations packed with costumed Pikachu variants, a brand-new Pokémon debut, and a revamped GO Pass reward system.
A new Pokémon and quadruple bonuses kick off the month
The first event runs July 4–6 and introduces "10th Anniversary Coin-Holding Gimmighoul" — a fresh debut variant that players can encounter using a Golden Lure or the Important Box item. For the duration of the opening event, all Pokémon catches will yield quadruple XP and Stardust, and shiny encounter rates for featured Pokémon will be boosted.
On the overworld map, trainers will spot Pikachu wearing a cake hat alongside party hat-wearing Eevee and Wurmple. New avatar items will also go on sale in the in-game shop. Several bonuses from this opening event will carry over through July 31.
Three waves of costumed Pikachu headline the mid-month celebration
The second event, "Anniversary Pikachu Celebration," runs July 13–20 and is structured across three distinct festival windows, each featuring a different costumed Pikachu spawning in the wild. Halloween-, Winter-, and Summer-outfit Pikachu will appear in the overworld, while star-tier raid battles will showcase a rotating cast including color-accented Pikachu, one wearing a sun visor, one in a Team Jacket, a purple-crowned variant, and various World Championships Pikachu.
This event also introduces the GO Pass, a tiered progression system that unlocks multiplied candy and Stardust rewards as players level it up. The standard GO Pass doubles those bonuses on transfers and catches, while the GO Pass Deluxe raises the multiplier to triple. Completing GO Pass tasks earns over 150,000 XP, Lucky Eggs, and Golden Razz Berries; the Deluxe version adds over 350,000 XP, Silver Pinap Berries, and Lure Modules.
Professor Willow's birthday brings a one-day-only debut
The third and final event takes place on July 21 — Professor Willow's in-game birthday — running from 10:00 to 20:00 local time. That day marks the global debut of "Professor Willow's Assistant Pikachu," which will appear in Field Research tasks, a free Time Challenge, GO Snapshot surprises, and raid battles. Lucky trainers may also encounter a shiny version or one with a special Team Leader background.
Trainers who complete the free Time Challenge will receive a "Professor Willow's Assistant Pikachu" encounter, a Lucky Egg, and a Star Piece. All Time Challenge tasks and rewards must be claimed by July 27 at 21:00. Additional PokéCoins and bonus encounters are available through themed Field Research tasks.
Original Article In Japanese （Related： Heading to Taoyuan Airport This Summer? The Way Between Terminals Is Changing ｜ Latest ）
