TL;DR: Pokémon GO kicked off its two-part Halloween 2026 event on Oct. 27, featuring top-hatted Zubat, cape-wearing Pikachu, the debut of Shiny Greavard, and up to 3× Candy and Stardust via the Halloween GO Pass through Nov. 5.
If you noticed PokéStops and Gyms looking a little more festive than usual this week, you aren’t imagining things. Pokémon GO has officially kicked off its two-part Halloween 2026 celebration, running through Nov. 5.
Alongside seasonal map decor and the classic Lavender Town theme music remix playing in the game every night, the event packs costume debuts, massive resource multipliers, and a brand-new shiny ghost dog into a tidy schedule.
Part I kicked off Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. and runs through Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. local time. The initial stretch focuses on fresh seasonal costumes and map bonuses:
Mashable Trend Report
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Zubat wearing a top hat — Spawns in the wild, with a possible Shiny encounter.
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Pikachu wearing a hat and capelet — Featured in one-star raids, with a Shiny chance.
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Sinistea wearing a bow — Appears in one-star raids alongside Pikachu, also eligible to be Shiny.
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Themed wild spawns — Duskull, Piplup wearing a Halloween Mischief costume, Drifblim wearing a Halloween Mischief costume, and more will appear in the wild.
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Spooky map surprises — Mischievous Pokémon leave behind objects on the overworld map; tapping them triggers encounters or awards Pikachu, Zubat, Sinistea, or Rare Candy.
Credit: The Pokémon Company
Part II picks up on Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. and ends on Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. local time. The second half shifts focus toward a new Shiny debut and battle upgrades:
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Shiny Greavard debut — Available for the first time in Pokémon GO, appearing in the wild, through Field Research tasks, and via the GO Pass.
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Themed wild spawns — Litwick, Rowlet wearing a Pokémon Halloween costume, Gengar wearing a Spooky Festival costume, and others will spawn in the wild.
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Super Max Level Mega Sableye — You can raise Mega Sableye’s Mega Level to Super Max Level.
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Night Shade+ Charged Attack — Unlocking Super Max Level lets eligible Mega Evolved Pokémon learn a second Charged Attack, granting Sableye the move Night Shade+.
Credit: The Pokémon Company
Running across both halves of the event is the GO Pass: Halloween 2026. By completing pass tasks and collecting GO Points to rank up, you’ll unlock passive resource multipliers at major milestones:
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Tier 1 (Rank 10) — Unlocks 2× Catch Candy, which bumps to 3× Catch Candy if you pick up the GO Pass Deluxe.
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Tier 2 (Rank 20) — Unlocks 2× Catch Stardust, which jumps to 3× Catch Stardust on the GO Pass Deluxe.
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Free GO Pass rewards — Ranking up grants encounters with event-themed Pokémon, themed Candy, Rare Candy, and Ultra Balls.
Every reward unlocked along your GO Pass must be claimed before Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. local time, or it disappears for good.
Clear out your item bag, crank up the in-game audio for the Lavender Town vibes, and get hunting — you only have until Nov. 5 to make the most of this year’s haunted haul.
