Pokémon Go holiday event begins Christmas Day — better chance to catch Charizard, Blastoise, and more

I hope you are getting a warm pair of boots for the holidays, because it’s time to go back outside and catch pocket monsters.

Pokémon Go is getting a holiday event beginning December 25, according to developer Niantic. As part of this in-game celebration, players will get a couple of bonuses that make it more likely to find certain kinds of creatures and eggs in the location-based critter-catching mobile game. The event will run through January 3.

When the studio launched Pokémon Go’s first holiday event during Halloween in late October, player spending and engagement showd a significant jump. It’s possible that with all the new iPhones and Android devices that people unwrap during the gift-giving holidays, this event could do the same.

In a blog post, which should go live soon, Niantic touched on some of the changes coming with the holiday event. Here’s a list of what you can expect:

Starting December 25

• Increased chance to hatch a Togepi and other Pokémon.
• PokéStops will award one single-use egg incubator each day of the event.
• PokéStops will award more eggs that hatch Togepi, Pichu, and the rest of the new creatures from the Johto region.
• Pikachu with his festive hat will appear more frequently on the map.

Starting December 30

• Kanto-region starters will appear more frequently.
• Greater chance to catch Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, and Venusaur.
• Greater chance to catch Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard.
• Greater chance to catch Squirtle, Wartortle, and Blastoise.
• Lure modules will last 60 minutes instead of 30.

Here’s the full post from Niantic’s Pokémon Go team:

Trainers,

As the year draws to a close, we want to give you a great way to celebrate the end of the year with Pokémon Go. For the next couple of weeks, you’ll have even more reason to explore the world with your friends and family while you enjoy our year-end event.

Don’t miss out on an increased chance to hatch a Togepi (and other Pokémon)! Starting the morning of December 25, 2016, and through the afternoon of January 3, 2017 (PST), PokéStops will award one single-use Incubator each day after your first Photo Disc spin. As you visit PokéStops during this time period, there will be a greater chance of finding Eggs that hatch Togepi, Pichu, and several other recently found Pokémon, originally discovered in the Johto region. Special Pikachu wearing festive hats will also be staying around a bit longer! You are more likely to find these limited-edition Pikachu during the time period of this celebration.

In addition, from the afternoon of December 30, 2016, through the afternoon of January 8, 2017 (PST), the first partner Pokémon and their Evolutions, originally discovered in the Kanto region, are more likely to be encountered. This means a greater chance to catch Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, and Venusaur, as well as Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard, plus Squirtle, Wartortle, and Blastoise! As a way to increase your chance to encounter one of these Pokémon, Lure Modules will also last for 60 minutes instead of 30 minutes.

Get up and go!