Everyone Must Play Pokémon GO 10th Anniversary Event
Pokémon GO turns ten on July 6th, and Niantic is celebrating with one of the most bonus-packed events in the game's history. From July 4th at 10:00 a.m. to July 6th at 8:00 p.m. local time, trainers can enjoy 4× catch XP, 4× catch Stardust, the debut of shiny Gimmighoul, exclusive moves on final evolutions, and a raid lineup that includes 74 legendary bosses on the final day. Whether you're chasing XP, dust, shinies, or meta-relevant Pokémon, this three-day window—and the extended shiny Gimmighoul availability through July 31st—demands a plan. Below is your complete breakdown.
Event Bonuses at a Glance
| Bonus | Details |
|---|---|
| 4× Catch XP | Base 1,000 XP per excellent throw → 4,000 XP; with Lucky Egg → 8,000 XP |
| 4× Catch Stardust | Base 100 → 400; Stage 1 → 1,200; Stage 2 → 2,000; weather-boosted ×1.25; Star Piece ×1.5 |
| Shiny Gimmighoul | Available from Coin Bag (daily 30-min incense) during event and until July 31st 23:59 local |
| Event-themed shiny odds | Boosted on costumed Pikachu, Eevee, Wurmple, and likely party-hat starters, Raticate, Gengar, Nidorina, Wobbuffet |
| Exclusive moves | Evolve to Venusaur (Frenzy Plant), Charizard (Blast Burn), Blastoise (Hydro Cannon) during event hours |
| Paid Timed Research ($2) | Super Incubator, Raid Pass, 10th Anniversary Coin Gimmighoul (special background), more; expires end of event |
Wild Spawns & Evolution Targets
Confirmed costumed spawns (boosted shiny rates):
- Pikachu wearing a cake hat
- Eevee wearing a party hat
- Wurmple wearing a party hat
Likely additional spawns (based on previous anniversaries):
- Party-hat Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle
- Party-hat Raticate, Gengar, Nidorina, Wobbuffet
Why they matter:
- Party-hat Bulbasaur → Venusaur → Mega Venusaur (#2 Grass attacker) & G-Max Venusaur (#2 Grass Max attacker)
- Party-hat Charmander → Charizard → Mega Charizard Y (#2 Fire attacker) & G-Max Charizard (#2 Fire Max attacker)
- Party-hat Squirtle → Blastoise → Mega Blastoise (#4 Water attacker) & G-Max Blastoise (#3 Water Max attacker); also ranks #51 Great League / #22 Ultra League
- Pikachu cake hat → stockpile candy/XL for Mega Raichu Y (arriving July 18th, #2 Electric attacker)
- Wurmple party hat → 12-candy evolutions; save for future 2× evolution XP events
Raid Schedule
| Period | Tier | Bosses |
|---|---|---|
| July 4 – July 5 | 5★ | Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres (Wing Attack + Fly) |
| July 6 only | 5★ | 74 legendary bosses (Road to Legends kickoff – essentially every raid-eligible legendary) |
| July 4 – July 5 | Mega | Mega Lucario (Force Palm/Aura Sphere – #2 Fighting; Bullet Punch/Meteor Mash – #6 Steel) |
| July 6 | Mega | Mega Salamence (Dragon Tail/Draco Meteor – #4 Dragon; Bite/Brutal Swing – #6 Dark) |
| Throughout | 5★ Shadow | Shadow Palkia (Dragon Tail/Draco Meteor – #6 Dragon; candies fuel Origin Palkia & Spatial Rend adventure effect) |
Raid tips: Moltres is an easy duo for raid XP and Rare Candy farming. Shadow Moltres is the #3 Flying attacker.
Coin Bag & Shiny Gimmihoul Mechanics
- What it is: 30-minute incense spawning only Gimmighoul; usable once per day.
- How to unlock: Send a postcard from Pokémon GO to Pokémon Scarlet or Violet on Nintendo Switch.
- Pairing steps:
- On Switch: Poké Portal → Mystery Gift → Connect to Pokémon GO → Pair New Account
- In GO: Settings → Connect to Nintendo Switch → Pair
- In GO: Postcard Book → Choose postcard → Send to Nintendo Switch
- On Switch: Accept incoming postcard → receive Vivillon (GO) / Coin Bag (GO)
- Daily limit: One Coin Bag per day → 28 possible activations during the event window (July 4–31).
- Shiny odds: Standard shiny rate per encounter; activating daily gives high cumulative chance.
- Evolution note: 10th Anniversary Coin Gimmighoul cannot evolve; regular Gimmighoul evolves to Gholdengo (1,000 coins, #11 Ghost attacker with Hex/Shadow Ball).
- Golden Lure: Send 5 postcards total → Golden Lure Module → spawns Gimmighoul at PokéStops for extra coins.
Maxing XP & Stardust: The Grind Stack
Core Multipliers
| Item / Effect | XP Multiplier | Stardust Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Event bonus | ×4 | ×4 |
| Lucky Egg | ×2 | — |
| Star Piece | — | ×1.5 |
| Weather boost | — | ×1.25 |
| Party Play (3 friends sharing 4 items each) | ×2 duration (4 hrs) | ×2 duration (4 hrs) |
Stardust Math (with Star Piece + weather)
- Basic catch: 100 ×4 ×1.5 ×1.25 = 750 (≈7.5× normal)
- Stage 1 (Nidorina): 300 ×4 ×1.5 ×1.25 = 2,250
- Stage 2 (Gengar): 500 ×4 ×1.5 ×1.25 = 3,750
- Boosted-dust species (Audino, Paras, Meowth, Delibird, Shroomish, Foongus, Morelull): 500 base → 9,375 per catch with full stack
- Audino nest = dust printer
XP Math (Lucky Egg + excellent throws)
- Excellent throw: 1,000 ×4 ×2 = 8,000 XP per catch
- Mass-catch with Fast Catch trick → level sprints rivaling 2023 Level-Up Day records
Adventure Effects to Activate
- Dialga – Roar of Time: Freezes Lucky Egg, Star Piece, Incense, Daily Adventure Incense timers.
- Palkia – Spatial Rend: Doubles spawn radius 40 m → 80 m (costs Stardust; weigh ROI).
- Kyurem – Ice Burn: Slows catch ring → easier excellent throws (costs Kyurem candy + Stardust).
Mega Evolution for Candy XL
| Mega / Primal | Boosted Types | Key Targets This Event |
|---|---|---|
| Mega Blaziken | Fire, Fighting | Charmander, Moltres, Lucario |
| Primal Kyogre | Water | Squirtle, Pikachu, Wurmple |
| Primal Groudon | Ground, Fire | Wurmple, Charmander, Moltres |
| Mega Gengar | Ghost, Poison | Bulbasaur, Gimmighoul |
Pro tip: Run a Fire/Fighting/Ground mega during main grind; swap to Ghost mega (Mega Gengar) during Coin Bag sessions for extra Gimmighoul candy.
Community Day & Road to Legends Overlap
- Sobble Community Day – July 4th, 14:00–17:00 local
Stacks 4× XP / 4× Dust / ¼ hatch distance on top of event bonuses → single best grind hour of the month. - Road to Legends – Starts July 6th
Unlimited Remote Raid Passes, guaranteed Candy XL from trades, easier Premier Ball catches, 2 free raid passes day-one.
Community Ambassador Meet-ups (Campfire)
- Open Campfire → filter Meet-ups → look for Community Ambassador badge.
- Check-in benefits:
- Timed Research: Sobble encounters, Rare Candy, Raid Pass, Lucky Egg, Star Piece
- 25% reduced Egg hatch distance while checked in at a meet-up party
- Social XP & trade bonuses
Trading & Friendship Friday Prep
- During event: Catch everything you need candy for → trade away for +1 candy (or +2 candy + guaranteed Candy XL if you hit Rank 1 at June GO Fest).
- Hold until Friday (July 11) for Friendship Friday:
- 20% Stardust discount on trades
- 2 extra Special Trades (in-person)
- Guaranteed Candy XL per trade
- Higher lucky rate → 1/64 hundo chance on lucky Gimmighoul, etc.
- Pinap / Silver Pinap: 2× / 2.34× catch candy – essential for XL stockpiles.
Technical Prep Checklist (Do Before July 4)
- Settings → Advanced Settings → Download All Assets – prevents mid-grind loading.
- Enable Native Refresh Rate – smoother throws, better excellent consistency.
- Learn Fast Catch Trick – skips catch animation; saves seconds per catch → massive time savings over hours.
- Stockpile: Lucky Eggs, Star Pieces, Pinap/Silver Pinap, Ultra Balls, Incense, Remote Raid Passes.
- Coordinate Party Play group (3 friends) for 4-hour item windows.
Why it is recommended for everyone
The 10th Anniversary Party compresses the best grinding bonuses in Pokémon GO history into a single long weekend, then extends the shiny Gimmighoul hunt through July. Whether you're chasing level 50, a living dex, or the meta-defining Megas arriving later this month, the math is unambiguous: be outside, be stacked, and be efficient. Pair up, party up, and catch 'em all—ten years only happens once.
Good luck, trainers. See you on the map.