Congratulations to Pokémon GO for receiving the Sport in Life award!

Trainers,

We are thrilled to share that Pokémon GO has received the Sport in Life award from the Sports Agency, a subsidiary of Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology!

We learned of this inaugural nomination just around Pokémon GO’s third anniversary. This year’s celebrations have become all the more special from being honored by an organization like the Sports Agency—one that shares our mission and commitment to going outdoors, exploring the world, and striving for a healthier physical, mental, and social lifestyle.

Many Pokémon adventures start by asking “Why not?” before stepping out of our homes. Together we’ve taken galleries’ worth of GO snapshots, challenged Legendary Pokémon in raids with friends, completed tons of research for Professor Willow, and succeeded in two parts of the Global Challenge so far. We are incredibly proud and humbled to have been a part of this entire experience with you.

So thank you, Trainers, for playing Pokémon GO and attending our incredible live events around the globe! Your passion inspires us every day to create a unique experience that can be enjoyed by all.

Now it’s time to get out there and do what we do best. Let’s get up and GO!

—The Pokémon GO team

Rayquaza Returns To Raids With A Radiant Reveals!

Trainers,

Rayquaza is said to have lived for hundreds of millions of years in the ozone layer, descending only to put the clash between Kyogre and Groudon to rest. Seeing as the Sea Basin Pokémon and the Continent Pokémon have both been active recently, it’s no surprise that this normally reclusive Pokémon has reappeared in their place!

Date + Time

• Rayquaza will appear in five-star raids from Wednesday, July 31, 2019, at 1 p.m. until Monday, September 2, 2019, at 1 p.m. PDT (GMT −7)

Features

• If your luck soars sky-high, you may encounter a Shiny Rayquaza!

This Dragon- and Flying-type Legendary Pokémon is weak to Ice-, Rock-, Dragon-, and Fairy-type attacks. In fact, Rayquaza has a quadruple weakness to Ice-type attacks, so be sure to have Pokémon with those attacks ready when going into battle!

May the winds of fortune blow in your favor. Let’s GO!

—The Pokémon GO team

Team GO Rocket invades Pokémon GO!

Trainers!

The world of Pokémon GO is in peril. An organization called Team GO Rocket has invaded PokéStops and is in possession of Shadow Pokémon that behave strangely and seem to be in pain. Team GO Rocket is clearly up to no good, and we need your help! Professor Willow and the team leaders have been hard at work observing and researching these happenings with Team GO Rocket, and they’ve come up with a plan to restore the PokéStops and rescue the Shadow Pokémon!

1. Encounter Team GO Rocket — Spark and Professor Willow have observed Team GO Rocket members hanging out at discolored PokéStops. It appears they’re after the PokéStops’ resources!

2. Battle Team GO Rocket — Once you begin the encounter with a Team GO Rocket Grunt, they’ll challenge you to a battle. We’re counting on you to accept their challenge and defeat them!

3. Catch the Shadow Pokémon — After a successful battle, you’ll have an opportunity to catch a Shadow Pokémon that Team GO Rocket carelessly abandoned. Candela and Professor Willow discovered that these Pokémon look unusual and behave strangely because Team GO Rocket tried to make them stronger through unnatural means. After additional research, Professor Willow has also found that Shadow Pokémon can’t be traded away by the Trainer who rescued them unless they’re Purified first!

4. Purify the Shadow Pokémon — Thanks to all your research, Blanche and Professor Willow have discovered a process called Purification. Not only does Purification help Shadow Pokémon return to a more normal state, but Purified Pokémon can also become stronger than their normal counterparts due to the gratitude they feel toward the Trainer who saved them!

We’ll need as many courageous Trainers as possible to help defeat Team GO Rocket Grunts. Keep an eye out, Trainers! It’s time to give everything we’ve got and put an end to Team GO Rocket's evil plans!

—The Pokémon GO team

Team GO Rocket has disrupted Pokémon habitats!

Trainers,

Team GO Rocket’s arrival seems to have disrupted Pokémon habitats! We have yet to understand why these Pokémon in particular are suddenly appearing more frequently. Perhaps they have some special significance wherever Team GO Rocket came from?

Date + Time

• Thursday, July 25, 2019, at 1 p.m. until Thursday, August 1, 2019, at 1 p.m. PDT (GMT −7)

Features

• Oddly specific Shiny Pokémon have started appearing! Our research has found that if you’re lucky, you may encounter a Shiny Ekans or Shiny Koffing in the wild, in raids, or in Eggs!
• The following Pokémon will hatch more frequently from Eggs: Rattata, Ekans, Sandshrew, Zubat, Meowth, Machop, Magnemite, Grimer, Gastly, Drowzee, Cubone, Koffing, Murkrow, Sneasel, Houndour, and Poochyena.
• Raids will feature Pokémon that we believe are significant to Team GO Rocket.

Our information is incomplete, and investigations into this phenomenon are ongoing, so be on the lookout for other surprises!

We hope these are the last of the disruptions we’ll see from Team GO Rocket...

In the meantime, Trainers, keep exploring the world around you, and let us know what you discover.

—The Pokémon GO team

Straw Hat Pikachu Arrives in Pokémon Go from July 22 through July 29

Trainer,

If you enjoy collecting Pikachu wearing amusing hats in Pokémon GO, there’s still one piece to that puzzle that you need. Luckily, the latest in the grand line of behatted Pikachu is arriving soon in the form of Straw Hat Pikachu!

From July 22, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. through July 29, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. local time, this special Pikachu will appear in the wild, giving Trainers plenty of chances to add it to their crew. Pikachu’s kicky straw hat is perfect for keeping the burning sun at bay during these sunny summer months. If you want to coordinate your avatar’s outfit with Pikachu, there will be a matching straw hat available in the Style Shop.

You’re sure to treasure this new addition to your team, so don’t miss out—get ready to head out on another grand Pokémon GO adventure!

— The Pokémon GO team

Community Note: New attacks and updates for Trainer Battles

Trainers,

In our previous Community Note, we outlined some changes that came to Pokémon GO that affected your Pokémon’s performance in Raid Battles, as well as other additions to the game. In this update, we’re excited to announce more changes, focusing on Trainer Battles!

In a continued effort to make Trainer Battles a fun and competitive experience, switching Pokémon will now briefly pause the battle. This will grant you more time to choose which Pokémon to call out, and it will avoid Pokémon causing damage to each other while they are withdrawn into their Poké Balls. Charged Attack gameplay will also be updated with new, fun swiping and tapping mechanics. (Want to know more? Check out our Niantic Help page for more info.)

More attacks will also be coming to Pokémon GO!

The following Pokémon will be able to learn attacks they couldn’t before:

• 026 Alolan Raichu: Grass Knot - Alolan Raichu currently can only learn Electric- and Psychic-type attacks. Grass Knot will give it more type coverage and help cover its weakness to Ground-type attacks.
• 045 Vileplume: Sludge Bomb - Sludge Bomb provides Vileplume with a strong Poison-type Charged Attack to take full advantage of its Grass and Poison types.
• 097 Hypno: Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch - These attacks provide Hypno with coverage to help it in the Great League.
• 101 Electrode: Foul Play - All the attacks Electrode can currently learn are Normal type or Electric type. Foul Play provides more type coverage for Electrode.
• 142 Aerodactyl: Rock Throw - Rock Throw allows Aerodactyl to compete in the Great League against other Flying-type Pokémon, such as Altaria.
• 144 Articuno: Ancient Power, Ice Shard - Ice Shard will help Articuno use its Charged Attacks more frequently in battle. Ancient Power offers additional type coverage.
• 145 Zapdos: Ancient Power, Drill Peck - Zapdos currently can only learn Electric-type Charged Attacks. Drill Peck gives another type option and is a natural fit for this Pokémon. Ancient Power provides Zapdos with additional type coverage.
• 146 Moltres: Ancient Power, Wing Attack - Wing Attack provides Moltres with a Fast Attack alternative to Fire Spin, and Ancient Power gives it a new type option for its Charged Attacks.
• 254 Sceptile: Dragon Claw - Dragon Claw gives Sceptile additional coverage to compete with Dragon-type Pokémon in the Great League and the Ultra League.
• 306 Aggron: Smack Down - The Fast Attack Smack Down should make Aggron a formidable choice to use in any league.
• 344 Claydol: Mud Slap - This Ground-type alternative to Claydol’s Psychic-type Fast Attacks provides it with additional type coverage, improving its capabilities against Pokémon resistant to Psychic-type attacks.
• 437 Bronzong: Bulldoze, Psyshock - Bulldoze and Psyshock are Charged Attacks that Bronzong can capitalize on to differentiate it from other Psychic-type or Steel-type Pokémon, like Metagross.
• 466 Electivire: Ice Punch - All the Charged Attacks Electivire can currently learn are Electric type. Ice Punch provides more type coverage for Electivire.

Attacks New to Pokémon GO

Certain Pokémon will soon be able to learn attacks that hadn’t yet been seen in Pokémon GO!

• Charm: A Fairy-type Fast Attack - Raichu, Clefable, Wigglytuff, Wobbuffet, Granbull, Donphan, Gardevoir, Delcatty, Latias, Togekiss, Gallade
• Skull Bash: A Normal-type Charged Attack that increases the Defense stat of the user 100 percent of the time - Blastoise, Raichu, Lapras, Snorlax, Rhyperior

We’re excited to see the teams you build with these changes, Trainers. Stay tuned, as we’ll be sharing more updates like these in the future. Good luck on the battlefield!

—The Pokémon GO team