Trainers,

Be still, your heart! Get ready for new Research Breakthrough encounters, Shadow Legendary Pokémon, and debuting Legendary Pokémon coming in February. This month will also feature events celebrating the Sinnoh region and Valentine’s Day, as well as entirely new kinds of events that we’re testing. There’s much to look forward to during this season of love.

Save Shadow Raikou from Giovanni! February Research Breakthrough encounter: Woobat with bonus Woobat Candies! Tornadus zooms into five-star raids! A Sinnoh region celebration event Pokémon GO Valentine’s Day Celebration 2020 Celebrate your love for friends with a special friendship weekend event New experiments: Pokémon Spotlight Hour and Mystery Bonus Hour

Save Shadow Raikou from Giovanni!

If you’ve completed your most recent set of Team GO Rocket Special Research, then you’ll have access to February’s Team GO Rocket Special Research, A Professor's Work Is Never Done. This time, you’ll be tasked to defeat Team GO Rocket, its leaders, and Giovanni once more for a chance to rescue the Legendary Shadow Pokémon Raikou! Be sure to finish this Special Research by the end of February before Shadow Raikou leaves.

Team GO Rocket never rests, Trainers, and neither can we! Be on the lookout for new Team GO Rocket Special Research from Professor Willow every month. For more information, please see our help center article.

February Research Breakthrough encounter: Woobat with bonus Woobat Candies!

From Saturday, February 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Sunday, March 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8), the Bat Pokémon Woobat with bonus Woobat Candies will be available as Research Breakthrough encounters! This Pokémon originally discovered in the Unova region will be making its Pokémon GO debut.

Can you guess why it’s making its debut in February, the month of love? Well, look no further than its cute nose! This Psychic- and Flying-type Pokémon uses the suction from its nose to stick to cave walls as it sleeps. The heart-shaped mark it leaves on skin is said to bring good fortune, so we hope an encounter with Woobat will bring you not only good luck but also a new friend!

Tornadus zooms into five-star raids!

From Tuesday, February 4, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Tuesday, February 25, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8), Tornadus, the Cyclone Pokémon, will be in five-star raids! This Pokémon originally discovered in the Unova region will be making its Pokémon GO debut. It’s said that when Tornadus flies, it creates winds so powerful that everything surrounding it gets blown away.

This Flying-type Pokémon could be a legendary addition to your battle team, so get ready to take it on with Pokémon that know Electric-, Ice-, and Rock-type attacks!

A Sinnoh region celebration event

In appreciation of all the great Pokémon that we’ve befriended that were originally discovered in the Sinnoh region, we’re happy to announce a Sinnoh region celebration event! From Friday, February 7, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, February 10, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time, Pokémon originally discovered in the Sinnoh region will be appearing more often in the wild and in raids.

All 7 km Eggs obtained during the event period will exclusively hatch certain Pokémon from the Sinnoh region, including Budew, Combee, Bronzor, Gible, Riolu, Hippopotas, and Mantyke. Event-specific Field Research tasks will reward you with encounters with Pokémon that were originally discovered in this beautiful region, as well as Sinnoh Stones. And last but not least, if you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Riolu or a Shiny Hippopotas! Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to the event.

Pokémon GO Valentine’s Day Celebration 2020

Love will soon be in the air! Our annual Valentine’s Day event is back. From Friday, February 14, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, February 17, 2020 at 10:00 p.m. local time, pink Pokémon will be appearing more often in the wild, in raids, in Eggs, and as Field Research encounters.

Audino, the Hearing Pokémon, and Alomomola, the Caring Pokémon, will be making their Pokémon GO debut! They're rare though, so you might encounter them only if you’re very lucky! During this event, regular Lure Modules will last six hours and you’ll receive a 2× Catch Candy bonus. If you’re lucky, you might hatch a Shiny Happiny or encounter a Shiny Chansey in the wild!

To continue the pink Pokémon festivities in celebration of Valentine’s Day, there will be a Raid Day on Saturday, February 15, 2020, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time featuring Lickitung! Lickitung will be in four-star raids and know Body Slam! You can receive up to five additional Raid Passes at no cost during the event by spinning Photo Discs at Gyms. You cannot hold more than one of these Raid Passes at once, and they will not be available after the event ends. Lucky Trainers might encounter Shiny Lickitung!

Celebrate your love for friends with a special friendship weekend event

Romantic love isn’t all that we’re celebrating this month! Show some love for your friends from Friday, February 21, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, February 24, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time with these exclusive bonuses.

Friendship levels will increase faster

2x Trade Candy

1/2 Trade Stardust cost

The number of Gifts you can open daily will increase to 40.

The number of Gifts you can carry in your inventory will increase to 20.

New experiments: Pokémon Spotlight Hour and Mystery Bonus Hour

The Pokémon GO team is always looking for more ways to improve the gameplay experience. This month, we’re excited to test out two new types of events: Pokémon Spotlight Hour and Mystery Bonus Hour.

Pokémon Spotlight Hour will feature...a surprise Pokémon! All we’ll tell you is that it will appear more frequently in the wild on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time.

Mystery Bonus Hour will feature—you guessed it—a mystery bonus! This unknown bonus will be live in the app on Thursday, February 6, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time.

And that’s not all! We’ll be doing even more new and surprising things this month, so be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receive push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated. Let’s GO!

—The Pokémon GO team