Trainers,

Genesect, the Paleozoic Pokémon, will be making its Pokémon GO debut in a new Special Research story event—A Drive to Investigate! Remember the mysterious weekend event that was mentioned in the March events announcement? It’ll take place alongside the Special Research story event to aid you in your journey to study the mysterious Genesect. Whether or not you have a ticket, you’ll be able to enjoy this weekend-long Genesect-themed event.

Note: Events may vary in certain areas until further notice. Players can stay tuned to our channels for updates. We’re prioritizing updates to Pokémon GO features and experiences that can be enjoyed in individual settings.

A Genesect-themed weekend event

From Friday, March 20, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, March 23, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time, you can look forward to the following features.

Features

Normal-, Fire-, Water-, Electric-, and Ice-type Pokémon will be appearing more often in the wild. You might see Pokémon such as Jigglypuff, Magnemite, Marill, Houndour, and Snorunt appearing more frequently in the wild.

Nincada will be appearing in the wild and hatching from 5 km Eggs. If you’re lucky, you might encounter or hatch a Shiny one!

Karrablast and Shelmet will be hatching more often from 5 km Eggs.

One-star to four-star Raid Battles will feature various Bug- or Steel-type Pokémon.

Bonuses

2× Catch Stardust

2× Hatch Stardust

A Drive to Investigate—a Special Research story event

Professor Willow has found a peculiar trail of damage that appears to have been created by a single Pokémon. The kicker? The damage seems to have been caused by attacks of a wide variety of types! Help him discover which Pokémon is behind them in this brand-new Special Research story event! This event doesn’t have a set location—if you have a ticket, you can take part wherever you can play Pokémon GO.

You can purchase a ticket to gain access to this unique limited-time experience where you’ll complete a variety of tasks to earn an encounter with a Genesect! Genesect will also appear in EX Raids starting in April.

Date + Time

This Special Research story event will take place on Friday, March 20, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Thursday, March 26, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. in your local time zone.

Please note: In attempt to make this Special Research story event available and playable for as many Trainers globally as possible, we have extended this event.

Features

A ticket to this Special Research story event will grant you access to a unique experience! This event comes with the opportunity to access or earn the following.

A new Special Research line featuring an early-access encounter with a Genesect—this is Genesect’s first appearance in Pokémon GO!

A Drive to Investigate medal

Research objectives that lead to encounters with various Bug- and Steel-type Pokémon, including Pinsir, Scizor, Skarmory, Karrablast, and Shelmet, as well as other Pokémon that appear in the story or are related to Genesect

Research objectives that lead to an encounter with Durant, which is typically available only in the eastern hemisphere

Exclusive Genesect-themed avatar items, such as a bag and a cap

5 Premium Battle Passes, 3 Super Incubators, 3 Charged TMs, 3 Fast TMs, 3 Incense, 3 Star Pieces, 1 Poffin, 15 Rare Candies, and 1 Glacial Lure

Encounters with Scyther, Skarmory, Nincada, and Shieldon after completing exclusive Field Research tasks

Ticket details

To receive the A Drive to Investigate Special Research, you must open Pokémon GO during the event from Friday, March 20, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Thursday, March 26, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. in your local time zone. After you’ve collected the Special Research, you can complete it at any time.

The ticket is US$7.99 (or the equivalent in your local currency) and can be purchased in the shop. The ticket cannot be purchased with PokéCoins.

Tickets can be purchased from when they go live until Thursday, March 26, 2020, at 8:00 p.m. in your local time zone. Stay tuned for when they go live!

The ticket to this Special Research story event is nonrefundable. (Subject to applicable law and the exceptions set forth in the Terms of Service.)

How to purchase a ticket and access the Special Research

Tickets to the Special Research story event A Drive to Investigate are now available in the in-app shop!

Tap the Learn More button in the shop. Tap the Buy button. You’ll then receive a pop-up indicating that you’ve received a ticket for A Drive to Investigate. After you tap OK, you can find the ticket in your Item Bag. Before the event, you’ll receive a medal. When you open the app during the event, you’ll receive access to the A Drive to Investigate Special Research. Once you receive the Special Research on March 20, 2020, you’ll be able to finish it later if you don’t complete it by the end of the event. However, for an optimal gameplay experience, we recommend trying your best to complete the research during the event from Friday, March 20, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Thursday, March 26, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. in your local time zone. Don’t worry, Trainers—if you’re unable to participate in this Special Research story event, you can look forward to Genesect coming to EX Raids in April!

Have questions? Please see our FAQ page on the help center for more information on this new Special Research story event.

As you head off on your adventures, remember to be respectful of your surroundings and of others nearby. Get ready for an exciting weekend, Trainers! Let’s GO!

—The Pokémon GO team