Niantic has issued an official list of events for March, and it looks like we've got a few that you won't want to miss! From shiny Mythicals to Exclusive Moves long over-due, let's dive into what the change of season is set to bring!
Note that these events are subject to change in Japan, South Korea, and Italy
Tier 5 Raids
The big question at the start of the month seems to always revolve around the Tier 5 raid bosses that are to come. This time around, we have a number of them!
Thundurus Makes its Grand Debut
Stating on March 2 at 1:00 p.m. PST, Thundurus will be joining the Tier 5 raid scene. This Electric/Flying Type Pokemon is the second member of the Forces of Nature after Tornadus. The Bolt Strike Pokemon, as it's called, will be in raids for a yet-to-be-determined period, though it's going to have to share that spotlight, as every full weekend in March will have a special raid event!
Darkrai Special Raid Weekend
| Raid Weekend Start | Raid Weekend End |
|---|---|
| March 6, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. local time | Monday, March 9, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time. |
The ever-popular Darkrai is making its first appearance in 2020! The Pitch Black Pokemon is a particularly popular Mythical Pokemon with a very strong niche as one of the absolute best Dark Type attackers in the game. And on top of that, it will be our first chance to catch the elusive Shiny Darkrai!
Shiny Darkrai
This is not an event to miss! Get out there for your chance as this powerful Pokemon!
Giratina - Altered Special Raid Weekend
| Raid Weekend Start | Raid Weekend End |
|---|---|
| March 13, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. local time | Monday, March 16, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time. |
The Renegade Pokemon is back for its special raid weekend! Giratina-Altered is one of the defining Pokemon of the Ultra League, and a hugely powerful Pokemon in the Master League. If you don't have one, then now is your chance to make that catch, and it may even be shiny!
Shiny Giratina - Altered
Cobalion Special Raid Weekend
| Raid Weekend Start | Raid Weekend End |
|---|---|
| March 20, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. local time | Monday, March 23, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time. |
While it hasn't been long since we've seen the first of the Swords of Justice, the Iron Will Pokemon will be making a return for a special weekend, with Shiny Forme available!
Shiny Cobalion
What makes Cobalion especially interesting is the fact that its raid weekend will give it access to its signature attack: Sacred Sword! While we don't have access to this move's stats yet, we do know that it will be a Fighting Type move, and it will likely set the tone for the future, as both Cobalion and Virizion are likely to learn this attack as well moving forward!
Lugia Special Raid Weekend
| Raid Weekend Start | Raid Weekend End |
|---|---|
| March 27, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. local time | Monday, March 30, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time. |
The grand reward of the first Go Fest and of the very first Legendary Pokemon ever released, Lugia is making its return to the raid scene. As has been the case in the past, its Shiny Forme will be available.
Shiny Lugia
But that's not even the best news! After all of these years it's happening; Lugia is being given access to its signature attack: Aero Blast! Much like Sacred Sword, we don't know what this attack will entail. However, given the fact that Lugia already has access to the outstanding Sky Attack, it will likely have to be absolutely phenomenal to compete. This could make for an exciting end to March!
Month-Long Events
Save Shadow Entei from Giovanni
As has become somewhat of a tradition since his release into Pokemon Go, Giovanni has enslaved yet another Legendary Pokemon and turned it into a Shadow Pokemon. For March we have the Fire-Type member of the legendary beasts of Johto, Entei.
Players will have to fight through Team Rocket grunts and bosses while saving and purifying Shadow Pokemon in order to reach this once-per-month Pokemon, so get ready to get to work!
Research Breakthrough Reward: March 2020
Woobat's time is coming to a close, and in its place we'll be seeing the Thorn Seed Pokemon, Ferroseed!
Ferroseed and its evolution, Ferrothorn, are particuarly rare Grass/Steel Type Pokemon from Generation 5/Unova. They are highly defensively-oriented, and Ferrothorn is a niche pick in Great League PvP. On top of a rare Pokemon, the research breakthough will also feature Bonus Stardust, though we're not yet sure how much.
Limited Events
A Mysterious Weekend Event
| Event Start | Event End |
|---|---|
| Friday, March 20, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. local time | Monday, March 23, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time |
In a special weekend event noted to be "mysterious" is coming! Here are the bonuses to this event:
- 2x Catch and Hatch Stardust
- An increase in Normal, Fire, Water, Electric, and Ice-Type Pokemon Spawns
- Kerrablast and Shelmet will Hatch from 5k Eggs More Often
- One Star Raids will feature Steel and Bug Type Pokemon
This event will also feature a Brand New Special Research Event, the first that we've seen since A Colossal Discovery with Regigigas. Based on the theme of the event, we're predicting that the featured Pokemon will be the Bug/Steel Type Mythic Pokemon with a signature attack that can be Normal, Fire, Water, Electric, or Ice-Type in the main series; Genesect.
If this is the case, we would like to point out some very important facts:
- If caught via special research, Genesect will be Lv.15
- Genesect cannot be traded
Based on these two facts and its normal CP range, THIS COULD BE OUR ONLY CHANCE TO GET A GENESECT WITH A CP BELOW 1500! If you want one for Great League, don't miss this event!
Team GO Rocket Global Take-Over
| Event Start | Event End |
|---|---|
| Friday, March 6, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. local time | Monday, March 9, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time |
Team Go Rocket is at it again! In this short event, we'll see a few great and unique bonuses hit!
- Poison and Dark Type Pokemon will be appearing in the wild more often
- Pokemon related to Team Rocket will be appearing in the wild more often, including Absol
- All Past Pokemon Held by Leaders Will Be Obtainable, and Can be Shiny!
- Team Rocket Grunts give 2x Stardust
- Special in-game Team Rocket music will be available
- Use a Charged TM on a Shadow Pokemon and you can remove its special move, Frustration, for the span of the event!
On top of all of this, on March 7 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time, Team Rocket will be more active than normal, including the bosses and Giovanni!
And the icing on the cake: Skorupi will be available in its shiny forme regardless of how it's discovered!
Shiny Skorupi Family
The Psychic Spectacular
| Event Start | Event End |
|---|---|
| Friday, March 27, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. local time | Monday, March 30, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time |
It's time for yet another returning event! This time it's the Psychic Spectacular, and it's got some fun bonuses!
- Special Psychic-Themed Field Research
- Psychic-Type Pokemon Featured in Raids and In the Wild
- The Release of Two New Unova Species!
The Gothita family will be available to players at night, while the Solosis family will be available during the day. Time to set those clocks! These Pokemon will continue to be available in the wild after the event, and will revert to being available in 5k eggs.
We also have a special selection of Pokemon hatching from 2k eggs:
And to top the event off, we have Shiny Baltoy!
Shiny Baltoy Family
Spotlight Hour and Mystery Bonus Hour.
Niantic has announced that these events will continue into March! Every Tuesday from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. local time we can expect a Pokemon Spotlight Hour with a unique species appearing more frequently in the wild for the duration, and every Thursday from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. local time we can expect Mystery Bonus Hour with a special bonus!
Full Announcement
Full Text
Trainers,
Get ready for a changeup of Research Breakthrough encounters, Legendary Shadow Pokémon, and Legendary Pokémon in raids coming this March! This month is chock-full of events and Pokémon both returning and debuting as well as a ton of Stardust bonuses.
- Save Shadow Entei from Giovanni
- March Research Breakthrough encounter: Ferroseed with bonus Stardust
- Thundurus bolts into five-star raids
- A month of Legendary Special Raid Weekends
- A mysterious weekend event is coming...
- A Team GO Rocket global take-over is imminent!
- The Psychic Spectacular returns with new faces
- Pokémon Spotlight Hour and Mystery Bonus Hour
Note: In-game events for March may vary in the following areas until further notice. Players in these areas can stay tuned to our channels for updates.
- Japan
- South Korea
- Italy
Save Shadow Entei from Giovanni
If you’ve completed your most recent set of Team GO Rocket Special Research, then you’ll have access to March’s Team GO Rocket Special Research, The Shadowy Threat Grows. 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 Entei! Be sure to finish this Special Research by the end of March.
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.
March Research Breakthrough encounter: Ferroseed with bonus Stardust
It’s time to plant the seeds of success this spring! From Sunday, March 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8) to Wednesday, April 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), the Thorn Seed Pokémon, Ferroseed, will be available as a Research Breakthrough encounter, and it’ll come with bonus Stardust! Ferroseed’s evolved form, Ferrothorn, can be a powerful contender in Trainer Battles, including those in the GO Battle League!
Thundurus bolts into five-star raids
Starting Monday, March 2, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −7), Thundurus, the Bolt Strike 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 Thundurus flies around the Unova region firing off lightning bolts from the spikes on its tail, so watch out for this Electric- and Flying-type Legendary Pokémon!
Get ready to take it on with Pokémon that know Ice- and Rock-type attacks!
A month of Legendary Special Raid Weekends!
Every weekend this month will feature a different Legendary Pokémon in five-star raids! For the entire month of March, you’ll receive an attack boost when you raid with friends.
- Darkrai Special Raid Weekend will happen from Friday, March 6, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, March 9, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Darkrai!
- Altered Forme Giratina Special Raid Weekend will happen from Friday, March 13, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, March 16, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Altered Forme Giratina!
- Cobalion Special Raid Weekend will happen from Friday, March 20, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, March 23, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time. These Cobalion will know the event-exclusive attack Sacred Sword. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Cobalion!
- Lugia Special Raid Weekend will happen from Friday, March 27, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, March 30, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time. These Lugia will know the event-exclusive attack Aeroblast. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Lugia!
A mysterious weekend event is coming...
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, Stardust bonuses, and more.
Features
- Normal-, Fire-, Water-, Electric-, and Ice-type Pokémon will be appearing more often in the wild. * Nincada will also be available! It will be appearing in the wild and hatching more often 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 throughout the weekend will feature various Bug- or Steel-type Pokémon.
Bonuses
- 2× Catch Stardust
- 2× Hatch Stardust
This weekend event will also be accompanied by a brand-new Special Research story event! More details to come.
A Team GO Rocket global take-over is imminent!
Odd things are afoot, Trainers. The professor and team leaders have been following Team GO Rocket’s movements and noticed that they’re planning something big. We don’t know all Team GO Rocket’s plans yet, but we do have the following details to share.
- From Friday, March 6, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, March 9, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time
- Poison- and Dark-type Pokémon will be appearing more often in the wild, as well as other Pokémon that are related to Team GO Rocket.
- We have reports that Absol is one of the Pokémon that will be appearing in the wild!
- Regardless of how you come across it, any Skorupi you find could be Shiny—if you’re lucky!
- On Saturday, March 7, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time
- We have word that another Team GO Rocket global take-over will happen! Team GO Rocket Grunts will be making a push to seize even more PokéStops. Sierra, Cliff, Arlo, and even Giovanni himself will also be more active, so you might run into them more easily if you keep your Rocket Radar or Super Rocket Radar equipped.
- We’ve noticed that Shadow Pokémon rescued from the Team GO Rocket Leaders have had a chance of being Shiny. While the Team GO Rocket Leaders have switched up their teams since they first appeared, during this take-over, you’ll be able to rescue all six of the Shadow Pokémon that Trainers have seen left behind by the Team GO Rocket Leaders.
- During the take-over, you’ll be able to use a Charged TM to change a Shadow Pokémon’s exclusive attack, Frustration, to other Charged Attacks that that Pokémon can learn normally. Please note that if you purify the Shadow Pokémon afterward, it will still learn Return, replacing the attack learned via the Charged TM.
- Defeating Team GO Rocket Grunts and Leaders will earn you twice the usual Stardust.
- Turn on your in-game music—the Team GO Rocket music will be playing!
The Psychic Spectacular returns with new faces
We’ve used Future Sight, and one thing is for certain—the Psychic Spectacular is coming back! From Friday, March 27, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, March 30, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time, you can look forward to the following.
Features
- More Psychic-type Pokémon first discovered in Unova will make their Pokémon GO debut! During the daytime, you’ll be able to encounter Solosis, the Cell Pokémon, in the wild, and during the evening, you’ll instead encounter Gothita, the Fixation Pokémon! Solosis and Gothita will be available after the event in the wild and in 5 km Eggs.
- The following Psychic-type Pokémon will be hatching more often from 2 km Eggs: Abra, Drowzee, Ralts, Spoink, Baltoy, Wynaut, Beldum, Gothita, and Solosis.
- If you’re lucky, you might find a Shiny Baltoy!
- Psychic-type Pokémon will be featured in raids, and you’ll see them more often in the wild.
- Enjoy Psychic Spectacular Field Research throughout the event period.
Updates to Pokémon Spotlight Hour and Mystery Bonus Hour
Thank you, Trainers, for all your feedback on these experimental events! For the month of March, we are happy to report that we’ll continue testing these new ideas, but we wanted to provide some information in advance so you can prepare for these hour-long minievents that are meant to complement your gameplay.
- Pokémon Spotlight Hour—You can expect a surprising amount of Pokémon appearing in the wild for one hour at 6:00 p.m. local time every Tuesday for the month of March.
- Mystery Bonus Hour—This hour-long minievent will return every Thursday at 6:00 p.m. local time during the month of March. You can expect bonuses for things like Candy, Stardust, or XP. Log in at 6:00 p.m. to see what the Mystery Bonus is!
Be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receiving push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated. Let’s GO!
—The Pokémon GO team
