Spring is properly here, and Pokémon GO is making the most of it. April 2026 is genuinely one of the busier months the game has served up in a while — you’ve got Steel-type spotlights, the return of fan-favorite Legendaries, a Community Day that’s worth getting off the couch for, and a Europe-exclusive event that might make a few trainers outside the region quietly jealous. Here’s everything you need to know to plan your April.
Pokémon GO April 2026 Full Event Schedule
Let’s start with the big picture. April 2026 is part of the ongoing Memories in Motion season, and the calendar is packed with activities ranging from the usual Community Day and Max Battle Day staples to special events like Sustainability Week and the Steeled Resolve event closing out the month.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 31st March – Monday 6th April | A Shockingly Good Time |
| Thursday 2nd – Monday 6th April | An Egg-cellent Adventure (Europe only) |
| Saturday 4th April | Fashion Raid Day |
| Saturday 11th April | Tinkatink Community Day |
| Tuesday 14th – Monday 20th April | Sustainability Week |
| Saturday 18th April | Replay: Riolu Hatch Day |
| Saturday 25th April | Max Battle Day |
| Tuesday 28th April – Monday 4th May | Steeled Resolve |
| Thursday 30th April – Monday 4th May | Steeled Resolve: Taken Over |
A quick note for European trainers: An Egg-cellent Adventure 2026 is a limited-time event running exclusively across Europe, giving players the chance to encounter special Pokémon, earn bonuses, and take advantage of increased Shiny rates. If you’re outside Europe, you won’t be able to access it — but there’s still more than enough to keep you busy.
Also worth flagging: Pokémon GO has a history of doing something unpredictable on April 1st. Whether it’s Pidgey taking over the world or your box Pokémon turning into sprites, nobody knows what’s coming until the day itself. Keep your eyes open.
Tinkatink Community Day — April 11th
This is probably the event most trainers are looking forward to most, and for good reason.
Tinkatink is the base form of Tinkaton — one of the more interesting additions to the PvP meta in recent memory. Because Tinkatink could originally only be obtained through Egg hatching, building up enough candy to evolve through Tinkatuff and into Tinkaton was a real grind. Community Day fixes that completely.
The event runs on Saturday, April 11, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM local time, with Tinkatink appearing far more frequently in the wild and Shiny odds jumping to roughly 1-in-20 during the event window.
Here’s why Tinkaton is worth the effort: it’s only weak to Fire- and Ground-type moves while being resistant to 11 move types — particularly Dragon. It was even part of the team used by Beelzeboy, the first Indian Pokémon GO player to win the 2025 Pokémon GO World Championship. This thing is legitimately good.
The exclusive move for this Community Day is Gigaton Hammer. With 130 power in Trainer Battles and 300 power in Gyms and Raids, it’s well worth the evolution investment. You’ll need to evolve Tinkatuff during the event or up to four hours afterward to lock in the move.
Event bonuses include:
- 3× Stardust from catches
- 2× Candy per catch
- Extended Lures (1 hour) and Incense (3 hours)
- One additional Special Trade
- Tinkatink will continue appearing at active Lure Module PokéStops from 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM — with boosted Shiny odds even after standard event hours end
A Community Day Special Research is also available for $1.99, including three encounters with Special Background Tinkatink, a Premium Battle Pass, Rare Candy XL, and more.
If you’re into PvP at all, this is a Community Day you genuinely don’t want to skip.
Sustainability Week — April 14th to 20th
Sustainability Week 2026 marks the Pokémon GO debut of Silicobra, alongside the first appearance of Galarian Corsola wearing sunglasses. Shiny Toedscool is also available during the event. Expect event bonuses, wild spawns, Field Research tasks, and GO Pass rewards spread across the full week.
Replay: Riolu Hatch Day — April 18th
Replay: Riolu Hatch Day runs on Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM local time. Riolu eggs will be available with boosted Shiny odds, alongside special Timed Research tasks and a Paid Timed Research for additional encounters.
If you missed the original Riolu Hatch Day or never managed to hatch a Riolu with usable IVs for Lucario, this is a solid second chance.
Steeled Resolve and Steeled Resolve: Taken Over — Late April
The month closes out on a Steel-type theme. The Taken Over portion of the event on April 30th is expected to give both new and veteran players opportunities to encounter Shadow Pokémon with strong IVs that are viable for raids and PvP. More details on exactly which Pokémon are involved should be revealed closer to the event dates.
Fashion Raid Day — April 4th
Fashion Raid Day runs from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM local time on April 4th, featuring costumed versions of Dragonite, Butterfree, Diglett, Wooper, Sneasel, Kirlia, Absol, Shinx, Croagunk, Blitzle, and Minccino appearing in raids.
Trainers can earn up to six free Raid Passes from spinning Gym Photo Discs, and the Remote Raid Pass limit will temporarily increase to 20 around the event. This is a great day to hunt for costumed Shinies without burning through your PokéCoin stash.
Pokémon GO April 2026 Five-Star Legendary Raid Schedule
Here’s what’s running in 5-star raids throughout April:
| Dates | Pokémon | Shiny Available? |
|---|---|---|
| April 1st – 7th | Regidrago | ✅ Yes |
| April 8th – 14th | Kyogre | ✅ Yes |
| April 15th – 21st | Groudon | ✅ Yes |
| April 22nd – 28th | Tapu Koko | ✅ Yes |
| April 29th – May 5th | Tapu Lele | ✅ Yes |
The month kicks off with Regidrago before shifting into the return of Kyogre and Groudon — two of the most iconic Gen 3 Legendaries in the game. Then the Tapus take over to close things out as April rolls into May.
If you only have time to prioritize two Legendaries this month, make it the Tapus. Both sit near the top of their respective type metas, and a powered-up version of each is genuinely useful across raids and PvP formats. Tapu Lele in particular is one of the strongest Psychic-type attackers available — well worth the raid passes.
Don’t forget that Raid Hour runs every Wednesday from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM local time, with the current week’s featured Legendary showing up at an increased rate across gyms. A reliable way to squeeze in a few extra attempts without needing to coordinate a full lobby from scratch.
Pokémon GO April 2026 Mega Raid Schedule
| Dates | Pokémon | Shiny Available? |
|---|---|---|
| April 1st – 7th | Mega Manectric | ✅ Yes |
| April 8th – 14th | Mega Aerodactyl | ✅ Yes |
| April 15th – 21st | Mega Alakazam | ✅ Yes |
| April 22nd – 28th | Mega Sharpedo | ✅ Yes |
| April 29th – May 5th | Mega Banette | ✅ Yes |
Quick reminder: you don’t catch the Mega Evolution directly from a Mega Raid. Instead, you earn Mega Energy and get an encounter with the standard form of that Pokémon.
If you had to pick one Mega from April’s lineup to focus on, Mega Alakazam is the practical choice. It currently ranks among the best Psychic-type Mega Evolutions in the game, and trainers who still lack a strong Psychic attacker should seriously consider raiding it during its April 15th–21st window. It might not be the most visually exciting option on the list, but it’s the most useful.
Pokémon GO April 2026 Shadow Raid Schedule
Shadow Latios is appearing in five-star Shadow Raids every weekend throughout April — and yes, a Shiny Shadow Latios is possible.
Shadow Raids work differently from regular five-stars. They only appear on Saturdays and Sundays, which means you need to plan around the weekend rather than dipping in whenever you have a free moment. The good news is that Remote Raid Passes can now be used for Shadow Raids during the Memories in Motion season, which opens things up considerably if your local raiding scene tends to be quiet.
Shadow Legendaries hit harder than standard versions, but they also come with added candy costs and candy XL requirements. Go in knowing what you’re committing to, and it’s worth every bit of the effort.
April 2026 GO Pass
The April GO Pass and GO Pass Deluxe come with some solid rewards this month — including an encounter with Entei, XP and Stardust bonuses, and the return of the Lucky Trinket. You earn GO Points by completing Pass Tasks and unlock milestone rewards as you rank up. The GO Pass will automatically be distributed to eligible trainers on Tuesday, April 7th at 10:00 AM local time.
Planning Your April — Quick Priorities
If you’re not sure where to focus your time and resources this month, here’s a straightforward breakdown:
Don’t miss: Tinkatink Community Day on April 11th. The Tinkaton you build from this event — especially with Gigaton Hammer — is genuinely useful for PvP, and the 3× Stardust bonus is one of the best resource-farming opportunities all year.
Raid priority: Tapu Koko (April 22nd–28th) and Tapu Lele (April 29th–May 5th) are the most meta-relevant Legendaries in April’s rotation. Get a few of each if you can.
Mega focus: Mega Alakazam during April 15th–21st for its Psychic-type utility.
Weekend warriors: Block out Saturday and Sunday time for Shadow Latios — it only appears on weekends, and a Shiny Shadow Latios is absolutely worth chasing.
April is also a solid month to keep up with other gaming news. If you enjoy platform games alongside your Pokémon sessions, our breakdown of the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Version 1.2.0 update patch notes covers everything that changed in Nintendo’s latest update. And if co-op action is more your style, Serious Sam Shatterverse — a 5-player co-op roguelite announced for 2026 is shaping up to be one of the more interesting multiplayer titles on the horizon.
April 2026 has a lot going on in Pokémon GO. Whether you’re in it for the Shiny hunts, building out your PvP roster, or just farming Stardust as efficiently as possible, there’s something on the calendar for every type of trainer. Mark the dates, charge your phone, and good luck out there.
