Pokémon GO Halloween 2026 Part I: Costumed Pikachu, Zubat and Sinistea Explained

Niantic has detailed the first half of Pokémon GO's annual Halloween celebration, and the 2026 edition arrives with three newly costumed Pokémon, a fresh GO Pass reward track, and a run of in-game extras tied to the game's 10th-anniversary year. Halloween 2026: Part I runs from Tuesday, October 27 at 10:00 a.m. local time to Sunday, November 1 at 10:00 a.m. local time, with a second part picking up the celebration immediately after.

Here is everything Niantic has confirmed so far for Part I — the new costumed Pokémon, wild spawns, raids, the GO Pass, and the cosmetics arriving alongside it — plus what's already known about Part II.

1. When Halloween 2026 Part I Starts and Ends

Part I is live from October 27, 10:00 a.m. to November 1, 10:00 a.m., both in your local time zone, so the event begins and ends at the same clock time wherever you are. Alongside it, Niantic is running a GO Pass: Halloween 2026 track that stays active slightly longer, from October 27 at 10:00 a.m. through November 5 at 8:00 p.m., covering both halves of the celebration. Any rewards earned on the pass must be claimed by November 7 at 8:00 p.m., after which they expire.

This year's event also falls during Pokémon GO's 10th-anniversary year and sits inside the ongoing Twilight Trails season, which Niantic has previously confirmed runs from September 8 to December 1, 2026.

2. The New Costumed Pokémon: Pikachu, Zubat and Sinistea

Three Pokémon are getting Halloween costumes for the first time this event:

• Pikachu wearing a hat and capelet
• Zubat wearing a top hat
• Sinistea wearing a bow

Niantic has confirmed all three can appear as Shiny during the event, though no official Shiny odds have been published. The costumed Pikachu is the showcase design this year, pairing a pancake-topped hat with a ruffled capelet, while the costumed Sinistea takes the form of a bow-wrapped teacup.

3. Trick or Treat, Wild Spawns and Raids

The event brings back Trick or Treat: mischievous Pokémon appear in the wild and leave behind spooky surprises when tapped. Interacting with them can trigger event-themed encounters, or reward Pikachu Candy, Zubat Candy, Sinistea Candy, or Rare Candy.

Outside of Trick or Treat, the confirmed wild encounter pool for Part I includes:

• Zubat wearing a top hat
• Duskull
• Piplup wearing a Halloween Mischief costume
• Drifblim wearing a Halloween Mischief costume (a rarer find)

Shiny versions are possible for each of these. On the raid side, Niantic has limited Part I to One-Star Raids only, featuring the costumed Pikachu and costumed Sinistea — both of which can also be Shiny if you're raiding solo or with a small group. Event-themed Field Research tasks are confirmed to reward encounters with event-themed Pokémon as well, though Niantic hasn't published the specific task list yet.

4. GO Pass: Halloween 2026 and Deluxe Rewards

As with recent seasonal events, Halloween 2026 ships with its own GO Pass. The free track is granted automatically to every trainer when the event begins, and it currently includes two confirmed bonus tiers:

• Tier 1 (Rank 10): 2× Candy for catching Pokémon — boosted to 3× with GO Pass Deluxe
• Tier 2 (Rank 20): 2× Stardust for catching Pokémon — boosted to 3× with GO Pass Deluxe

Niantic says more bonus tasks will be announced as the event continues. Free-track rewards include event encounters, Candy, Rare Candy, and Ultra Balls. Upgrading to GO Pass Deluxe costs $7.99, or $9.99 for GO Pass Deluxe + 10 Ranks, and adds extra encounters, Rare Candy XL, Premium Battle Passes, and a themed Patissier Top and Patissier Pants outfit.

Trainers buying a pass through Pokémon GO's web store also receive bonus items with purchase: GO Pass Deluxe includes 10 Ultra Balls, 5 Max Revives, 1 Premium Battle Pass, and 5 Max Potions, while the +10 Ranks version doubles the Premium Battle Pass count. A web-exclusive Ultra Box bundled with the +10 Ranks pass adds 20 Ultra Balls, 10 Max Revives, 10 Max Potions, and 5 Premium Battle Passes.

5. New Avatar Items, Stickers and Music

Outside of the pass, Niantic is adding a Gothic Skirt Set, Gothic Shorts Set, Gothic Socks, and Gothic Boots to the in-game shop. Unlike some seasonal cosmetics, these are confirmed to stay available for purchase after the event ends, so there's no rush to buy them during the Halloween window itself.

A new batch of stickers is also available — earned by spinning PokéStops, opening Gifts, or bought directly from the shop — alongside a nightly Lavender Town music remix that plays for the duration of the event. PokéStops and Gyms will be visually decorated for Halloween across both Part I and Part II.

6. GO Battle League: Mega Halloween Cup

Halloween 2026 also lines up with a themed GO Battle League cup. The Mega Halloween Cup: Great League Edition runs from October 27 to November 3, starting and ending at 1:00 p.m. PDT, and is paired with the standard Master League, which offers 4× Stardust from win rewards (excluding end-of-set bonuses) for the duration.

The cup itself caps entries at 1,500 CP and restricts the field to Bug, Poison, Ghost, Dark, and Fairy-type Pokémon — a fitting lineup for the season — and Mega-Evolved Pokémon are allowed, so a Mega Gengar or Mega Sableye can anchor a team if you've got the Mega Energy to spare. It replaces the previous week's Fantasy Cup: Great League Edition, which ran October 20–27 alongside Dragon, Steel, and Fairy types only.

7. What's Next: Part II of Halloween 2026

Niantic has confirmed Part II will follow immediately after Part I concludes, continuing the Halloween celebration with the debut of Shiny Greavard and a new Super Max level for Mega Sableye. Exact start and end times for Part II haven't been published yet — Niantic typically details the second half closer to when it begins, so check back on the official Pokémon GO news page for the full breakdown once it goes live.

Quick-Tips Recap

• Part I runs October 27, 10:00 a.m. to November 1, 10:00 a.m. local time; the GO Pass track runs through November 5.
• Costumed Pikachu, Zubat and Sinistea are all debuting this event, and all three can be Shiny.
• One-Star Raids only feature costumed Pikachu and Sinistea — save your raid passes for those instead of higher tiers.
• Trick or Treat encounters can hand out Rare Candy, so it's worth tapping every mischievous Pokémon you see.
• The Gothic avatar set stays in the shop after the event, so there's no need to buy it in a hurry.
• Shiny Greavard and a Mega Sableye Super Max upgrade are confirmed for Part II, with dates still to come.
• If you play GO Battle League, the Mega Halloween Cup (Bug/Poison/Ghost/Dark/Fairy, 1,500 CP) runs the same week as Part I.

Official Resources

• Pokémon GO — Halloween Part 1 2026 (official announcement)
• Pokémon GO — Twilight Trails season page
• Wikipedia — Pokémon GO

For more on what's currently active in Pokémon GO, see our breakdown of the October 2026 Zorua Community Day bonuses and shiny odds, catch up on what the Harvest Festival 2026 event brought before it, or browse our Pokémon Masters EX walkthrough if you're playing the spin-off too. You can also explore the full walkthroughs.net guide archive for more game-by-game coverage.