Pokémon GO celebrates its 5th anniversary in July 2021, but Niantic Labs is preparing an early gift for its dedicated fanbase. On Saturday, February 20th, Trainers can participate in the very first Pokémon GO Tour event featuring all the original Pokémon from the Kanto region. What’s more, the event will feature two distinct versions based on the first Pokémon game released back in 1996.
The Pokémon GO Tour: Kanto event is a ticketed event that allows players to choose between a Red version and a Green version. It’s assumed that the gameplay and rewards are the same for both, but the differences will be the Pokémon themselves. Each version will have specific Pokémon that will be exclusive to that color. If a player needs a specific Pokémon found in the opposite version than what they’re playing, they will have to trade with a friend or another player who has chosen that version. Though exclusive Pokémon are not unheard of in Pokémon GO (each region of the world has a Pokémon that can only be found in that area), this is the first time Niantic has used the exclusive mechanic to influence gameplay.
For full details on the event, check out the official Pokémon GO blog but here’s a quick snapshot of what the event offers:
- The return of all 150 Pokémon found in the Kanto region, along with their shiny variants
- Event Special Research tasks that, when completed, lead to a special encounter
- Increase Candy rewards for catching Pokémon
- Increased trade radius of 40km
- The return of Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Mewtwo in raids, each with new exclusive moves
Tickets for the event are available in the in-game shop now for $11.99 (or local currency equivalent). Purchasing the ticket early also grants players access to the January and February Community Day Special Research lines at no additional cost. On top of that, upon completion of the Kanto event, Special Research tasks will unlock a new Special Research tree, which gives players the chance to catch a shiny Mew. This is the first time the shiny Mew has been introduced to the game and would mark the second Mew players are able to catch, so there’s bound to be some excitement over this.
The event takes place on February 20th between 9AM and 9pm local time, but many of the Kanto Pokémon will be hanging around until February 27th to give players some extra time to finish their tasks. Even players who don’t purchase a ticket can catch Kanto Pokémon and might be lucky enough to find their shinies, but they won’t have access to the Special Research or that shiny Mew. So, if you’re a hardcore Pokémon GO Trainer like me, you’ll probably want to shell out for that ticket.
