Pokémon Go ‘Lunar New Year 2025’ event guide

Welcome to the Year of the Snake celebration in Pokémon Go! This vibrant event transforms the game with traditional Lunar New Year festivities running from Wednesday, January 29th through Sunday, February 2nd, 2025.

Pokémon Go’s “Lunar New Year 2025” event embraces serpentine themes with numerous snake-inspired Pokémon appearances alongside crimson-colored creatures symbolizing good fortune in many Asian cultures. The celebration brings both visual changes and gameplay enhancements that create an immersive cultural experience.

Beyond the thematic spawns, trainers receive substantial quality-of-life improvements including dramatically improved lucky Pokémon acquisition rates. The probability of obtaining lucky Pokémon through trades increases significantly, while the chance to become lucky friends with your trading partners also receives a substantial boost—perfect for completing your lucky Pokédex.

Additional exclusive benefits include elevated shiny encounter rates for Ekans and Nosepass, providing exceptional opportunities to obtain these rare variants. Daily Field Research tasks now offer PokéCoin rewards, giving free-to-play trainers additional currency acquisition methods beyond gym defense.

The Lunar New Year event introduces two distinct research pathways with complementary objectives. The complimentary research track emphasizes route exploration, while the premium paid research focuses on featured Pokémon encounters and collection goals.

Free Timed Research concentrates on route-based activities, encouraging trainers to explore designated paths within their communities. This approach aligns with Niantic’s mission to promote physical activity and local discovery while providing valuable rewards. The route-focused tasks include:

• Walk 1 km while traveling routes (1 Zygarde Cell)
• Walk 2 km while traveling routes (1 Zygarde Cell)
• Catch 10 Pokémon while following routes (1 Zygarde Cell)
• Follow a route (1 Zygarde Cell)

Premium Timed Research shifts focus toward encounter collection and specific catch requirements. This paid path typically offers enhanced rewards including rare Pokémon encounters, additional items, and exclusive research tasks that complement the free track. The premium research often features Pokémon with special moves or increased shiny chances.

Strategic tip: Complete route tasks during your daily commute or walk routines to efficiently progress both research lines simultaneously. Planning your route exploration during increased spawn events maximizes catch efficiency for related objectives.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Niantic

Collection Challenges form a core component of the Lunar New Year festivities, tasking trainers with assembling specific groups of themed Pokémon. These limited-time challenges typically feature serpentine Pokémon like Ekans, Seviper, and snake-like evolutionary lines alongside red-colored species that symbolize prosperity.

Each completed collection challenge grants substantial rewards including Stardust, experience points, and occasionally rare items or Pokémon encounters. The time-limited nature creates urgency while providing clear collection goals for dedicated trainers.

Pro tip: Focus on catching evolved forms when possible, as they count toward both collection progress and provide additional candy. Using Pinap Berries on common spawns accelerates candy accumulation for evolution requirements. Check our Weapons Unlock guide for strategic resource management techniques that apply to Pokémon collection efficiency.

Common mistake: Many trainers overlook weather-boosted spawns that increase both catch rates and Pokémon levels. During partly cloudy weather, normal-type snake Pokémon appear more frequently with improved IV ranges, making them ideal for collection challenges.

Daily Field Research tasks receive special Lunar New Year themed updates during the event period. These spin-to-acquire tasks from PokéStops provide varied objectives with corresponding rewards, including the valuable PokéCoin distribution mentioned in event promotions.

The Field Research pool typically includes catch-oriented tasks (“Catch 5 Pokémon”), type-specific objectives (“Catch 10 Normal-type Pokémon”), and event-themed requirements. Completing these tasks not only grants immediate rewards but also contributes toward your daily research completion stamp for breakthrough rewards.

Optimization strategy: Prioritize PokéStops in dense areas to quickly cycle through research tasks and find the most rewarding objectives. Abandon low-value tasks by deleting them from your research list to make room for more profitable alternatives. This approach maximizes your reward efficiency per play session.

Advanced tip: The increased lucky friend rates combine perfectly with Field Research encounters. Trade these Pokémon with lucky friends for guaranteed lucky versions with reduced Stardust evolution costs—an excellent method for building competitive Pokémon teams. For more team-building strategies, see our comprehensive Class Guide covering optimal role composition.

Wild spawns undergo significant changes during the Lunar New Year celebration, with increased appearances of snake-like Pokémon and red-colored species. Expect frequent encounters with Ekans, Arbok, Seviper, and Dratini alongside crimson Pokémon like Magmar, Shuckle, and certain fire-types.

The event egg pool receives temporary updates, with 7km eggs potentially containing themed Pokémon not commonly available through other methods. These special hatches often include Pokémon with unique move sets or increased shiny chances, making egg incubation particularly valuable during the event period.

Catching strategy: Use Incense during event hours to maximize spawn diversity, focusing on areas with natural spawn clusters. Lure Modules at PokéStops in parks or shopping areas create concentrated catching zones perfect for completing multiple objectives simultaneously.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Niantic

Egg optimization: Prioritize incubating 7km eggs from gifts during the event, as they typically feature the most exclusive Pokémon. Use unlimited-use incubators for 2km and 5km eggs while reserving limited incubators for 7km and 10km eggs to maximize efficiency. For more optimization techniques, check our Complete Guide to resource management strategies.

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