Pokemon GO reveals new Legendary Pokemon event for July 2026

Pokemon Go has confirmed a brand new event set to launch in July 2026, giving fans access to one of the most powerful legendary Pokemon in the series. The event will give players access to special Pokemon Go Timed research missions with Rayquaza as a reward.

The mobile spin-off of the beloved monster-catching franchise pulled out all the stops to celebrate the game's tenth anniversary. Pokemon Go launched several special events in 2026, from the All Out event, which makes almost every Pokemon available in the wild, to the number of new Pokemon added throughout the year. Niantic even confirmed it Pokemon Go will finally debut in one of the most popular Mega forms, adding Mega Mewtwo X and Y to the game during GO Fest 2026. Now, a brand new event will reward players with another iconic Mega Pokémon.

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Pokemon GO is adding a new Rayquaza event in July 2026

July 25th from 10:00am to July 26th 8:00pm local time
Special free and paid Timed Research missions
Free Rewards: Encounters with Rayquaza, Meteorite and more
Paid rewards also include Mega Rayquaza Energy

Pokemon Go officially revealed the upcoming Ozone Ascent event on June 26, which will take place over two days in mid-July 2026. The event will feature exclusive Timed Research missions that will give players a chance to encounter Rayquaza, along with a Meteorite as one of the event's rewards. Ozone Ascent will include both free and paid timed research, with premium missions costing $4.99 and granting Mega Rayquaza energy, another meteorite, and other rewards for a limited time. Meteorite will also give fans the ability to Mega Evolve their Rayquaza from the event, using Meteorite to teach Dragon Ascent to Rayquaza and unlock its Mega form. Ozone Ascent is scheduled to begin on July 25th at 10:00 AM local time and will run until July 26 at 8:00 PM local time.

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Pokemon GoThe Rayquaza event joins several new releases over the summer with Gen 3 Legendary Pokémon. The Pokemon trading card game will debut the Storm Emerald expansion in Japan on July 31st, with Mega Rayquaza EX serving as the main Pokémon for the set. Pokemon TCG Pocket will also receive a Rayquaza-centric set to coincide with the release of the physical TCG, and the Ruler of the Skies set will debut a day earlier on July 30. The Pokemon Company is also widely rumored to be planning a re-release of the game for the Nintendo Switch. Pokemonthird generation games, incl Pokemon Emeraldafter Switch debuts Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen.

Niantic already has a lot of exciting content in store Pokemon Go during July, along with the Rayquaza event. GO Fest Global is set to take place during the second weekend of July, with the previously mentioned Mega Mewtwo X and Y being available along with many other Pokémon. July 21st will welcome Professor Willow's Birthday Research event, giving players a chance to get a unique variant of Pikachu wearing Pokemon Go the professor's complete outfit. We will also officially celebrate our tenth anniversary on July 6 Pokemon Gooriginal edition with a special event running all weekend.

The popular mobile game's 10th anniversary brought a lot of big changes beyond the newly added Pokemon. Pokemon Go recently revealed a major overhaul of the game's PvP battle system, adjusting the timing of attacks, increasing the predictability of exchange timing, and reducing latency and lag issues, among other things. The leaks also hinted at some major potential upgrades coming to the game, including an item that allows players to automatically catch Pokemon. Pokemon Go fans should have every reason to be excited about what's in store for the future of mobile gaming.