Pokémon Pokopia Zorua’s Hide-and-Sneak contest event guide

With Zorua in your Pokédex, each time you log on during the event, a pop-up will appear telling you that “a Pokémon is the talk of the town.” Visit your nearest rebuilt Pokémon Center and you’ll find Zorua walking around.

Talk to Zorua and they’ll tell you how their Hide-and-Sneak contest works. Talk to them again to ask “is a Hide-and-Sneak contest going on right now?” followed by the option to start the minigame.

When the minigame starts, you’ll be placed a short distance away from the Pokémon Center. Your goal is to interact with the PC to the left of the Pokémon Center entrance without being spotted by the three Pokémon looking for you. The quicker your time, the more rewards you’ll earn.

Image: Koei Tecmo, Game Freak/Nintendo, The Pokémon Company via Polygon

Using the camouflage move is highly recommended because it means that if a seeking Pokémon suspects you, they don’t spot you immediately. Instead, stay completely still and they’ll lose interest. Alternatively, you also have the option of continuing to sprint for a split-second after the Pokémon suspects you, and they won’t clock on immediately, so if you’re close to the PC, just make a dash for it.

However, the best tactic I’ve found is to partake in the event at a Pokémon Center without many surroundings. If you start the minigame near the rear of the building, use the building to hide, then just camouflage into the nearest object to the PC and sprint for the final stretch. This tactic allowed me to complete the event in just six seconds.

Pokémon Pokopia Zorua’s Hide-and-Sneak contest event rewards

Image: Koei Tecmo, Game Freak/Nintendo, The Pokémon Company via Polygon

To earn all the rewards from Zorua’s hide and sneak contest, you must achieve certain times. You can only earn each reward once. Here is the full list of rewards and the times you must achieve in order to receive them:

We achieved all these rewards ourselves to verify, and thanks to Serebii.net for the specific times.

If you’re attempting to collect everything Pokémon Pokopia has to offer, the only unique item here is the Hide-and-Sneak Trophy. However, if you can achieve sub-20 seconds, 50 Rare Pokémetal is a worthwhile reward. You can read more about the event on the official Nintendo website.

​If you’re starting out in Pokémon Pokopia, we have guides to help you spruce up your island. We have both a Pokédex and Habitat Dex to assist in figuring out what can spawn where, and what you need to build to summon your favorite creatures. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you can also check out our beginner’s guide for some early tips and tricks to help smooth out your journey.

We also have walkthroughs for the important requests that progress the story: “Yawn up a Storm!,” “Brighten Things Up!,” “Time to Party!,” and “Build the Huge Building!” If you’re looking to play with friends, know that there are restrictions for the regular Pokopia multiplayer and for the GameShare version.