August has arrived, marking the final month of Pokemon Go’s Forever Forward season. The mobile game is closing the season out with a host of events and Pokemon debuts over the next few weeks, including the arrival of some big new monsters like Gigantamax Rillaboom and Mega Starmie.
On top of that, players have a few summery festivities to look forward to this month, including an Arctic Embers event and a week-long Water Festival. There will also be new Raid bosses and Spotlight Hours, as well as a big event to tie into the 2026 Pokemon World Championships later in August.
That’s just a small glimpse of what’s happening in the game this month. You can read more about Pokemon Go’s August 2026 events below.
August Raid Schedule
A variety of fan-favorite legendary and Mega Pokemon are returning to Raids in August.
Following Kyurem’s departure on August 4, the legendary lake trio Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie will make another appearance in five-star Raids, each exclusive to a specific region of the world. Other legendaries like Groudon, Lunala, and the Regi trio will follow later in the month.
Mega Raids, meanwhile, will rotate between Mega-Evolved forms of Aggron, Blaziken, Garchomp, Swampert, and Gyarados, while Shadow Altered Forme Giratina will appear as a special Shadow Raid boss all month.
You can see August’s full Raid schedule below:
Five-Star Raids
- Kyurem (July 29-August 4)
- Uxie [Asia-Pacific Region] (August 5-11)
- Mesprit [Europe, Middle East, Africa, India] (August 5-11)
- Azelf [Americas and Greenland] (August 5-11)
- Groudon (August 12-18)
- Lunala (August 19-25)
- Regirock (August 26-September 8)
- Regice (August 26-September 8)
- Registeel (August 26-September 8)
Mega Raids
- Mega Aggron (July 29-August 4)
- Mega Blaziken (August 5-11)
- Mega Garchomp (August 12-18)
- Mega Swampert (August 19-25)
- Mega Gyarados (August 26-September 8)
Shadow Raids
- Shadow Altered Forme Giratina (August 5-September 8)
Max Battles
- Dynamax Magmar (August 3-9)
- Dynamax Beldum (August 10-16)
- Dynamax Magikarp (August 17-23)
- Dynamax Hitmontop (August 24-30)
- Dynamax Eevee (August 31-September 6)
August Spotlight Hours
Pokemon Go’s Spotlight Hour events return once again in August.
Every Thursday evening from 6 to 7 PM local time, one species of Pokemon will appear more frequently in the wild. On top of that, a select bonus will be active during that same window, such as double XP or Stardust for catching Pokemon.
You can see August’s full Spotlight Hour schedule below:
August 6
- Featured Pokemon: Delibird
- Bonus: 2x catch Stardust
August 13
- Featured Pokemon: Wurmple
- Bonus: 2x evolution XP
August 20
- Featured Pokemon: Magikarp
- Bonus: 2x catch XP
August 27
- Featured Pokemon: Mankey
- Bonus: 2x catch candy
Gigantamax Rillaboom Max Battle Day
Pokemon Go is kicking the month off in a big way with a Gigantamax Rillaboom Max Battle Day on August 1.
From 2-5 PM local time, Gigantamax Rillaboom will appear at Power Spots as a six-star Max Battle boss. On top of that, a variety of bonuses will be active during the event hours. Power Spots will distribute eight times the usual amount of Max Particles, and the total number of Max Particles you can collect is being increased to 1,600. You can also make up to three Special Trades for the day, and you’ll receive double the usual amount of Max Particles for exploring.
Bonuses
- Max Particle collection limit increased to 1,600
- All Power Spots will host Gigantamax Battles
- Power Spots will refresh more frequently
- Additional Power Spots will be active
- 8x Max Particles from Power Spots
- Make up to three Special Trades for the day
- Daily Remote Raid limit increased from 10 to 20 (July 31-August 1)
- 2x Max Particles from exploring
- 1/4 adventuring distance to receive Max Particles
Summer Marathon: Arctic Embers
Pokemon Go’s summer festivities continue with an Arctic Embers event from August 4-10.
