Pokemon GO Reveals New Legendary Pokemon Event For July 2026

Pokémon GO has confirmed a brand new event that will run in July 2026, giving fans access to one of the most powerful Legendary Pokémon in the franchise. The event will give players access to special Pokémon GO Timed research missions with Rayquaza as a reward.

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

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Pokemon GO adds new Rayquaza event in July 2026

July 25th, 10am to July 26th, 8pm local time
Special free and paid timed research assignments
Free rewards: An encounter with Rayquaza, a meteorite, and more
Paid rewards also include Mega Rayquaza Energy

Pokémon GO officially revealed the upcoming Ozone Ascent event on June 26, which will run for two days in mid-July 2026. The event will introduce exclusive Timed Research missions that will give players the 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 the premium quests costing $4.99 and granting Mega Rayquaza Energy, another meteorite, and more rewards for a limited time. The Meteorite will also give fans the chance to Mega Evolve their Rayquaza from the event, using the Meteorite to teach Dragon Ascent to Rayquaza and unlock its Mega Form. Ozone Ascent is scheduled to begin on July 25th at 10:00am local time and will run until July 26th at 8:00pm local time.

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

Niantic already has tons of exciting content in store Pokémon GO during July, along with the Rayquaza event. GO Fest Global is scheduled to be held during the second weekend of July, with the aforementioned Mega Mewtwo X and Y available alongside a host of other Pokémon. On July 21, the event welcomes Professor Willow's Birthday Research, giving players the chance to get a unique variation of Pikachu carrying Pokémon GO the professor's entire outfit. July 6 is also the official tenth anniversary of Pokémon GOs original release, with a special event running throughout the weekend.

The tenth anniversary of the beloved mobile game has brought many big changes beyond its recently added Pokémon. Pokémon GO recently revealed a major overhaul of the game's PvP combat system, adjusting the timing of attacks, making swap timing more predictable, and reducing latency and lag issues, among other changes. Leaks have also hinted at some major potential upgrades coming to the game, including an item that allows players to automatically catch Pokemon. Pokémon GO fans should have every reason to be excited about what's in store for the future of mobile gaming.