Pokemon GO Adds New Gigantamax Pokemon For Upcoming Max Battle Day

Niantic confirms all new details and rewards coming to Max Battle Day in Pokémon GOincluding the debut of a brand new Gigantamax Pokémon. 2026 is a big year for both Pokémon franchise and the hit mobile title Pokémon GOas each reaches a major milestone. When the main series turns 30, Pokémon GO is also celebrating 10 years and so far players have enjoyed tons of bonuses, events and other rewards.

March has been a busy month so far for players who Pokémon GO launched the All Out event this past weekend, a special anniversary celebration that brought back nearly every Pokemon that has ever appeared in the mobile title through more frequent spawns. Meanwhile, a special 30th anniversary event was going on in the game, giving players a chance to work their way through a free GO Pass containing a variety of Kanto Pokémon with a Mewtwo at the end for those who could make it through before it expired. While the unique events have ended, Niantic has a lot more content coming in March, including Max Battle Day in a few weeks.

Family

Interview: Pokemon GO VP Talks 10th Anniversary Plans, Super Mega Raids, and Game's Next Decade

GameRant interviews Pokemon GO Product Manager Michael Steranka about Super Mega Raids, the 10th anniversary and Niantic's long-term plans.

Pokemon GO confirms new Gigantamax debut for Max Battle Day

Starting on March 28th from 14:00 to 17:00, players can participate in Max Battle Day, which includes the debut of Gigantamax Pikachu. Players can look out for its debut in 6-star Max Battles and for those with a bit of luck, they may even encounter a shiny variant. Originally introduced to the franchise via the opportunity to Dynamax in Pokemon Sword and Protectpeople were initially struck by Pikachu's Gigantamax design, which seemingly brought back the chubbier look from the Gameboy version.

In addition to Pikachu making its debut alongside all the current Gigantamax versions available within Pokémon GOMax Battle Day will also have a bunch of event bonuses active. Max particle collection limit will be increased to 1,600, with Power Spots updating more frequently and with Gigantamax Battles. Players will also be able to earn 8x Max particles from Power Spots, while also earning three special deals for the day. Players can also earn twice as many Max Particles for walking around a quarter of the distance.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)

Of course, there's a premium option available for $4.99 that unlocks even more goodies during the event. Event-exclusive Timed Research will unlock and reward players with 1 Max Mushroom, 25,000XP, and 6,400 Max Particles, while granting double the XP earned from participating in Max Battles. Max Mushrooms i Pokémon GO are valuable items that temporarily double all damage dealt by Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokémon in Max Battles. Using multiple Max Mushrooms will extend the timer they are active, but will not cause damage to multiply further. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any free ways to earn these items, as they can be purchased through the in-game store or through this upcoming Timed Research.

While Max Battle Day is set to start at the end of the month, players will be able to participate in a special Pokopia Celebration event starting on March 10th. To celebrate the successful launch of Pokemon Pokopia, Pokémon GO will feature Ditto during this event, including versions wearing hats and caps. Players will also find that Costumed Ditto changes into different Pokemon in the wild as Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Pikachu, Sudowoodo, Zorua will appear more often. Three-star raids will feature Lapras, Snorlax, and Dragonite, while XP bonuses for spinning PokeStops will also be active until the event ends on March 16.