Pokemon GO: Lunar New Year 2025 – All Featured Pokemon & Event Bonuses
Celebrate the Year of the Snake with featured Pokemon, event bonuses, and more in the 2025 Lunar New Year event in Pokemon GO!
Pokemon GO continues its tradition of offering exciting, limited-time events throughout the year, and one of the most anticipated recurring events is the Lunar New Year celebration. The 2025 event is no exception, offering a variety of snake-themed Pokemon, exclusive event bonuses, and special opportunities to boost your collection. Whether you're a seasoned Trainer or just starting, this guide will help you navigate the event with all the details on featured Pokemon and bonuses.
2025 Lunar New Year Event Bonuses
The 2025 Lunar New Year event will be live in Pokemon GO from January 29, 2025, to February 2, 2025. During this period, Trainers will enjoy two significant bonuses:
Increased Chance to Become Lucky Friends: Lucky Friends can trade Pokemon that have a higher chance of being Lucky Pokemon, making this a fantastic opportunity to make special trades with friends.
Increased Chance to Receive Lucky Pokemon in Trades: Whether you’re trading with a friend or participating in a special event trade, you'll have a higher chance of receiving a Lucky Pokemon during the event, making this a great time to exchange for rare and powerful Pokemon.
With these bonuses, it’s a great time to focus on trading and working with friends to maximize your chances of getting Lucky Pokemon.
Featured Pokemon in the 2025 Lunar New Year Event
As it’s the Year of the Snake, many serpent-like Pokemon are featured in the event. Not only can you encounter these themed Pokemon, but many of them also have a chance to appear in their shiny variants, giving you an exciting opportunity to hunt for shiny Pokemon. Below is a complete list of the featured Pokemon and how to obtain them during the event.
PokemonShiny Chance?How to ObtainNotesEkansYesWild encounters, Research encounters-OnixYesWild encounters-DunsparceYesWild encounters-SnivyYesWild encounters-DarumakaYesWild encounters-GyaradosYesWild encountersRare wild encounterDratiniYesWild encounters, Research encountersRare wild encounterMakuhitaYes2 km Eggs-NosepassYes2 km Eggs, Research encounters-MedititeYes2 km Eggs-DuskullYes2 km Eggs-SkorupiYes2 km Eggs-VoltorbYesResearch encounters-MagikarpYesResearch encounters-
Shiny Hunting Opportunities
If you're aiming for shiny variants, this event provides plenty of exciting opportunities. Pokemon like Ekans, Snivy, and Dratini, which are all part of the Year of the Snake theme, have a chance of spawning in their shiny forms. Many of these Pokemon can be found through wild encounters, but some, like Makuhita, Meditite, Duskull, Skorupi, and others, are available through 2 km Eggs.
If you’re hoping for a rare shiny, be on the lookout for Gyarados and Dratini, both of which have a rare wild encounter rate during the event. Also, keep in mind that Magikarp and Voltorb can be found through research encounters, giving you another chance to snag a shiny form while completing event-related tasks.
How to Maximize Your Chances
Participate in Event Tasks: Complete any available Field Research Tasks or Collection Challenges during the event to increase your chances of encountering these featured Pokemon. This is a great way to add extra encounters and boost your odds of getting a shiny.
Use Incense: While Incense won’t directly increase your shiny odds, it will boost the number of wild encounters, helping you find more of the featured Pokemon.
Egg Hatching: For Pokemon like Makuhita, Meditite, and Skorupi, hatching 2 km Eggs is your best bet. Be sure to stock up on incubators and hatch plenty of eggs for your chance at a shiny variant.
Trade with Friends: Take advantage of the increased Lucky Friend rates by trading with your friends. You can also coordinate trades to maximize your chances of obtaining shiny Pokemon from your collection.
Conclusion
The 2025 Lunar New Year event in Pokemon GO offers a lot to look forward to, including boosted shiny chances, themed Pokemon like Ekans and Onix, and great bonuses for trading. Be sure to take part in the event from January 29 to February 2, 2025, to maximize your chances of catching rare and shiny Pokemon. Whether you’re hunting for shiny variants or just looking to collect some special event Pokemon, the Lunar New Year celebration is the perfect time to get out and play!