Happy New Year! It’s time to celebrate the Lunar New Year and usher in the Year of the Rabbit. Niantic is celebrating the holiday again in Pokémon GO and bringing a variety of rabbit-themed Pokémon into the wild, Raids, task rewards, and more. A selection of red Pokémon will be featured too, including Darumaka.
Get all the details for the Lunar New Year 2023 event with our guide below:
Pokémon GO’s Season of Mythical Wishes – Lunar New Year 2023
Begins: Thursday, January 19th, 2023 at 10 a.m. your local time.
Ends: Monday, January 23rd, 2023 at 8 p.m. your local time.
Pokémon featured – Buneary, Mega Lopunny, Shiny Darumaka, and more
For this year’s Lunar New Year event, there won’t be any new Pokémon debuts (added to the game for the first time, new Shiny additions, or Costume reveals). Instead, red Pokémon and rabbit-themed Pokémon will be featured. It is the year of the rabbit, after all!
Rabbit Pokémon that’ll be available during the event include Azumarill, Buneary*, Mega Lopunny*, Riolu*, Bunnelby*, and Diggersby.
One notable feature of this event is that the chance rate for encountering a Shiny Darumaka* has been increased.
Note: Pokémon marked with an * means that “If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny one!”
Event Bonuses
- 2× Stardust from opening Gifts
- Increased chance to encounter Shiny Darumaka
- Increased chance to become Lucky Friends
- Increased chance for Lucky Pokémon in trades
- One additional Special Trade can be made for a maximum of two per day
- One of the following bonuses will be active when its path is selected from the Lucky Wishes Timed Research:
- Hatch Distance Bonus: 1/2 Hatch Distance when Eggs are placed into Incubators during the event period
- Daily Adventure Incense Bonus: 2× Daily Adventure Incense duration (will be 30 minutes per day during the event)
- Stardust Bonus: 2× Catch Stardust
Event Boxes
A list of event boxes will be added here once the event is live.
Wild Encounters
- The following Pokémon will appear more frequently in the wild: Ponyta*, Magmar*, Magikarp*, Slugma*, Numel*, Combee*, Buneary*, Fennekin*, and Bunnelby*.
- If you’re lucky, you might encounter the following Pokémon: Flareon and Darumaka*.
Note: Pokémon marked with an * means that “If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny one!”
Eggs
The following Pokémon will be hatching from Eggs that are obtained during the event:
- 7 km Eggs
- 1-Egg Rarity: Chingling, Riolu*, Darumaka*, Galarian Darumaka*, and Scraggy.
Note: Pokémon marked with an * means that “If you’re lucky, you might hatch a Shiny one!”
Raids
The following Pokémon will be appearing in Raids:
- One-Star Raids: Hisuian Voltorb, Shinx*, Darumaka*, and Galarian Darumaka*.
- Three-Star Raids: Flareon, Shuckle*, Blaziken*, Druddigon*, and Diggersby.
- Five-Star Raids: Regice* (See Additional Notes).
- Mega Raids: Mega Lopunny(See Additional Notes).
Additional Notes:
- Pokémon marked with an * means that “If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny one!”
- Regice* will be available after the event (in Raids), until Wednesday, January 25th, 2023 at 10 a.m. your local time.
- Mega Lopunny* will be available after the event (in Raids), until Wednesday, January 25th, 2023 at 10 a.m. your local time.
Timed Research – Lucky Wishes
A branching Timed Research quest called Lucky Wishes will be active during the event. Regardless of what route is chosen, all will give Trainers the same item rewards and catch encounters (Magikarp*, Azumarill, Combusken, Darumaka*, Galarian Darumaka*, and Bunnelby*). The only difference is which event bonus will be active. Trainers may only pick one of the three:
- Hatch Distance Bonus: 1/2 Hatch Distance when Eggs are placed into Incubators during the event period
- Daily Adventure Incense Bonus: 2× Daily Adventure Incense duration (will be 30 minutes per day during the event)
- Stardust Bonus: 2× Catch Stardust
| Lucky Wishes | |
|---|---|
| Step 1 | Reward |
| Catch 5 Pokémon | 15 Poké Balls |
| Spin 3 PokéStops or Gyms | 10 Great Balls |
| Power up Pokémon 5 times | 2 Silver Pinap Berries |
| Completion Rewards | 500 Stardust, 500 XP, and 1 Lucky Egg |
| Choose A Path | Reward |
| Hatching Eggs | Activate the following bonus: 1/2 Hatch Distance when Eggs are placed into Incubators during the event period |
| Using Daily Adventure Incense | Activate the following bonus: 2× Daily Adventure Incense duration (will be 30 minutes per day during the event) |
| Collecting Stardust | Activate the following bonus: 2× Catch Stardust |
| Step 2 Hatching Eggs | Reward |
| Catch 10 Pokémon | Bunnelby* Encounter |
| Catch 25 Pokémon | Magikarp* Encounter |
| Catch 8 different species of Pokémon | Combusken Encounter |
| Hatch 3 Eggs | Galarian Darumaka* Encounter |
| Send 25 Gifts to Friends | Azumarill Encounter |
| Completion Rewards | Darumaka* Encounter and 1 Incubator |
| Step 2 Using Daily Adventure Incense | Reward |
| Catch 10 Pokémon | Bunnelby* Encounter |
| Catch 25 Pokémon | Magikarp* Encounter |
| Catch 8 different species of Pokémon | Combusken Encounter |
| Catch 15 Pokémon from Daily Adventure Incense | Galarian Darumaka* Encounter |
| Send 25 Gifts to Friends | Azumarill Encounter |
| Completion Rewards | Darumaka* Encounter, 10 Golden Razz Berries, and 25 Ultra Balls |
| Step 2 Collecting Stardust | Reward |
| Catch 10 Pokémon | Bunnelby* Encounter |
| Catch 25 Pokémon | Magikarp* Encounter |
| Catch 8 different species of Pokémon | Combusken Encounter |
| Earn 7,500 Stardust | Galarian Darumaka* Encounter |
| Send 25 Gifts to Friends | Azumarill Encounter |
| Completion Rewards | Darumaka* Encounter and 1 Star Piece |
Note: Pokémon marked with an * means that “If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny one!”
Field Research Tasks
There will be event-exclusive Field Research Tasks available and the rewards include the following Pokémon encounters: Charmander*, Paras*, Cyndaquil*, Torchic*, Chimchar*, Combee*, Buneary*, Tepig*, Darumaka*, Galarian Darumaka*, Fennekin, Bunnelby*, and Litten. These Field Research Tasks can be found when spinning PokéStops (and acquired if you have an open slot in your Field Research menu) when the event is active.
A complete list of tasks for all routes and the rewards will be shared here once the event is live.
- Task: Catch 25 Pokémon
- Reward: Darukama* OR Galarian Darumaka* Encounter
- Task: Trade a Pokémon
- Reward: Paras* OR Combee* Encounter
- Task: Open 3 Gifts
- Reward: Charmander* OR Cyndaquil* OR Torchic* OR Chimchar* OR Fennekin OR Litten Encounter
- Task: Send 3 Gifts and add a Sticker to each
- Reward: Buneary* OR Bunnelby* Encounter
Note: Pokémon marked with an * means that “If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny one!”
Stickers
There will be an assortment of event-themed stickers featuring various Pokémon. You can get them by spinning PokéStops, opening Gifts, and/or purchasing them from Pokémon GO’s in-game shop (with PokéCoins) during the event. Images of the stickers will be added once the event is live and/or Niantic releases the promo image.
Avatar Items
New avatar items themed after Lunar New Year will be released during this event. They will be available for purchase (with PokéCoins) via the in-game shop. These avatar items will still be available to purchase after the conclusion of this event.
The new avatar items are the following: Red Lantern Backpack.
More Pokémon GO guides
Looking for more help with Pokémon GO? Check out our other guides!
Pokémon GO’s Season of World of Wonders’ 2024 Pokémon Europe International Championships event guide
Leave a Comment
Written by Jennifer Burch
Illustrator, designer, writer and big Nintendo geek, you can find Jennifer with an N3DS within reach 24/7. As the oldest of three, she has survived many Mario Party, Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart sessions intact in addition to getting her brothers hooked on some really weird games. (Cubivore anyone?)
