Pokemon Go Grookey Community Day guide (January 2026)

Pokemon Go’s January 2026 Community Day will feature Galar’s Chimp and Grass-type Starter, Grookey! Here’s all you need to know about the day, including the time, exclusive moves, Shiny availability, and more.

The Community Day is a monthly event in Pokemon Go that brings back creatures from previous events, with boosted wild spawns, increased Shiny odds, exclusive moves when evolved, and useful bonuses.

It is one of the most popular events in the Pokemon Go Calendar, alongside Spotlight Hours. But, despite it occurring on the weekend so that most players can get involved, it only lasts for three hours. So, here’s all you need to know to make the most of it!

When is the next Community Day in Pokemon Go?

As a monthly celebration, the next Pokemon Go Community Day event will take place in January, more specifically on Sunday, January 18, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM local time.

Grookey, from Gen 8’s Galar region, will headline the event, giving trainers increased chances of coming across one in the wild during the announced timeframes.

Known as the Chimp Pokemon, this pure Grass-type creature and its evolutions (mainly its final stage) are must-haves for your collection!

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Those who take advantage of the situation will be able to evolve Grookey into Thwackey using 25 Candy. With 100 extra Candy, they can then turn Thwackey into the intimidating Rillaboom.

Shiny odds

Grookey will debut its Shiny variant during its Community Day, and – as with every other headliner – it will have boosted Shiny odds for the duration of this event.

This means players can not only get a Shiny Grookey, but the complete family, as if evolved, it will turn into a Shiny Thwackey and subsequently a Shiny Rillaboom.

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Community Day exclusive moves

If a player evolves Grookey into Thwackey and then Rillaboom during the event – or up to four hours after it – they’ll get a Rillaboom that knows the Charged Move Frenzy Plant.

Additionally, starting with the event and continuing afterwards, Rillaboom will be able to learn the Charged Move Drum Beating.

Event bonuses

The following event bonuses will be live during January’s event:

• x3 Stardust for catching Pokemon.
• x2 Candy for catching Pokemon.
• x2 chance for trainers (Level 31 or higher) to receive Candy XL from catching Pokemon.
• Incense (excluding Daily Adventure Incense) activated during the event will last for three hours.
• Players who take a few snapshots will get a surprise!
• Lure Modules activated during the event will last for one hour and may attract the featured Pokemon.*
• One additional Special Trade can be made for a maximum of three per day.*
• Trades will require 50% less Stardust.*

Bonuses marked with a ‘*’ will be active during the event from 2:00 PM until 9:00 PM local time. During this same time frame, Grookey will have a very high chance of appearing at PokeStops with active common Lure Modules. It will still have an increased chance of being Shiny and may even have a Special Background.

Special Research Story

For US$1.99 (or the equivalent pricing tier in your local currency), players will be able to access the Community Day-exclusive Special Research.

Grookey Community Day (1/3)

Rewards: x1 Grookey encounter, x50 Grookey Candy, x50 Grookey Candy XL

Grookey Community Day (2/3)

Rewards: x1 Grookey encounter, x7,500 Stardust, x3 Rare Candy

Grookey Community Day (3/3)

Rewards: x1 Grookey encounter, x10,000 XP, x1 Rare Candy XL

Players can purchase and gift tickets from the in-game shop to any of their friends. However, first, they must have achieved a Friendship level of Great Friends or higher in order to do so.

Field Research

A January 2026 Community Day-themed Field Research will be available, too. Players who complete the tasks can earn additional Grookey encounters, Stardust, Great Balls, and more.

TASK	REWARDS
Catch 3 Grookey	Grookey* encounter x5 Great Ball x2 Ultra Ball x2 Pinap Berry x500 Stardust
Catch 5 Pokemon while in a party	Grookey* encounter
Catch 50 Pokemon	Grookey* encounter

All the Grookey players encountered during this Research will have the chance to appear with a Special Background.

PokeStop Showcases

As with most events, PokeStop Showcases will be taking place in different PokeStops, so search for them to enter event-themed competitions and earn extra rewards.

Pokemon Go Web Store – Ultra Community Day Box

During the event, an Ultra Community Day Box will be available at the Pokemon Go Web Store for US$1.99 (or the equivalent pricing tier in your local currency).

The Ultra Box will include:

• x5 Ultra Ball
• x1 Special Research ticket

How to prepare for Pokemon Go’s Grookey Community Day

If you’re going to take part in a Community Day, there are a few things you can do to prepare and get the most out of the event:

• Purchase Incense to use on the day, as it will last longer than usual.
• Save any Lure Modules you have, as they will last for three hours during the event.
• Stock up on lots of Ultra Balls so you can catch plenty of the headline Pokemon.
• Transfer any unwanted Pokemon in advance, so you’ll have space for all the catching you’ll do.
• Check the bonuses that run during the event so you can take advantage of them.

List of all Pokemon Go Community Day headliners

Here are all of the past Pokemon Go Community Day headliners, as well as the exclusive moves they could learn when evolved:

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

You may notice that every December headliner is missing from this list. That’s because, in December, Niantic featured every Pokemon from the past year as headliners at the same time.

Alongside all of these Community Days, there have been a few Community Day Classics that bring back old headliners. The most recent had Eevee as the headliner.

That’s all there is to know about the Community Day in Pokemon Go. Stay up to date with other events like the Spotlight Hour schedule, and all of the Raid Bosses and Shadow Raid bosses available.