'Pokémon Go' January 2021: What's Coming in the New Year

Despite it generally being recognized as an awful year, 2020 was also a game-changing year for Pokémon Go, and Niantic looks to continue the momentum in the new year.

On the official Pokémon Go blog, Niantic detailed what trainers can expect in the popular mobile game in January 2021, including events, Raid updates and much more. Trainers are currently in the midst of the Season of Celebration and January will give players a lot more to celebrate and look forward to.

POKEMON GO JANUARY RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGH

Starting January 1 at 4 p.m. and up until Monday, February 1, at 4 p.m. EDT, trainers will encounter the Normal-type Pokémon Chansey in the Research Breakthrough.

Chansey and its evolution Blissey are great Pokémon to leave at Gyms to defend. Their high HP makes them a pain to defeat and gives trainers the time needed to collect Poke Coins.

POKEMON GO RAIDS IN JANUARY

In January, the Raids will get an overhaul, with different Legendary Pokémon making their return to the mobile game. Here's the schedule of when certain Legendary Pokémon will appear in Raids:

• Ho-Oh will be appearing in raids from Friday, January 1, 4 p.m. EST to Tuesday, January 5, at 10 a.m. local time. Shiny Ho-Oh will also be available during this time.
• Genesect holding a Burn Drive will be appearing in raids from Tuesday, January 5, at 10 a.m. to Tuesday, January 12, at 10 a.m. local time.
• Heatran will be appearing in raids from Tuesday, January 12, at 10 a.m. to Tuesday, January 19, at 10 a.m. local time. Shiny Heatran will also be available during this time.
• Kyogre and Groudon will be appearing in raids from Tuesday, January 19, at 10 a.m. to Tuesday, January 26, at 10 a.m. local time. Both Shinies will be available.
• A surprise Pokémon will be appearing in raids beginning on Tuesday, January 26, at 10 a.m. local time.

Mega Raids will also change with certain Mega Pokémon returning and others leaving. Here's the schedule for the Mega Raids in the month of January:

• Mega Charizard Y, Mega Blastoise, and Mega Abomasnow will be appearing in Mega Raids from Tuesday, January 5, at 10 a.m. through Tuesday, January 12, at 10 a.m. local time.
• On Tuesday, January 19, a certain Mega-Evolved Pokémon will make its Pokémon Go debut in Mega Raids.
• Mega Venusaur and Mega Houndoom will also be returning in Mega Raids beginning on January 19.

POKEMON SPOTLIGHT HOURS

Spotlight Hours in Pokémon Go are great ways for trainers to catch certain Pokémon and earn special in-game bonuses. In January, there will be four different Spotlight Hours that feature specific Pokémon starting at 6 p.m. local time. Here's the upcoming schedule:

• Tuesday, January 5: Lillipup will be in the spotlight, and you'll earn twice the Stardust for catching Pokémon.
• Tuesday, January 12: Drifloon will be in the spotlight, and you'll earn twice the XP for catching Pokémon.
• Tuesday, January 19: Shroomish will be in the spotlight, and you'll earn twice the Candy for catching Pokémon.
• Tuesday, January 26: Phanpy will be in the spotlight, and you'll earn twice the Candy for transferring Pokémon.

POKEMON GO EVENTS

So far, we know that there will be two different Pokémon Go events in January. The first is that month's Community Day featuring Machop, which will take place on January 16. The other is the New Year's Eve event.

Starting December 31 through January 4, trainers can enjoy new Avatar items and special Slowpoke to catch. We'll have more information on these events as we get closer to them.

COUNTDOWN TO POKEMON GO TOUR

The Pokémon Go Tour is a brand new event that will start in 2021. This event will celebrate the Kanto region and, in the lead up to this special update, Pokémon Go will celebrate the other regions as well.

Each region will get its own event starting with the Unova region on January 5. Each week will celebrate a new region as we countdown to the Kanto Pokémon Go Tour.

COLLECTION CHALLENGES

Something new coming to Pokémon Go in January are Collection Challenges. These challenges provide a handy guide to catching Pokémon featured during certain events. We'll learn more about this new feature when it launches in early January.

Are you excited for Pokémon Go in January 2021? Let us know what you're looking forward to most in the comments section.