Pokemon Go Hatchathon Event Returns This Week

Pokemon Go is ringing in the new year with a bunch of events, the first of which kicks off this week. Starting January 2, the egg-centric Hatchathon event returns, giving you a chance to earn extra bonuses and hatch a few special Pokemon for a limited time.

Throughout the Hatchathon, you’ll be able to earn extra Stardust, Rare Candies, and other rewards like the Unova Stone when you walk certain distances. The Unova Stone is a particularly enticing reward as it is typically hard to come by in the game and is necessary to evolve certain Gen 5 Pokemon such as Lampent.

On top of that, Serebii reports that you’ll earn twice the usual amount of Candy and Stardust each time you hatch a Pokemon, and you’ll have a chance to hatch party hat-wearing versions of Pichu and Wurmple from 2 km eggs. Party hat Pikachu will also spawn in the wild, while party hat Raticate and Wobbuffet will appear in two-star Raids.

The Hatchathon runs until 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on January 16. You can read more details about the event on the official Pokemon Go website. In the meantime, Niantic has rolled out another Team Rocket Special Research questline, which leads to a chance to battle Giovanni and catch a Shadow version of Moltres.

There’s also still time to catch Pokemon Go’s current Legendary, Virizion, which is scheduled to leave five-star Raid Battles on January 7. Following Virizion’s departure, the Gen 4 Legendary Heatran will return to Raids until February 4, and this time you’ll have a chance to encounter its Shiny form. You can catch up on other Pokemon Go news below.