Pokémon GO‘s U.S. Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration event is now running from September 27 at 10:00 a.m. local time through October 20 at 10:00 p.m. local time. Sponsored Gyms at Best Buy, GameStop, and Target appeared in-game a day earlier, on September 26, without a prior announcement, turning the retailer tie-in into an unexpected discovery for Trainers.
Unannounced TCG 30th Anniversary sponsored gyms
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Eligible Trainers can claim the event’s Timed Research by visiting a participating physical retail location and opening Pokémon GO. The U.S. event schedule gives Trainers until October 20 to obtain it. After claiming the research, all tasks must be completed and their rewards claimed by November 20 at 10:00 p.m. local time.
The promotion also names bestbuy.com, GameStop’s Pokémon gift card page, and Target.com, but browsing those storefronts does not replace the required visit to a participating retail location. Completing the research provides Poké Balls, encounters with event-themed Pokémon, and other rewards.
The first research stage mixes catch and throw tasks
Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Event Bonus Timed Research appears in the Events tab and is marked as stage 1 of 3. The available capture showed 5 days and 12 hours remaining on its timer. All 3 tasks on the opening page showed zero progress, with the following visible objectives and rewards:
- Make 10 Nice Throws: A question-mark reward icon is shown, but the reward cannot be identified from the capture.
- Catch a Ghost-type Pokémon: 3 Pinap Berries.
- Use 3 Razz Berries to help catch Pokémon: 10 Poké Balls.
Completing the first page displays 1 Incubator under the rewards section. Only stage 1 is visible in the available capture, so the remaining tasks and final reward are still unknown.
TCG 30th Celebration Timed Research
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Mega Gengar leads the retail raid lineup
Mega Gengar will appear in Mega Raids at participating Best Buy, GameStop, and Target locations during the celebration. One GameStop 30th Anniversary Gym was initially spotted hosting Mega Gengar before the event lineup was confirmed. The encounter displayed 50,516 CP and 35:41 remaining on the raid timer, while its Gym badge identified the location as sponsored by GameStop and carried the 30th Anniversary branding.
New 30th Anniversary gyms can spawn non weekly pokemon raids
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The first sighting alone could not establish whether every anniversary Gym would host Mega Gengar or whether other bosses could appear outside the expected rotation. With Mega Gengar now confirmed as part of the retail raid lineup, Trainers should still check the boss shown on each Gym rather than rely only on the regular raid schedule.
Gift card redemptions unlock a Gengar Knit Cap
Redeeming a qualifying Pokémon GO gift card from Target, GameStop, or Best Buy between September 27 and October 31, 2026, unlocks the Gengar Knit Cap through the Pokémon GO Store. The reward is limited to one per account. Anyone who already owns the Gengar Knit Cap receives an alternate item of equal value instead.
For Trainers near a participating store, the celebration offers several reasons to open Pokémon GO on-site before October 20, from the three-stage research line and its opening Incubator to the confirmed Mega Gengar raids. The gift card promotion runs on its own schedule, giving eligible accounts until October 31 to claim the avatar item, while already claimed research remains playable through November 20. Would you prioritize the Mega Gengar encounter, the Incubator, or the Gengar Knit Cap during the celebration? Share your plans in the comments, then follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
Pokémon Go
Developed by Niantic Labs, The Pokémon Company
Pokémon Go is an augmented reality mobile game that uses GPS to let players locate, capture, train, and battle Pokémon in real-world locations. Players explore their physical surroundings to find PokéStops for items, battle at Gyms for team control, participate in Raid Battles cooperatively, and compete in the Go Battle League's player-versus-player format. The game is free-to-play with in-app purchases and features Pokémon from across multiple generations of the franchise.
- Genre Role-playing (RPG), Simulator
- Platforms Android, iOS
- Perspective Third person, Bird view / Isometric, Side view
- Modes Single player, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release July 6, 2016
- Publisher Niantic Labs
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Age Rating
