Pokémon GO’s Mega Squads event begins Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 10 a.m. local time, and its raid schedule starts with a packed one-day lineup before the five-star bosses shift on September 9. The event runs through Monday, September 14, at 8 p.m. local time, with the egg and wild encounter pools changing on September 11.
The official Pokémon GO announcement confirms the debuts of Maschiff, Mabosstiff, and Shiny Flamigo, along with new Mega bonuses. The schedule below maps the event’s changing encounters, research, Spotlight Hours, and raids.
Mega Squads Event Megathread
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September 11 changes the event’s target pool
From September 8 at 10 a.m. through September 11 at 10 a.m. local time, 5 km Eggs will feature Emolga, Fletchling, Rookidee, and Flamigo in the 1-Egg tier. Weedle and Flamigo will have boosted wild appearances throughout the event, while Pidgey and Rookidee will join the boosted spawns during this first window.
At 10 a.m. local time on September 11, the egg pool will feature Sandile, Pancham, Maschiff, and Flamigo. Houndour and Carvanha will also become the boosted wild encounters for the rest of the event. The increased Shiny chance will move from Pidgey to Carvanha at the same time, with Pidgey’s bonus ending on September 11 and Carvanha’s continuing through September 14 at 8 p.m. local time.
GO Pass rewards follow the event’s Pokémon
GO Pass Tier 1 will award Mega Energy for catching Weedle, Pidgey, Houndour, or Carvanha, including their evolutions. Tier 2 will provide double Hatch Stardust, while Deluxe Tier 2 will cut Hatch Distance in half.
Mega Beedrill and Mega Houndoom will also be able to reach Super Max Mega Level and use the moves Fell Stinger+ and Dark Pulse+.
The September 10 Spotlight Hour adds Transfer Candy
Weedle, Kakuna, and Beedrill will be featured on September 10 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. local time. The hour includes a 2× Transfer Candy bonus that applies to every Pokémon transferred during the window, not only Weedle and its evolutions.
Weedle will be the main encounter, while Kakuna and Beedrill can appear as rarer wild spawns. Shiny Weedle, Shiny Kakuna, and Shiny Beedrill are available, giving Trainers a reason to check every catch before clearing space. Saved Pokémon from sources such as a Mystery Box or Coin Bag can also be transferred during the hour for extra Candy, although valuable or rare Pokémon should stay in storage unless they are already marked for removal.
Activating Mega Beedrill can provide extra Candy for catches that share its Bug or Poison typing. Mega Venusaur, Mega Gengar, Mega Pinsir, Mega Scizor, Mega Heracross, and Mega Victreebel can offer similar typing support for this evolution line.
Mega Beedrill’s Super Max move has extra value
Super Max Mega Beedrill unlocks the additional Charged Attack Fell Stinger+ while it is Mega Evolved. The move has 40 power in Trainer Battles and raises Attack by one stage. In Raid Battles, it has 140 power, with its power increasing alongside Mega Beedrill’s Mega Level.
Weedle evolution costs and CP targets
Weedle needs 12 Weedle Candy to evolve into Kakuna, while Kakuna requires 50 Weedle Candy to become Beedrill. Mega Beedrill requires 100 Mega Energy for its initial Mega Evolution and 20 Mega Energy for later Mega Evolutions.
| Pokémon | Maximum CP | Evolution |
|---|---|---|
| Weedle | 515 CP | 12 Weedle Candy to Kakuna |
| Kakuna | 488 CP | 50 Weedle Candy to Beedrill |
| Beedrill | 2,087 CP | 100/20 Mega Energy for Mega Beedrill |
Those CP values are useful for a quick check, but appraisal results should decide which Pokémon are worth keeping. Hold onto high-IV Weedle and any Shiny catches before transferring the rest.
Houndour and Houndoom will be featured in the second Spotlight Hour on September 13. Trainers planning to use the Transfer Candy bonus should clear Pokémon storage before the September 10 window, mark unwanted catches in advance, and wait to transfer them until the hour begins.
Field Research offers two reward pools
- September 8 at 10 a.m. through September 11 at 10 a.m. local time: Weedle, Pidgey, Fletchling, and Flamigo.
- September 11 at 10 a.m. through September 14 at 8 p.m. local time: Houndour, Carvanha, Nickit, Maschiff, and Flamigo.
Collecting tasks in both windows gives Trainers access to encounters tied to the boosted spawns and the new Maschiff line.
September 8 brings two Mega raid targets
Mega Beedrill will appear in Tier 4 raids on September 8 from 10 a.m. to around 9:30 p.m. local time. Mega Gyarados will appear in the same tier, giving the opening raid window two Mega targets to pursue.
Regirock, Regice, and Registeel will occupy Tier 5 during the September 8 rotation. Tier 3 will feature Hisuian Sneasel, Hisuian Lilligant, and Passimian, while Tier 1 will include Dratini, Honedge, Tyrunt, and Amaura.
Mega Squads｜From 10:00 a.m. to around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 2026 (Local Time)｜Mega Beedrill will also appear in 4-star raids.
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September 9 adds a detailed Zacian raid window
At 6 a.m. on Wednesday, September 9, the five-star Legendary raid lineup will change to Zacian, Hero of Many Battles. The next detailed raid period runs through 10 a.m. local time on Friday, September 11, with Zacian in Tier 5, Mega Beedrill in Tier 4, Alolan Dugtrio, Lapras, and Falinks in Tier 3, and Alolan Rattata, Dunsparce, Scraggy, and Fidough in Tier 1.
Mega Squads｜From 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 9 to 10:00 a.m. on Friday, September 11, 2026 (Local Time)｜Zacian (Hero of Many Battles) will appear in Tier 5.
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Mega Houndoom will join Tier 4 at 10 a.m. local time on September 11, alongside the changes to the Egg, wild encounter, and Field Research pools. Mega Beedrill will run from September 8 through September 15, while Mega Houndoom will remain in the rotation from September 11 through September 15.
The listed Tier 5 rotation features Regirock, Regice, and Registeel on September 8, followed by Hero Zacian from September 9 through September 15. Trainers planning to target the three Regis will have the September 8 window to find them before that rotation ends.
The event itself ends on September 14, but the listed raid rotation continues into September 15. Trainers planning around Mega Houndoom or Hero Zacian will have one extra day of raid availability after the main event window closes.
Which encounter are you prioritizing during Mega Squads? Share your plans in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram for more Pokémon GO updates.
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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