Pokémon GO’s Water Festival 2026 Will Add Arrokuda, Cramorant, and Regional Tatsugiri

Pokémon GO‘s Ultra Unlock: Water Festival 2026 will begin on August 18 at 10:00 a.m. local time and run until August 24 at 8:00 p.m. The water-themed event will introduce Arrokuda, Barraskewda, and Cramorant, while catch rewards grow better across three stages.

The event’s Ultra Unlock bonus was earned during Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Global. The official Water Festival announcement covers the event’s broad schedule, while a community research megathread on r/TheSilphRoad is tracking encounters, raids, Eggs, and Field Research as Trainers gather more data.

Three new Pokémon will appear during Water Festival

Arrokuda and Barraskewda will be available through Field Research, GO Pass rewards, and Rainy Lure Modules. Collecting 50 Arrokuda Candy will let Trainers evolve Arrokuda into Barraskewda. Cramorant will appear in Eggs, GO Pass rewards, and GO Battle League rewards at Rank 16 or higher.

Cramorant will appear in both GO Battle League reward tracks beginning at Rank 16, with more frequent encounters in the premium track. It will also be able to change form during battle, but it will not be eligible for the Competitors Cup.

None of the three debuting Pokémon will have an available Shiny form during the event. Shiny Ducklett and Shiny Dewpider, however, will have increased encounter odds.

Catch bonuses will increase twice during the event

All times use local time. The Catch XP and Stardust bonuses will change as the week progresses:

• August 18 at 10:00 a.m. to August 20 at 10:00 a.m.: 2× Catch XP and 3× Catch Stardust.
• August 20 at 10:00 a.m. to August 22 at 10:00 a.m.: 3× Catch XP and 4× Catch Stardust.
• August 22 at 10:00 a.m. to August 24 at 8:00 p.m.: 4× Catch XP and 5× Catch Stardust.

GO Pass adds extra event rewards

Trainers will automatically receive the free GO Pass: Water Festival when the event begins in their region. The GO Pass and its Deluxe upgrades will be available from August 18 at 10:00 a.m. through August 24 at 8:00 p.m. local time. Rewards must be claimed by August 26, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. local time.

Tier 1 will provide 2× Catch Candy, while Tier 2 will cut Hatch Distance in half for Eggs placed in an Incubator during the event. The Deluxe upgrade costs US$4.99, while GO Pass Deluxe + 6 Ranks costs US$6.99 and automatically provides enough GO Points to reach Rank 7. Upgrading at any point still allows Trainers to claim rewards from ranks already unlocked on the free track.

GO Pass ranks and rewards

GO Pass Deluxe Web Store bonuses

Trainers who purchase GO Pass Deluxe: Water Festival or GO Pass Deluxe: Water Festival + 6 Ranks through the Pokémon GO Web Store will receive 10 Ultra Balls, five Max Revives, one Premium Battle Pass, and five Max Potions as a gift with purchase.

The GO Pass Deluxe: Water Festival + 6 Ranks Ultra Box will include 20 Ultra Balls, 10 Max Revives, 10 Max Potions, two Premium Battle Passes, one Incubator, and one Super Incubator as a gift with purchase.

Water Festival spawns and research data

Several Water-type Pokémon will appear more often in the wild, including Psyduck, Goldeen, Mareanie, Wimpod, Feebas, Clamperl, and Wiglett. Wiglett will be tied to its beach biome.

Event Field Research will focus on catching Water-type Pokémon. The available tasks and possible rewards include:

Egg reward details were still being collected in the tracker. It links to a permanent Egg list and a full Field Research list for ongoing updates. The Silph Research Group’s checks are intended to add verification to player reports rather than replace them.

New raid encounters will rotate on August 18

The August 18 raid rotation is scheduled to run from 10:00 a.m. until around 9:30 p.m. local time. The current raid lineup includes the following encounters:

Raid rotation from August 19

A second rotation will run from 6:00 a.m. local time on August 19 through 8:00 p.m. local time on August 24, 2026. Lunala will make its Shiny debut in Tier 5 raids, while Mega Swampert will appear in Tier 4. The full lineup will include:

Tatsugiri’s form will depend on the player’s region: Curly Form will appear in EMEA, Droopy Form in AMER, and Stretchy Form in APAC. A separate raid difficulty tracker is also available for the event lineup.

Water Festival 2026 will start soon, and the Egg, Field Research, and raid details may fill out once the event is live. Share your thoughts in the comments, and 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
• Age Rating

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