Starting with Pokémon GO Wild Area 2026, you and your friends will now be able to see your buddy Pokémon’s Location Background or Special Background on your Trainer profile! We’re excited to see how Trainers customize their profiles and share their adventures with this new feature.

Backgrounds will be available to display on a rolling basis, beginning with the following.

• The GO Wild Area 2026 Location Backgrounds for Sendai and Mexico City will be available to display beginning on November 6, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. local time.^

• The GO Wild Area 2026 Special Background and all previously released Location Backgrounds will be available to display beginning on November 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. local time.^

Additional Special Backgrounds will become available to display in the future. Please stay tuned for more information.

^This feature will be available to Trainers in their local time. Friends will not be able to see your buddy Pokémon’s background until 10:00 a.m. in their local time.

Starting with this year’s Pokémon GO Wild Area, you’ll be able to choose how you’d like to join Dynamax Battles. When you enter the lobby, you can now choose Battle to be automatically matched with other players, or choose Private Group to enter an existing group. You’ll be asked to provide a group code in order to join an existing group. We hope that this update helps you and your friends take on lots of Dynamax Battles during GO Wild Area and future events!

During Pokémon GO Wild Area: Global, ticket-holding Trainers will be able to embark on a branched Special Research story, allowing you to research Steel- or Dragon-type Pokémon. The path you pick will determine certain rewards and bonuses, so choose carefully!

To get the most out of these bonuses, be sure to pick up a global event ticket from the Pokémon GO Web Store and start the event Special Research story when it becomes available. This Special Research will be available beginning on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. local time.

Trainers who choose the Steel-type path will receive the following bonuses upon earning the Steel Scholar medal.

• 1 additional Candy XL awarded for catching Steel-type mighty Pokémon (Trainers level 31+)

• Additional 1,000 Stardust for catching Steel-type mighty Pokémon

Trainers who choose the Dragon-type path will receive the following bonuses upon earning the Dragon Defender medal.

• 1 additional Candy XL awarded for catching Dragon-type mighty Pokémon (Trainers level 31+)

• Additional 1,000 Stardust for catching Dragon-type mighty Pokémon

These bonuses will be active upon claiming your type-themed in-game medal, and they will expire at the end of Pokémon GO Wild Area: Global on Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. local time.

Ticket-holding Trainers attending the real world Pokémon GO Wild Area events in Sendai and Mexico City will get the chance to collect both type-themed badges as a part of their event Special Research, and their bonuses will last until the end of the global event!

All Trainers can unlock the GO Wild Area 2026 Tee (Purple) as a reward in the free GO Pass: Into the Wild! Trainers who upgrade to the paid GO Pass Deluxe: Into the Wild can unlock the Duraludon Pants as a reward as they progress.

GO Pass: Into the Wild and its upgraded version, GO Pass Deluxe, will be available from Monday, November 9, at 10:00 a.m. to Sunday, November 15, at 6:00 p.m. local time. You can claim these avatar items, and all other rewards in GO Pass: Into the Wild, until Tuesday, November 17, at 11:59 p.m. local time.

The following avatar items will be available to purchase in the in-game shop during this event and will continue to be available after the event ends!

Duraludon Helmet

Gigantamax Duraludon Backpack

Fighting-Type Jacket

Finally, ticket-holding Trainers who complete their event Special Research at the real-world Pokémon GO Wild Area events or Pokémon GO Wild Area: Global will receive an all-new avatar pose!

Trainers can now send Pokémon caught in GO Safari Balls to Pokémon HOME! The GO Safari Ball will display as a Strange Ball in Pokémon HOME.

Starting with the Into the Wild event, you’ll be able to activate select Adventure Effects while in the lobby for a raid or Max Battle. Want to give your group an edge in Max Battles during the event? Activate the Adventure Effects for Zacian’s Behemoth Blade or Zamazenta’s Behemoth Bash before starting a battle!

Plus, ticket-holding Trainers at the GO Wild Area events in Sendai and Mexico City will have early access to this new feature!

You can get a head start on planning your visit by downloading and viewing the event map in advance.

• View the Pokémon GO Wild Area: Sendai・Tohoku map here.

• View the Pokémon GO Wild Area: Mexico City map here.

There’s still time to evolve your GO Wild Area fun with additional add-ons! You can enhance your event bonuses, add additional days of gameplay, and even preorder your event merchandise.

Ticket add-ons will be active Friday, November 6, through Sunday, November 8, 2026. That means you can take advantage of these bonuses all weekend!

Learn more and purchase your add-ons here.