Well, this is the second part of what to look forward next year in Pokémon GO. Nothing else to say here, except the fact that this one is juicier and more exciting. For part one, read our What to look forward next year in Pokémon GO (Part 1)
Remember, this is all wild speculation, and nothing is confirmed!
New Shiny Releases
There are going to be a lot of new shiny releases during the year of 2023, because that’s what this game is all about! Shinies are what make playing Pokémon GO so fun and exciting. Shinies are the most sought after by hardcore players, and collectors. And each year, there are tons of new shiny releases that Pokémon GO players grind for. Each new shiny caught is like a new trophy earned. Here are some of my predictions on the new shinies that should be released.
The Shiny Sandile Family?
Sandile is a good looking shiny, and so it’s family. Currently, the only way to obtain Sandile is via 12 kilometer eggs, which you get after defeating Team GO Rocket Leaders. It is possible that the shiny is released in these eggs as well during a Rocket Takeover event, just like saw with shiny Pawniard being limited to 12km eggs. It would be better if Sandile has a Community Day though, since it would be really cool to see a Pokémon only limited to eggs appear in the wild with its shiny available.
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Shiny Tapus
I am a 100% sure we will see the Shiny Tapus being released next year in raids. We recently got the details for the events happening in January in Pokémon GO, and Tapu Koko is back in raids from January 25 till February 1st, and for the first time ever, it can be shiny. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that in February, all the other Tapus are going to be back, with their shiny potential.
This includes Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu and Tapu Fini. They all have really cool shinies, their body a shade of black.
Shiny Drilbur Family
The reason why I believe the Drilbur family is such a great candidate to be released as a shiny in 2023 is because of the new Test Your Mettle event, which happened this year and my guess is that it will probably happen next year in September as well.
There is also an Adventure Week event that runs every year in June, and since Drilbur and Excadrill are both dual Ground and Steel type Pokémon, it would make sense for them to be released in these events. Drilbur has been available in eggs, research, GBL reward encounters and even in the wild.
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The Shiny Zorua Family….maybe?
Zorua and Zoroark were just released this year, and they could be released shiny next year, but there is not that big of a chance of them being released, but it would still make a great candidate for the new Halloween shiny of 2023.
I am guessing that the only way to get shiny Zorua when it drops, is going to be Zorua transforming into your buddy, and it will have a 1/64 chance of being shiny when you catch it, just like with Ditto.
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Shiny Phantump Family
Shiny Phantump and Trevenant should be released during the Halloween of 2023. The reason why I think that is because there is a trend. Noibat and Galarian Yamask were both released during the O.G. 2020 Halloween event, and their shinies were released 2 years later, in 2022.
Since Phantump and Trevenant were both released last year in 2021, it would make sense for their shinies to drop out next year during Halloween. The shinies look gorgeous as well, definitely one of the most anticipated in the game.
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Mimikyu
Mimikyu should obviously be released in 2023, we have been waiting for it for too long. There is a Mimikyu hat and a Mimikyu backpack into the game, which was in introduced in 2019. We have the avatar items for Mimikyu, why can’t we have Mimikyu itself being released? Well, I think Halloween 2023 seems like a perfect time to release this fan-favorite Pokémon.
Community Days
Chespin Community Day was just announced for January, so finally–the starter community days are back! I am a 100% sure that we will see shiny Froakie and shiny Fennekin Community Days will be happening next year. And both of them have awesome shinies as well!
Some other predictions for the Community Days include Axew, Timburr, Whismur and many more. GO Hub writer Spindiana has an article on the Community Day 2023, where he has some solid predictions and explains why these are good candidates to be featured.
New Megas
Some new Megas for 2023 that would make a whole lot of sense would be Mega Rayquaza, Mega Mewtwo X and Y, and Mega Lucario. We recently saw an update on the Pokémon GO website that hints at the new upcoming Megas.
This has a slot for a Psychic type Pokémon. Mega Gardevoir and Mega Gallade are both unreleased Mega Psychic types. Mega Gardevoir would make sense though, because it also a Fairy type, and from the Hoenn region.
February is Hoenn Tour, a really good event to introduce Mega Rayquaza. Since all Pokémon from a region make their appearance during their specific Tours, and there still has been no announcement of Rayquaza, it would be a good way to introduce this fan-favorite, and godly-looking-shiny Pokémon.
Finally, we have the Mega Mewtwo X and Y, and Mega Lucario. The reason why I think these should be released is because these Pokémon were teased by the PokéMiners since their assets were added into the Game Master, and also by Niantic itself via their 4th anniversary poster, in 2020. It’s been two years, and there is still no sign of them, so it kind of seems like we are overdue for them by now.
Conclusion
2023 is going to be a great year. I look forward to another year full of banger events, new quality of life updates and in-game experiences! Tell me in the comments below if I missed anything, or what you think we can expect next year in Pokémon GO!
