Pokémon GO Fest Global 2026 features the largest selection of Pokémon yet! But some catches are far more valuable than others. Between powerful raid attackers, useful PvP Pokémon, regional exclusives, rare costumes, shiny debuts, and the arrival of Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y globally, there is plenty to prioritize during the event.
This guide highlights the best Pokémon to catch at Pokémon GO Fest Global 2026 based on their value in raids, PvP, and collection. It covers confirmed wild encounters and raid bosses, including the Pokémon worth farming for Candy, good IVs, shinies, and future investment. As there are alot of Pokémon to cover this time around, this guide will be seperated into two articles one for Saturday and one for Sunday!
Standard Encounters
Now here’s the deal, normally GO Fests have select Pokémon spawn in the while on an hourly loop and each hour is called its own unique “habitat”. However, this time things are a bit different. Instead of specific Pokémon spawning in each habitat, each habitat will instead be differentiated based on typing and will go on for 3 hours. So, for example, a whole host of Ice, Electric, and Fire-types will spawn between 10 AM to 1 PM on Saturday. As such, it is unlikely that you will be able to prioritize specific Pokémon. Not only that, almost every major legendary and mega Pokémon will be appearing in raids as well.
As such, to start off we’ll briefly look at the handful of event-exclusive non-raid encounters that we know for sure will be available during the event (These Pokémon were available on Saturday as well) and then jump on over to looking at all the raid Pokémon!
Incense Encounters: Regional Exclusives and Unown
These are the Pokémon that will have a chance to spawn when you’re running any incense other than the Daily-Adventure Incense. Firstly, Every form of Unown will be available during the event! If you’re trying to complete your Unown dex, or the much more difficult shiny Unown dex, this is a great opportunity to catch the ones you might be missing.
Other than that, Tropius and Bouffalant might also appear as incense encounters. Tropius is typically only found in Africa, the Levant, Malta and southern Spain. On the other hand Bouffalant can typically only be found in New York and its surrounding areas. As such, if you do not live in those regions you will still be able to add them to your collection during the event. They can both be shiny as well!
Zeraora
For the first time, trainers globally can encounter the Electric-type Mythical Pokémon, Zeraora via a special research that will be available during the event. Not only is Zeraora an exclusive encounter for this year’s GO Fest, it is also one of the best Electric-type raid attackers. So definitely log-in during GO Fest so you can acquire the special research! Check out this article for a full indepth meta analysis, along with the potential for Mega Zeraora in the future.
Costumed Pokémon
Three unique costumed Pikachus wearing hats with the symbols of each of the three teams available in Pokémon GO will be available during the event, adding to the ever-growing roster of costumed Pikachu. If you’re trying to collect them all or just like the one with your team’s hat, this is your time to catch ’em. They can be shiny as well!
The three first starters from Generation 1 will also have unique costumed forms. Not only are these fantastic collectors items, they have multiple gameplay uses as well. Starting with:
Charmander‘s final evolution, Charizard is almost a secondary mascot for the Pokémon franchise. So it should come as no surprise that Charizard has multiple uses across Pokémon GO’s various gameplay modes. While regular Charizard isn’t particularly exceptional, it’s shadow form often finds itself in the Great, Ultra and Master Premier Leagues, thanks to its many legacy attacks. Shadow Charizard and Mega Charizard Y are also fantastic Fire and Flying type raid attacker, whereas Mega Charizard X is a solid Fire-type raid attacker and even a decent Dragon-type raid attacker.
Bulbasaur‘s final evolution, Venusaur is a great Grass-type raid attacker, whether it be in its regular, shadow, or mega variant. It’s shadow and mega forms are solid as Poison-type raid attackers as well. As for PvP, Venusaur falls off and on in the Great League and the Ultra League depending on the meta, where it typically focuses on spamming its legacy move Frenzy Plant. But even in metas where it isn’t a top-player, it can still be a decent spice pick. Also worth noting, Bulbasaur itself frequently finds success in the 500 CP Little Cup formats.
Squirtle‘s final evolution is Blastoise, which is a very good Pokémon for the Great League and the Ultra League as it has solid stat products and can be quite spammy with the legacy move, Hydro Cannon. And while they won’t be available during GO Fest, Blastoise does have a Mega and a Dynamax form which are good for raids and max raids respectively.
Raid Encounters
Now we get into the real meat and potatoes of this article, the raid Pokémon! This time around, raids will be on a habitat based rotation as well. And each day will have its own unique habitats. As such, let’s seperate the raid mons based on days, habitats, and raid-type and get started!
Super Mega Raid
Mega Y Mewtwo
If there’s one Pokémon you definitely want to pick up from this year’s GO Fest, it’s this one. Mega Mewtwo Y has one of the highest Attack stats in the game, second only to fellow Psychic-type Deoxis (Attack Forme). However, unlike Deoxis (Attack Forme), Mega Mewtwo Y’s other stats are super solid as well. As such, Mega Mewtwo Y is not only the strongest Psychic-type raid attacker. It is also the best Electric-type raid attacker, and the second and third best Ghost and Ice-type raid attacker respectively. It is also a solid Fire and Fighting-type raid attacker. Though its counterpart Mega Mewtwo X is a better Fighting-type raid attacker than it thanks to STAB. Nevertheless, M.Mewtwo Y is still solid in all of these type categories just by having a single charged attack of all of these types. You will get a lot of mileage out of this mon.
Earthforged Domain
The first habitat of Sunday will go on from 10:00am – 1:00pm and will feature the following raid Pokémon:
Mega Raids
Top Priority: Mega Garchomp – Top Tier Raid Attacker
We have our first completely useless Mega Raid Pokémon, as Mega Audino is a defensive Pokémon it doesn’t do well in raids and since Mega Pokémon can’t typically be used in PvP, it can’t utilize its bulk there either. Mega Garchomp on the other hand is quite solid, ranking #2 as a Ground-type and #4 as a Dragon-type raid attacker in our database. Likewise, Mega Metagross is the 4th best Steel-type raid attacker and manages to be just above the bottom of Top 10 as a Psychic-type raid attacker.
Five-Star Raids
Top Priority: Dialga (Origin) and Palkia (Origina) – Powerful PvP and Raid Pokémon With Useful Adventure Effects
On Sunday we get the special Origin forms of Dialga and Palkia, and I would highly recommend waiting for Sunday if you want either of the two. While their shadow variants typically outperform even the Origin forms in raids, both of them are still quite solid in their respective type categories, except for Dialga (Origin) which actually slightly underperforms compared to regular Dialga as a Steel-type raid attacker. However, these two are still very much worth getting as they are both extremely great for the Master League and they have “Adventure Effects” outside of combat that allow you to catch Pokémon and farm XP and Stardust more efficiently. Ah, Heatran is also there joining the Sinnoh legendary crew, its a fairly solid Fire-type raid attacker but not much else. It does however have a Mega evolution in the future, so it may be worth grinding the candy and a good IV shiny now!
Next we reach the Regis. Most of them aren’t that good for raids with the exception of Regieleki as an Electric-type and Regidrago as a Dragon-type. Neither are exceptional but both are still decent, easily ranking up the top 20s. In terms of PvP, Registeel is your main target as it’s good for both the Great and Ultra Leagues. Regidrago also does well in the Ultra League.
Finally we reach the four strange legendaries generally referred to as the Forces of Nature. They each come in two forms but we can shorten down the useful ones by a lot. Enamorous (Incarnate) is your best choice, as it is very strong both as Flying-type and a Fairy-type raid attacker. Landorus (Therian) is among the top 5 Ground-type raid attackers. And finally, Thundurus (Therian) can be pretty good as an Electric-type raid attacker. None of them are that good as PvP Pokémon. However, Landorus (Therian) and Enamorous (Therian) do have their place in the Master League.
Verdant Anomaly
The Verdant Anomaly habitat will go on from 10:00am – 1:00pm and will feature the following raid Pokémon:
Mega Raids
Top Priority: Mega Sceptile – Best Grass-Type Raid Attacker
Two Bug-type Megas in this habitat and both are very good as Bug-type raid attackers. In fact, Mega Pinsir ranks second (just behind Mega Heracross) and Mega Beedrill ranks 7th. Though Beedrill needs a legacy fast attack Bug Bite, so Pinsir is more desirable in this regard. Mega Beedrill does make up for it by being the third best Poison-type raid attacker without any legacy moves. Finally, we have the only non Bug-type, Mega Sceptile, which is THE BEST Grass-type raid attacker you can have right now. Ironically, because it can generate energy very fast because of the Bug-type fast attack, Fury Cutter, with which it can spam the legacy move Frenzy Plant.
Five-Star Raids
Top Priority: Guzzlord – Powerful In Both Raids And PvP
This might seem like a lot, especially with all these unique forms of Deoxys and Genesect running about in all the gyms. However, in truth no form of Deoxys is very good either for PvE or PvP right now. And as for Genesect, its different forms only vary in the fact that their signature legacy move, Techno Blast, is a different type of attack for each form. But because Techno Blast is a move that requires a lot of energy you don’t really even want to use it in the first place. As such, Genesect in any form, is simply a very good Bug and Steel-type raid attacker, reaching up to the top 20s in both categories in our database.
Next we have the Tapus. We can single Tapu Fini out, as it is the most defensive of the four, with a lower attack stat. As such, it’s not a very good raid attacker. As for the other four, they are all very solid Fairy-type raid attackers, thanks to their mutually shared Fairy-type legacy charged attack, Nature’s Madness, one of the best Fairy-type moves in the game. Tapu Lele performs noticeably better than the other two, as it has a higher attack stat, and Fairy/Psychic being a naturally good type combination. Though Tapu Bulu is the only one that makes use of its non-Fairy sub-typing, being a solid Grass-type raid attacker. As for PvP, Tapu Fini is good in the Ultra League, though its performance has fallen somewhat recently, due to a few move nerfs. On the other hand, Tapu Lele is decent in the Master League.
Finally, we have the Ultra Beasts. Nihilego is an excellent Poison-type raid attacker, tailing behind some of the Pokémon we’ve seen already such as Mega Beedrill, and Mega Gengar. Next, Buzzwole is thoroughly unremarkable, only being an okay-ish Fighting-type raid attacker. The same can be said about its counterpart, Pheromosa, only being a half-okay Bug-type raid attacker. Xurkritree does a lot better, it has only one type and it needs only one type, as it is one of the best Electric-type raid attackers. On the other hand, Celesteela is unremarkable across the board.
To make up for its Steel-type cousin, Kartana has a very high attack stat and is one of the best Grass-type raid attackers. Guzzlord picks up the pace even further, being a pretty decent Dark-type raid attacker, along with being a great Pokémon for the Great and Ultra Leagues. Falling right back down, the final Steel-type Ultra Beast, Stakataka isn’t particularly good for anything, only being an okay-ish Rock-type raid attacker. The same can be said for Necrozma if we lump it with the Ultra Beasts, in its default form its only barely okay as a Psychic-type raid attacker. But to end this Ultra Beast section on a high note, Blacephalon is one of the best Fire-type raid attackers with the legacy move, Mind Blown. And can even be a solid Ghost-type raid attacker without any legacy moves to rely on.
Twilight Battlefield
At last we reach the final habitat of not only Sunday, but the entire event, fittingly named Twilight Battlefield. It will feature the following raid Pokémon:
Mega Raids
Top Priority: All Three – They’re All Great In Their Respective Type Categories. Pick The One You Need.
Some super strong Mega Pokémon to end off with, Mega Tyranitar is THE best Dark-type raid attacker you could use right now, and it is one of the best Rock-type raid attackers you could ask for as well. Though in that case, you want the heavy damage dealing fast legacy attack, Smack Down. Not to be outdone, Mega Gardevoir is the best Fairy-type raid attacker, and one of the top 10 Psychic-type raid attackers according to our database. And Gardevoir doesn’t even need legacy moves. Finally, Mega Lucario is the best Fighting-type raid attacker, and a solid Steel-type raid attacker. You really can’t go wrong with any of these three, so might as well pick the one you fancy the most or the one you need type coverage for.
Five-Star Raids
Top Priority: The Swords Of Justice – One’s Good for Raids, The Other Two Are Fantastic For PvP.
The final legendaries of the event and at first we have the Psychic-Dragon twins from Hoenn, Latias and Latios. Latios is a solid Master League PvP Pokémon, and Latias can be a decent spice pick as well. Latios can even be a solid spice pick for the Ultra League. As for their usefulness in raids, they are okay. They can be usable in both type categories, but many Pokémon, including their own Mega and Shadow forms, vastly outperform them.
Next we have the night-time legendaries of Sinnoh, Cresselia and Darkrai. Cresselia has immensely high defense stats, which makes it a fantastic Ultra League Pokémon, and a decent spice pick for the Great League. Though with a low attack stat, it doesn’t do well in raids. It’s counterpart and rival, Darkrai doesn’t do well in PvP but it has several uses as a raid attacker. It can be a solid Dark and Ghost-type raid attacker with the same kit of Snarl and Shadow Ball. And if you remove Shadow Ball and add the legacy move Sludge Bomb instead, you get a pretty decent Poison-type raid attacker as well.
Now we reach the Swords of Justice trio from Unova, Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion are all Fighting-types with a unique secondary typing. However, as far as raids are concerned, Terrakion is the best as it is among the top 10 Fighting-type raid attackers, and one of the best Rock-type raid attackers as well thanks to having the highest attack stat of the three. The other two aren’t that good, only being half-decent Fighting-type raid attackers, but they make up for it in PvP. Virizion is currently one of the most dominant Pokémon in the Ultra League, and Cobalion is a solid pick as well. Both of them benefit from their additional bulk and their spam potential. Though whether you want to use Virizion and Cobalion for PvP or Terrakion as a Fighting-type raid attacker, you want the legacy move, Sacred Sword.
Finally, we have Zacian and Zamazenta, the legendary dogs from Galar. While these two are among the best Pokémon you can have in GO in general, both in PvP and in raids in the case of Zacian, that’s only the case in their “Crowned” forms. During GO Fest, only their “Hero of Many Battles” forms will be available. These forms vastly underperform compared to their Crowned forms. Though if you really want to catch one right now, you could try to hunt for perfect IVs so you could transform them into their Crowned forms by doing the relevant raids later.
Conclusion
And there you have it! Another eventful day of near endless raids and Pokémon encounters to look forward to. I hope this and the Saturda article have helped you narrow down your priorities for the event, as it quite a large one this time around. If you’re time is quite limited, I would still highly recommend prioritizing the two new Mega Mewtwos, the Mega Pokémon on the last habitat and Dialga & Palkia in their Origin forms. Hope you have a fantastic experience this time around and stay safe out there!
Goodbye for now, Pokémon trainers. Priom-out!
