To kick off 2018, developer Niantic announced a new monthly event for Pokémon Go called Community Days. The first Community Day takes place Saturday, Jan. 20.
Unlike some of the previous Pokémon Go events, Community Days are tied to windows of time, rather than to specific locations. For several hours on each month’s Community Day, special Pokémon will appear frequently around the world. Catch a special Pokemon during those hours, and your new creature will know a move that’s exclusive to that month’s event.
The Community Day timeframe on Jan. 20 lasts between 2pm and 5pm ET. The star Pokémon for January’s Community Day is a special version of Pikachu that comes with a surfing ability.
In addition to catching special creatures, Pokémon Go players will get a number of bonuses if they play during the golden hours. For starters, you’ll earn double experience points for playing when Community Day is live. Also, Lure Modules—increase Pokémon spawn rates for everyone within their area of effectiveness—will last for three hours instead of the usual half hour. That ought to help you snag your special surfing Pikachu. Other unspecified bonuses may also be available.
Niantic has been busy working on Pokémon Go these past few months. Recent updates include an improved augmented reality mode and a weather system that matches the in-game weather with whatever is happening meteorologically in your real-life location. Not bad for a game that came out over a year ago.
