Pokémon GO Weekly Watch: July 20-26 - Shiny Solgaleo, Assistant Pikachu & More!

The Season of Forever Forward continues forward with further celebrations for the 10th Anniversary of Pokémon GO! This week, Pokémon GO players are getting treated to the debut of Professor Willow's assistant Pikachu, the highly anticipated release of Shiny Solgaleo, and a special makeup day for GO Fest raiders.

Here's everything you need to prioritize in Pokémon GO from July 20 to July 26, 2026. The Pokémon GO Weekly Watch is a new series of posts that will identify important things to keep in mind as you play through Pokémon GO during the week. We hope to provide these posts weekly!

This Week's Major Events

Professor Willow's Birthday & 10th Anniversary Ultra Unlock

On Tuesday, July 21 (and going until Monday, July 27), the Ultra Unlock: 10th Anniversary event begins. First Partner (also known as starter Pokémon in the community) will get special backgrounds and can learn their Community Day moves upon evolution. Additionally, huge bonuses starting at 6x and working up to 10x XP for catching Pokémon will happen throughout the week! So get catching!

During the same window, the Willow's Birthday Research event will be available. This event gives us Professor Willow's assistant Pikachu, a fully-body costume for Pikachu. It looks pretty cute, and will be available Field Research, Timed Research, snapshots, and raids. The shiny is available.

Shiny Solgaleo Debut

Solgaleo and Lunala have been in Pokémon GO for quite a while, with varying levels of availability. This week, Solgaleo will be in raids from July 22 to July 28, and will be shiny for the first time. While Solgaleo isn't as powerful as its fusion with Necrozma into Dusk Mane Necrozma, it's a beautiful shiny and does have its own uses.

Solgaleo will have a Raid Hour on July 22nd at 6 p.m.

Pokémon GO Fest 2026 Raid Make-Ups

On Sunday, July 26th from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., a special make-up event will occur bringing back all Sunday GO Fest raid bosses, including Mega Mewtwo Y. Originally, this event was only for parts of the world, but it has been expanded to be a global event. This is a great opportunity to get more Mega Mewtwo Y!

Weekly Raids, Minor Events, & Battle Schedule

Here are some of the import Pokémon available in raids:

• Five Star:
  • Kyogre (July 15-21)
  • Solgaleo (July 22-28, shiny debut)
• Mega Raids:
  • Mega Sceptile (July 15-21)
  • Mega Salamence (July 22-28)
• Weekend Shadow
  • Shadow Palkia (shiny eligible)

Single-Day Events

Here are the focuses of the normal weekly events:

• Max Monday (Monday July 20): Dynamax Trubbish
• Raid Hour (Wednesday July 22): Solgaleo in 5-Star raids
• Spotlight Hour (Thursday, July 23): Eevee will have 2x catch bonus

GO Battle League Updates

GO Battle League is having a few changes:

• Ending July 21: Master League & Retro Cup (Great League)
• Starting July 21: Great League, Ultra League, & Master League
• Note: You can enjoy 4x Stardust win rewards across all active leagues this week!

Ongoing Season of Forever Forward

The Forever Forward season is still ongoing! Keep exploring and checking out what the game has to offer!

The July 2026 GO Pass is still ongoing. The final reward is an encounter with Ho-oh and you'll be able to get plenty of other rewards and bonuses.