Pokemon GO is sending one of the series’ most recognizable Mega Evolutions into real-world stores. Scopely Explore announced the Pokemon TCG 30th Celebration Event on September 27, and its centerpiece is a wave of boosted Mega Gengar raids at selected retail partners. If you want this Mega Evolution without hunting for it in the wild, the easiest route right now leads through a shopping mall.
When and Where the Mega Gengar Raids Run
The event kicked off on September 27 at 10:00 a.m. local time and runs until October 20 at 10:00 p.m. local time. The boosted raids are tied to three retail chains, so the location matters more than the time of day:
- Best Buy
- GameStop
- Target
At participating stores you will see increased Mega Gengar raid spawns for the entire duration of the event. In other words, this is not a global raid rotation you can clear from your couch – you need to physically show up at one of the partner locations.
What You Get for Showing Up
Besides the raids themselves, visiting a participating store unlocks exclusive Timed Research. Completing it hands out Poke Balls, encounters with event-themed Pokemon, and additional rewards.
There is also a cosmetic tied to spending real money: if you buy a Pokemon GO gift card at a participating retailer and redeem the code, you get an in-game Gengar Knit Cap for your avatar. Free code drops are nothing new for the game either – we covered one of them in our piece on the costumed Charmander code.
Why Mega Gengar, and Why Now
The whole event celebrates the launch of 30th Celebration, the Pokemon TCG’s special anniversary set. That set marks three decades of the franchise not only with new cards, but also with reprints of some of the most iconic cards in the trading card game’s history. Every booster pack contains a Pikachu card, with 30 different Pikachu variants in total, illustrated by well-known Pokemon TCG artists – from Yuka Morii’s distinctive sculpture art to the classic work of original character designer Ken Sugimori. The set run matches the in-game event: September 27 through October 20.
This is not the first crossover of its kind. The launch of the Mega Lucario ex Figure Collection in late 2025 came with a very similar promotion, boosting Mega Lucario raids at retail locations. And back in 2022, the Pokemon TCG released a full Pokemon GO-themed expansion with cards based on the game’s Team leaders and mechanics like PokeStops and Lure Modules.
The Rest of Twilight Trails
Mega Gengar lands in the middle of Twilight Trails, the fall season that Scopely Explore rolled out right after the Mega Finale event closed the 2026 edition of GO Fest. The season has already brought Maschiff and Mabosstiff into the game, plus two new Mega Evolutions in Mega Staraptor and Mega Chandelure.
More is already on the calendar. Scopely Explore confirmed Zorua as the spotlight Pokemon for October’s Community Day on October 10, and it has also locked in the dates for Pokemon GO Tour 2027 – the in-person stops run in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and Los Angeles, California over the weekend of February 19, with the global event following the weekend after.
Where to Go Next
If you want to keep track of everything happening around the franchise, we collect it all in our Pokemon news section. We also wrote about the Pokedex of the upcoming Pokemon Winds and Waves, and for something completely different, take a look at the Pokemon Emerald Arena ROM hack.
FAQ
From September 27 at 10:00 a.m. local time until October 20 at 10:00 p.m. local time.
Participating Best Buy, GameStop, and Target locations.
The boosted raid spawns are tied to participating retail locations, so the higher chance only applies there.
Buy a Pokemon GO gift card at a participating retailer and redeem the code – the knit cap is then added in-game.
Poke Balls, encounters with event-themed Pokemon, and additional rewards.