Pokemon Go July 2021: Deoxys Raids, 5th Anniversary Event, and More

July 2021 will be one of the biggest months of the year for Pokemon Go, as it marks the fifth anniversary of the game’s release (the game launched in July 2016), and it will see players around the world participate in the game’s major, yearly Pokemon Go Fest event.

While Pokemon Go Fest is a big event to look forward to, it’s not the only event or update coming to Pokemon Go next month.

Here are some of the updates and events happening in Pokemon Go in July 2021.

July Research Breakthrough Encounters

From July 1 at 1 p.m. PT until August 1 at 1 p.m. PT, players will earn an encounter with Rufflet and a Remote Raid Pass each time they achieve a Research Breakthrough. Players will also receive double the normal number of experience points when achieving a Research Breakthrough during this time.

As a reminder, players will achieve a Research Breakthrough each time they complete at least one Field Research task on seven different days (it doesn’t have to be seven days in a row).

Legendary Raids

A variety of Pokemon will be featured in Tier-5 Raids in the month of July. Here’s the schedule:

• Bidoof – July 1 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time
• Defense Forme Deoxys – July 1 at 8 p.m. local time until July 16 at 10 a.m. local time
• Mewtwo – July 16 at 10 a.m. local time until July 23 at 10 a.m. local time (As a reminder, lots of Legendary Pokemon, in addition to Mewtwo, will appear in Tier-5 Raids on July 18, the second day of Pokemon Go Fest).

In a news post, Niantic, the developer of Pokemon Go, said players should “Stay tuned for more updates on which Pokémon will be appearing in five-star raids after July 23.”

Mega Raids

Three different Mega-Evolved Pokemon will appear in Mega Raids in July. Here’s the lineup:

• Mega Houndoom – July 1 at 8 p.m. local time until July 16 at 10 a.m. local time
• Mega Gengar – July 16 at 10 a.m. local time until July 23 at 10 a.m. local time
• Mega Charizard X – July 23 at 10 a.m. local time until August 6 at 10 a.m. local time

Weekly Raid Hour Events

A Raid Hour event will take place each Wednesday in July from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. local time. During each event, more Raids will appear featuring the Pokemon that’s currently available in Tier-5 Raids at the time.

Spotlight Hours

There are four Tuesdays in July, so there are four Spotlight Hour events to look forward to. These events will run from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. local time each Tuesday in July. Here’s the breakdown of the month’s featured Pokemon and in-game bonuses.

• July 6 – Bulbasaur will appear more frequently than normal in the wild, and players will receive two times the normal number of experience points for catching Pokemon.
• July 13 – Charmander will be the featured Pokemon, and players will receive two times the normal number of Pokemon Candy when catching Pokemon.
• July 20 – Squirtle will be in the star, and players will receive two Pokemon Candy for every Pokemon they transfer to Professor Willow, instead of one.
• July 27 – Natu will be featured, and players will receive two times the normal number of experience points when evolving Pokemon

Limited-Time Events

In addition to Pokemon Go Fest, at least two additional limited-time events will take place in July 2021. Here’s what we know about these events so far.

Pokemon Go Anniversary Celebration – This event will run from July 6 at 10 a.m. local time until July 15 at 8 p.m. local time. Niantic said more details about this event will be revealed in early July.

Go Battle Night – This event will take place on July 11 from 6 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. local time. During this event, players will be able to compete in up to 100 Go Battle League battles, and they’ll receive three times the normal amount of Stardust for winning battles, finishing sets of battles, and going up a rank in the Go Battle League. Niantic said this Stardust bonus will not stack with the Stardust bonus that will already be active in the Go Battle League from June 28 to July 12.

Keep checking back with SuperParent, as we’ll bring you more details about the game’s fifth anniversary event as soon as they’re revealed.

Are you excited about these updates and events that are coming to Pokemon Go? Let us know on Twitter at @superparenthq.