Pokemon Go April 2021: Frillish Encounters, Shadow Zapdos, and More

As March comes to a close and we move into April, Pokemon Go players have lots of new events and updates to look forward to. Here’s a preview of the updates coming to Pokemon Go in April 2021!

Frillish Research Encounters

From April 1 at 1 p.m. PT until May 1 at 1 p.m. PT, players will earn an encounter with male Frillish each time they achieve a Research Breakthrough. As a reminder, players 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).

Giovanni and Shadow Zapdos

In April, Giovanni, the leader of Team Go Rocket, will have Shadow Zapdos on his team.

From April 1 at 12 a.m. local time until April 8 at 11:59 p.m. local time, players will be able to complete new Timed Research tasks to earn a Super Rocket Radar that they can use to battle Giovanni and add Shadow Zapdos to their collection.

Tier-5 Raid Schedule

Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus will be featured in Tier-5 Raids at different times throughout the month of April. Here’s the schedule:

• Therian Forme Tornadus – March 30 at 10 a.m. local time until April 13 at 10 a.m. local time
• Therian Forme Landorus – April 13 at 10 a.m. local time until April 27 at 10 a.m. local time
• Incarnate Forme Tornadus, Incarnate Forme Thundurus, and Incarnate Forme Landorus will begin appearing in Tier-5 Raids on April 27 at 10 a.m. local time. All three of these Pokemon have the possibility of being Shiny.

Mega Raid Schedule

Mega Houndoom, Mega Manectric, and Mega Abomasnow will leave Mega Raids on April 4 at 10 a.m. local time. At that point, a new Mega-evolved Pokemon will begin appearing in Mega Raids, and it will remain in Mega Raids throughout the rest of April. We’ll make sure to let you know which Pokemon this is once it’s revealed.

Mega Gengar and Mega Manectric will appear in Mega Raids from April 5 at 10 a.m. local time until April 20 at 10 a.m. local time.

Mega Venusaur and Mega Abomasnow will begin appearing in Mega Raids on April 20 at 10 a.m. local time.

April Raid Hours

A Raid Hour event will be held each Wednesday in April from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. local time. These events will feature the Pokemon appearing in Tier-5 Raids at the time.

Pokemon Spotlight Hours

There are four Tuesdays in April, meaning there are four Spotlight Hour events to prepare for. Each event will take place from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Here’s the breakdown.

• April 6 – Buneary will appear more frequently than normal in the wild, and you’ll receive two times the normal number of Pokemon Candy when transferring Pokemon to Professor Willow
• April 13 – Mankey will be the featured Pokemon, and you’ll receive two times the normal number of experience points when evolving Pokemon
• April 20 – Grimer will be the star, and you’ll receive two times the normal amount of Stardust when catching Pokemon
• April 27 – Finneon will be featured, and you’ll receive two times the normal number of experience points when catching Pokemon

Free Weekly Item Bundles

Each week in April, players will be able to claim a free bundle from the in-game shop containing a Remote Raid Pass and other goodies.

April’s Limited Time Events

A number of themed, limited-time events will take place in April. In a news post, Niantic, the developer of Pokemon Go, offered a preview of what these events will offer.

• Spring into Spring – This Spring- and Easter-themed event will run from April 4 until April 8. It will feature Chansey, Blissey, and Happiny wearing flower crowns, as well as other Spring- and Egg-themed content.
• Rivals’ Week – This event will focus on Pokemon that are considered rivals. It will run from April 13 until April 18. This event will feature the debut of new pocket monsters in Pokemon Go.
• Sustainability Week – This event will run from April 20 until April 25, and it will focus on Pokemon such as Grimer and Trubbish, among others.
• Friendship Day – A one-day event focused on friendship will be held on April 24.

Finally, Niantic said, “April will end with a snappy event that will continue into May, so keep a lookout for more details later in April!”

We’ll make sure to bring you more details about each of these events as they’re revealed.

Which one of these updates or events are you most looking forward to in Pokemon Go? Let us know on Twitter at @superparenthq.