Trainers, it’s almost the most spooky time of the year, Halloween is coming! As a huge fan of Halloween, and the Halloween events in Pokémon GO, I’m back for my yearly wild speculation article about what we hope to see happen in game this year.

Remember, this is wild speculation, and lots of me keeping my fingers crossed. Nothing here is official!
Pokémon Debuts

With a renewed focus on the Galar region for the Max Out season, any Pokémon debuts seem likely to come from Galar. Here are my top picks to potentially debut:

• Nickit

• Thievul

• Sinistea

• Polteageist

• Impidimp

• Morgrem

• Grimmsnarl

Nickit and Thievul are Dark types. Sinistea and Polteageist are Ghost types, and the Impdimp family are Fairy and Dark types. Typically I’d opt for a Ghost type, but the other main Ghost types for Galar are the Dreepy family, who are already in game.

Nickit and Thievul are based on the classic urban fox of the UK, that steals from our rubbish bins and lives in suburban areas because we’ve destroyed their habitats. They are considered pests in the UK, and a nuisance, hence the Dark typing, even though it is our fault they live among us and have to scavenge. They are more common Pokémon from Sword and Shield, so they wouldn’t be releasing a big hitter with these two.

Sinistea is the ideal Pokémon to release IMO. A haunted tea cup, created when a lonely spirit has possessed a forgotten cup of cold tea. Is there anything more quintessentially British than that?! As a nation of tea lovers, the only things Brits love more than tea, is forgetting to drink said tea, then cursing themselves when they accidentally take a swig of freezing cold tea when they do remember it. Sinistea has two different forms, Phony Form, and Authentic Form, and in the main series games they require two different items to evolve. Phony Form needs a Cracked Pot to evolve, whereas Authentic Form needs a Chipped Pot. A Phony Form Sinistea doesn’t have a stamp of authenticity on their base, whereas the Authentic form does, and the Authentic Form is much rare.

Phony Form Sinistea

Authentic Form Sinistea

Sinistea would undoubtedly be the most fun release for a new Halloween themed Pokémon, and it would give us all a very rare form to hunt if both versions are released right away!

Finally, the other Dark types of the generation, the Impidimp family. Impidimp is known as the Wily Pokémon, Morgrem the Devious Pokémon, and Grimmsnarl the Bulk Up Pokémon. Grimmsnarl also has a Gigantamax form. The family is found in the beautiful Glimwood Tangle in SwSh, and was one of the Pokémon teased in a 24 hour livestream before the games release. The family are currently the only Dark and Fairy type Pokémon, making them truly unique! With appearances based on imps and goblins, Impidimp could be the perfect little creep to add to GO for Halloween, giving us something totally different to hunt for.

Now, I will give one brief mention for Mimikyu, because it feels like we have been crying out for Mimikyu for years now. With the focus on Galar for this season, Mimikyu feels further away than ever, and sadly I don’t think it is likely we’ll see them this October either.
Costume Pokémon

Is it Halloween without new Costume Pokémon in GO? Absolutely not! In previous years some of the Costumed Pokémon we’ve had added to the game have been based on the Pokémon Centre’s Halloween plushies, so let’s take a look at them.

First up, Fuecoco. Fuecoco has a little top hat, and a Pumpkin costume, but I don’t think we’ll actually get this particular costume Pokémon in 2024. Why? Because typically costume Pokémon can be shiny, and we are a long way off getting shiny Fuecoco. It’s a shame because it is adorable, but it doesn’t seem likely!

Now a new costume Pikachu almost feels like a given at this point, and this Pikachu is particularly cute! The cape, bow and witches hat would be easily do-able as a costume in Pokémon GO, and those who love costume Pikachu would absolutely go feral for this particular iteration. (it’s me, I would go feral for it. Gimme the shiny please).

Another potential that feels like it could happen because the shiny is released, is this hilarious witch inspired Froakie! Frogs are a common familiar for witches, so a Froakie dressed as a witch is adorable as a theme. We’ve not had a costume Froakie before, so it could be a fun new addition to the costume roster!

And finally, another First Partner Pokémon that has shiny potential, a little spooky Rowlet! It dons a bow and a cobweb hat, and given that we’ve seen another owl Pokémon wear hats in the past with Hoothoot, why couldn’t Rowlet get a Halloween costume too?

Both the Froakie and Rowlet could be amazing new additions as costume Pokémon, giving costume Pokémon fans something brand new to hunt for. Fingers crossed we get one of them!
Shiny Pokémon

Now, this is where I am a little skeptical. I’m not sure we will get a new shiny this Halloween, because quite honestly, we are quickly running out of shinies left to release in Pokémon GO!

• Nickit

• Thievul

If Nickit was to debut, I can see it getting an immediate shiny release, because it a more ‘common spawn’ type of Pokémon, so isn’t likely to be the star of any other type of event. Nickit and Thievul have really incredible shiny forms, here is what they look like in Pokémon HOME:

Shiny Nickit

Shiny Thievul

• Sandygast

• Palossand

As the season is focusing on Galar, a non-Galar shiny release seems less likely, if we get any shiny release at all. However, I will throw out speculation that I think shiny Sandygast could potentially be released! Sandygast and Palossand are an excellent shiny family, taking inspiration from the black sand beaches found Hawaiʻi, the inspiration for the Alola region.

Shiny Sandygast

Shiny Palossand

Dynamax Pokémon

One of the other things we are seeing with events this season, is the release of a Dynamax Pokémon.

• Gastly

• Haunter

• Gengar

I think the obvious choice is Gastly! It is a classic Ghost type, and with the Kanto starters being some of the first Dynamax Pokémon, Gastly would be a great option for Halloween. Gengar does have a Gigantamax form, which is different to a Dynamax form, changing appearance and getting a special G-Max Move. I think Dynamax Gastly is more likely than Gigantamax Gengar, as we seem to be having a focus on D-Max rather than any special G-Max Pokémon to begin with. On the slim chance we get G-Max Gengar, here is what it looks like:

Conclusion

So, what do you hope to see in the annual Halloween event? My ultimate hopes are for Sinistea, the costume Pokémon (excluding Fuecoco), Dynamax Gastly, and Sandygast.

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