Pokémon Go Kicks Off 2025 by Doubling Price for Community Day
Image Credit: Niantic, Pokemon Go
Pokémon Go is kicking off 2025 with a January Community Day featuring the grass-type cat Pokémon, Sprigatito. Along with the excitement of catching this popular creature, there’s also news of a price increase for the event’s optional ticket.
Previously, players could grab the ticket for $0.99, but it’s now been bumped up to $1.99. To “make up” for the doubled price, Niantic is adding a Premium Battle Pass to the ticket’s rewards. Normally, these passes cost $1 each, so it helps cover the extra cost. However, players have pointed out that Premium Battle Passes are often available in discounted bundles or even handed out for free—two per day—during the current season, which lessens the appeal of this offer.
The exact list of additional rewards included with the ticket isn’t known yet. Players in Australia and Pacific time zones will be the first to find out when the event goes live in their region.
Pokémon Go’s Community Day is a highly anticipated monthly event where a specific Pokémon gets the spotlight, with increased spawn rates and a chance to catch its Shiny form. It’s a social experience too, as players often use this day to meet up with fellow trainers. But some have been disappointed by recent changes to the ticket. Previously, these tickets included small storylines featuring Professor Willow, who would guide players through fun mini quests. These story elements are now gone, which has made players feel like the ticket offers less value.
Another downside is that the free monthly ticket previously given to players attending local Niantic-sponsored meetups is no longer available. Additionally, the raids that used to extend gameplay after the main event’s three-hour window are gone. This change came after Niantic shortened Community Day back to three hours from the six-hour format introduced during lockdowns. Many players weren’t happy about the rollback, as the extended version gave more flexibility to those with busy schedules.
Despite these cuts, a new feature has been added: a timed research task. Completing this will unlock a week’s worth of bonus encounters with the featured Pokémon, but only if players log in and play daily during the following week.
Community Days have been running regularly since January 2018, with only one month missed (March 2020) due to global events. Fans have seen lots of changes over the years, and while some updates are welcome, others leave players feeling nostalgic and saddened for how things used to be.
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