January 2026 has arrived and players can now prepare to take full advantage of the spawn rates and bonuses available during the Pokémon GO: Piplup Community Day Classic Guide event.
Pokemon GO’s January Community Day Classic Event Kicks Off the New Year
The first Pokémon GO Community Day Classic event of 2026 kicks off this afternoon and puts the spotlight on the Generation IV water-type starter Piplup. The Community Day Classic event offers some very exciting bonuses for players to take advantage of, so all fans of the mobile AR game should try to carve out a few hours of time to play this afternoon.
The Community Day Classic event kicks off Sunday, January 4, 2026, at 2:00 PM local time and ends on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at 5:00 PM local time.
Piplup Spawns, Shiny Odds, and Special Move
Players can evolve Prinplup during the event (or up to 9:00 p.m. local time on January 4, 2026) to obtain an Empoleon that knows the exclusive move Hydro Cannon. This Water-type Charged Attack has 80 power in Trainer Battles and 90 power in Gyms/Raids. Empoleon with Hydro Cannon should make a nice addition to the Ultra League for players who enjoy battling.
Spawn rates during the event will follow the usual Community Day boosts. Piplup will appear more frequently in the wild. Players also have a chance to encounter a Shiny Piplup. The odds of encountering a Shiny Piplup during the Community Day Classic are estimated to be around 1 in 20 according to the number crunchers in the community. That means players have about a 5% chance per encounter to see a Shiny.
Players should keep in mind that Piplup is a Water-type Pokémon, which means that it will be boosted by Rainy weather. If there happens to be rain falling in your local area, definitely take advantage of that good luck and catch as many boosted Piplups as possible.
Piplup Community Day Classic Bonuses
- 1/4 Hatch Distance for eggs incubated during the event
- 3 hour Incense
- 1 hour Lure Modules
Lures only last 1 hour during Piplup Community Day, but they have an additional bonus. From 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time, Piplup will have a very high chance of appearing at PokéStops with active regular Lure Modules. Piplup attracted to regular Lure Modules will still have an increased chance to be Shiny and may have a Special Background.
1/4 Hatch Distance isn’t quite as exciting as something like a Stardust bonus, but it is still a fairly popular bonus. The 1/4 Hatch Distance opportunity combined with the chance to add some Shiny Piplups to the inventory is likely enough to get a big crowd of players out and playing this afternoon.
Players who want to load up on additional rewards should plan to work through the Community Day Classic Field Research and the $1.99 Special Research as well.
All Piplup Community Day Classic Special Research Tasks and Rewards
Stage 1
- Catch 3 Pokémon – Piplup
- Catch 5 Pokémon – Piplup
- Catch 7 Pokémon – Piplup
- Make 7 Nice Throws – x20 Ultra Balls
- Make 5 Great Throws – x1 Star Piece
- Make 5 Curve Balls – x1 Incense
- Stage 1 Rewards – Piplup, x50 Piplup Candy, x50 Piplup Candy XL
Stage 2
- Catch 3 Pokémon – Piplup
- Catch 5 Pokémon – Piplup
- Catch 10 Pokémon – Piplup
- Use 3 Berries to catch a Pokémon – x20 Ultra Balls
- Use 5 Berries to catch a Pokémon – x1 Charge TM
- Use 7 Berries to catch a Pokémon – ×1 Silver Pinap Berry
- Stage 2 Rewards – Piplup, x7500 Stardust, x3 Rare Candy
Stage 3
- Catch 3 Pokémon – Piplup
- Catch 5 Pokémon – Piplup
- Catch 10 Pokémon – Piplup
- Spin 3 PokéStops or Gyms
- Ultra Ball icon – ×20 Ultra Ball
- Spin 4 PokéStops or Gyms – x 1 Rocket Radar
- Explore 1km – x1 Premium Raid Pass
- Stage 3 Rewards – Piplup, x10000 XP, x1 Rare Candy XL
That should be everything players need to know to prepare for the upcoming Piplup-themed Community Day Classic event. Remember to plan ahead and clear our Inventory and Storage space for all of the day’s catches and reward items.
Pokémon GO is available now on mobile devices in select regions.
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