January’s Grookey-themed Pokemon GO Community Day is right around the corner and players can start planning ahead for the day now to make sure they’re prepared to maximize their Stardust and Shiny collections.
Pokémon GO’s January Community DAy Date and Details
Pokémon GO players were able to enjoy an exciting Community Day Classic during the first weekend of 2026, but next weekend will bring the main Community Day event to the mobile AR game.
January 2026’s Community Day puts the spotlight on Gen VIII Grass-type starter Grookey. The Grookey Community Day event begins Sunday, January 18, 2026, at 2:00 PM local time and ends Sunday, January 18, 2026, at 5:00 PM local time.
Grookey Spawns, Shiny Odds, and Special Move
Players can evolve Thwackey during the event—or up to four hours afterwards—to obtain Rillaboom with the exclusive Charged Attack Frenzy Plant. Trainers will need to spend 25 Grookey Candy to evolve into Thwackey and then 100 Grookey Candy to evolve into Rillaboom.
Here are the stats for Frenzy Plant:
- Trainer Battles: 60 power and lowers the opposing Pokémon’s Attack by one stage.
- Gyms and raids: 115 power
Grookey will appear more frequently in the wild during the event hours. Players may also encounter a Shiny Grookey. During the event hours, players have about a 5% chance per encounter to find a Shiny version of Grookey.
Grookey is a Grass-type Pokémon in Pokémon GO, which is boosted by Sunny weather.
Grookey Community Day Bonuses
Trainers have some serious opportunities to load up on important resources during the Grookey Community Day event. Not only will there be a 2x Catch Candy bonus to help speed up the progress towards those Rillaboom evolutions, but players can also use the 3x Catch Stardust bonus to stock up on one of the game’s most valuable resources.
- Increased Grookey Spawns
- 3× Catch Stardust
- 2× Catch Candy
- 2× Chance to get Candy XL from catching Pokémon
- 3 hour Incense (*)
- 1 hour Lure Modules
- Trades will require 50% less Stardust.
- 1 additional Special Trade can be made for a maximum of three for the day.
All Grookey Community Day Classic Special Research Tasks and Rewards
Players can spend $1.99 to unlock this Community Day’s exclusive Special Research. The Special Research costs real-world money to unlock, but its rewards often make the $1.99 price tag worth it for players who plan to spend the full three hours playing during the event.
Grookey Special Research (1/3)
- Catch 3 Pokémon – Grookey encounter
- Catch 5 Pokémon – Grookey encounter
- Catch 7 Pokémon – Grookey encounter
- Make 7 Nice Throws – 20 Ultra Balls
- Make 5 Great Throws – 1 Star Piece
- Make 5 Curve Balls – 1 Incense
- Stage 1 Rewards – Grookey encounter, 50 Grookey Candy, 50 Grookey Candy XL
Grookey Special Research (2/3)
- Catch 3 Pokémon – Grookey encounter
- Catch 5 Pokémon – Grookey encounter
- Catch 10 Pokémon – Grookey encounter
- Use 3 Berries to catch a Pokémon – 20 Ultra Balls
- Use 5 Berries to catch a Pokémon – 1 Charge TM
- Use 7 Berries to catch a Pokémon – 1 Silver Pinap Berry
- Stage 2 Rewards – Grookey encounter, 7,500 Stardust, 3 Rare Candy
Grookey Special Research (3/3)
- Catch 3 Pokémon – Grookey encounter
- Catch 5 Pokémon – Grookey encounter
- Catch 10 Pokémon – Grookey encounter
- Spin 3 PokéStops or Gyms – 20 Ultra Balls
- Spin 4 PokéStops or Gyms – 1 Rocket Radar
- Explore 1km – 1x Premium Raid Pass
- Stage 3 Rewards – Grookey encounter, 10,000 XP, 1 Rare XL Candy
Community Day Field Research
In addition to the high-value Special Research, players can also complete regular Field Research throughout the event to earn some additional items and Grookey encounters. Players may even earn a Grookey encounter with a Special Background.
Field Research and Rewards
- Catch 3 Grookey – Grookey encounter (with chance of a Special Background), or x5 Great Balls, 2 Ultra Balls, 2 Pinap Berries, or 500 Stardust
- Catch 5 Pokémon while in a party – Grookey encounter (with chance of a Special Background)
- Catch 50 Pokémon – Grookey encounter (with chance of a Special Background)
That should be everything players need to know to prepare for the upcoming Grookey-themed January Community Day event. Remember to plan ahead and clear out 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.
The post Pokémon GO: Grookey Community Day Guide and Special Research Rewards appeared first on VICE.
