Pokémon Go will celebrate its 10th anniversary today with a very special livestream — and we’ll be covering all of the announcements and surprises as they happen.
The game’s developer — previously Niantic, though rebranded this week as Scopely Explore — has been extremely secretive about what this livestream will feature, though eagle-eyed fans may have spotted a few clues.
Over the past few weeks and months, hardcore fans have been discussing invitations sent out to local Community Ambassadors inviting them to a mysterious event in New York. Then, this week, an eye-catching 10th Anniversary artwork was released featuring Mewtwo in what looks like Times Square. This is, of course, the setting of a giant Mewtwo battle in the game’s first proper trailer, released 10 years ago… and it would be a fitting location for the celebrations today.
What do we think might happen? Well, some kind of enormous Mewtwo battle in Times Square, perhaps taking over the location’s many screens to display a giant raid boss, would certainly fit the bill. While most attendees appear to have been sworn to secrecy, several high profile streamers have been announced as in attendance, as well as those hand-picked Ambassadors.
But will the livestream just show a battle? While cool to see, those watching at home will likely feel more rewarded with some more detail on what they’ll be playing in-game soon — whether that’s this weekend during the game’s big annual Go Fest Global event, or in the months to come. Could we see announcements for features coming to the game over the next year, or even 10 years?
Exactly what will happen tonight, and what we’ll find out about Pokémon Go’s future, remains to be seen. But we can at least reveal that the action will kick off at 6.15pm Eastern time / 3.15pm Pacific / 11.15pm UK. We’ll be covering everything from then — simply hit refresh on this page to receive live updates.
What to Expect Coming Up…
We’re expecting the first Unity Raid at 8:30 p.m. ET, as well as a musical performance of some kind. There’s been no official confirmation that Mewtwo will be the Unity Raid boss, but this seems all but certain. (Shout out to the person on the stream who suggested Arceus would be released tonight. That would be nice.)
Professor Willow Pikachu Plush Confirmed
A special Pikachu plush toy wearing a Professor Willow costume has just been confirmed, and will be available via the Pokémon Center store in the near future. You’ll be able to catch this costumed Pikachu in-game too, in an upcoming event.
Pokémon Go Pop-Up Now Open in Times Square
Today’s livestream is broadcasting from a pop-up location in Times Square, with fans now pouring in. In-game, spawns and raids appear to be rotating through the years that Pokémon Go has been live, beginning with 2017 and raids such as Lugia, through 2018 and raids such as Groudon.
Exactly when the big Mewtwo raid we’re all expecting will happen, remains to be seen.
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📍: New York City, USA #PokemonGO10 pic.twitter.com/cVOtg3fFlM
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) July 9, 2026
It’s Go Time…
Today’s livestream has now begun, live from Times Square in New York.
After some brief introduction from host Sydnee Goodman, plus Pokémon YouTubers such as Mystic7, landoralpha and AwesomeAdam, we’re now seeing the presenters fix some technical difficulties as they begin catching spawns in the iconic location.
Already there’s been word of a Unity Raid happening later on, which is the new kind of in-person raid experience introduced during this year’s in-person Go Fests in Chicago, Copenhagen and Tokyo. These require those in attendance to raise their phones in the air — a mechanic that will likely be kept to such large gatherings.
Three Major Content Areas for Next 10 Years
At a press conference prior to today’s livestream attended by PokémonGoHub, the game’s veteran team leader Michael Steranka briefly listed three major focuses for Pokémon Go’s second deacde. These are:
- Community: with a focus on Gyms and how they form part of community play
- Core Memories: with a focus on offering more ways of forming strong memories playing together
- Multi-Generational Play: with a focus on ensuring Pokémon Go can be played by all generations
Exact details of how these three focuses will be covered was left typically vague, though the suggestion that gyms could be reworked once again is certainly an interesting one.
Image credits: Scopely Explore; Raimonda Kulikauskiene/Getty Images
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
