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Pokemon GO Fest 2020 will be a virtual weekend, tickets on sale today

Pokemon GO Fest is going virtual this year, which is letting Niantic extend it to a full weekend. And tickets will go on sale later today.

Ozzie Mejia

June 15, 2020 6:00 AM

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Among the games that have been affected the most by the continuing COVID-19 pandemic have been the ones that require its players to go outside. Developer Niantic has felt this sting, but has worked diligently to keep its player base engaged while also following the recommendations of health experts. But despite any steps the developer has taken, COVID-19 was inevitably going to have a major impact on this year's Pokemon GO Fest. But Niantic is rolling with the punches there, too, and announced on Monday that Pokemon GO Fest would go from a one-day gathering to a full virtual weekend.

Pokemon GO Fest 2020 will feature special limited-time events, all of which attendees can attend in the comfort of their own home. Niantic will kick off a full Special Research story instance that will unfold throughout Day 1, with players able to follow it in both the game, as well as the various Pokemon social media channels.

But first and foremost, Pokemon GO Fest is about being social. The event will see the launch of a new Niantic Social feature, which allows users to find which of their friends are currently online and see their various stats. Niantic Social will start off in Pokemon GO and span across the Niantic library. More details on that are coming soon.

There's no better time to catch Pokemon, because Pokemon will be featured in rotating virtual habitats: fire, water, grass, battle, and friendship. These habitats will change every hour over the course of Pokemon GO Fest, which runs from 10AM to 8PM local time on Day 1. Players will find more than 75 Pokemon during the festival weekend and can team up with friends and other attendees to complete habitat-themed quests in the Global Challenge Arena.

As for what Day 2 will feature, that's currently a question mark. Niantic is looking to keep this a surprise, so stay tuned as the Pokemon GO Fest date gets closer.

Even though Pokemon GO Fest 2020 will be a virtual event, it'll still take a ticket to participate. And that ticket will come at a $14.99 price tag. Tickets will go on sale today at 10AM PT and buyers will get access to both days. Pokemon GO Fest 2020 runs on the weekend of July 25-26. You can learn more about Pokemon GO Fest 2020 on the Pokemon GO website.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?