NEW YORK — Pokemon Go Winter Holiday Part 2 runs Dec. 24-29 in Pokémon GO, giving players worldwide a first shot at catching and evolving Rolycoly while boosting shiny odds for select holiday-themed Pokémon. The wrap-up also includes a separate Winter Weekend window, Dec. 27-28, with limited-time research and GO Pass perks focused on fast, repeatable play loops, Dec. 29, 2025.
Pokemon Go Winter Holiday Part 2: dates, bonuses and what changed
Niantic set Pokemon Go Winter Holiday Part 2 from 10 a.m. local time Wednesday, Dec. 24, through 8 p.m. local time Monday, Dec. 29, with core bonuses and encounter pools outlined in the official event announcement.
Item drops on catches: Event-themed wild catches may also award items such as Fast TMs, Charged TMs, Silver Pinap Berries, Golden Razz Berries and Rare Candy.
Boosted shinies: Increased chance to encounter Shiny Stantler wearing a holiday outfit and Shiny Dedenne wearing holiday attire.
GO Pass tie-in: Milestone tiers add bonuses like extra XP from sending gifts, while the paid GO Pass Deluxe track can add perks such as reduced Egg Hatch Distance during the event period.
Rolycoly’s debut: fastest ways to get candy and evolutions
The headline addition in Pokemon Go Winter Holiday Part 2 is the Rolycoly line. Rolycoly appears in the wild and in one-star raids, and it evolves into Carkol (25 Rolycoly Candy) and then Coalossal (100 Rolycoly Candy) — a straightforward grind that rewards consistent catches plus raid clears for reliable spawns.
Winter Weekend perks: the tightest window to prioritize
Winter Weekend runs from 10 a.m. local time Saturday, Dec. 27, to 8 p.m. local time Sunday, Dec. 28, and it’s the best time to play if you want compact objectives and shiny checks in Pokemon Go Winter Holiday Part 2. A quick-reference schedule and encounter list is tracked on Leek Duck’s event page.
The key hook is free Timed Research that rewards holiday-hat Eevee encounters with an increased shiny chance. According to Pokémon GO Hub’s breakdown, the research is built around simple tasks (catching Pokémon, spinning PokéStops or gyms, gifting and winning a raid) and can award up to 10 Eevee encounters across two steps, plus XP and Stardust. The Timed Research must be completed and claimed by 8 p.m. local time Sunday, Dec. 28.
Eggs and raids: quick targets to keep moving
If you’re walking while playing Pokemon Go Winter Holiday Part 2, 7 km Eggs can hatch Pichu wearing a festive hat, Smoochum, Cubchoo wearing a holiday ribbon, Cryogonal and Snom. For raids, one-star rotations include Alolan Sandshrew, Galarian Darumaka and Rolycoly, while three-star raids feature Galarian Mr. Mime, Sudowoodo wearing holiday attire and Charjabug wearing holiday attire.
How Pokemon Go Winter Holiday Part 2 fits the recent holiday pattern
The late-December “Part 2” cadence has leaned on debuts, costumes and research-driven incentives for several years. In Winter Holiday Part 2 in 2022, Niantic centered the event on holiday-hat Eevee (and evolutions) plus branching research paths. In Winter Holiday Part 2 in 2023, the spotlight shifted to costumed Psyduck and the first chance at Shiny Vanillite. Last year’s Holiday Part 2 in 2024 emphasized catch and raid XP bonuses alongside a longer Daily Adventure Incense perk window.
Bottom line: If you have limited time, focus your play on Winter Weekend’s Eevee research for shiny attempts, keep an eye out for boosted Shiny Stantler and Shiny Dedenne in the wild, and use raids or concentrated spawn areas to build enough candy to finish the Rolycoly evolutions before Pokemon Go Winter Holiday Part 2 ends at 8 p.m. local time Monday, Dec. 29.
