Pokemon Go Lunar New Year event adds Darumaka and Minccino

(Image credit: Niantic/The Pokemon Company)

Pokemon Go's Lunar New Year event is back for 2020 with a new "red Pokemon" theme and two new Pokemon. The Fire-type Darumaka will start hatching from 7km eggs for the first time in Pokemon Go, starting Friday, January 24 at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm GMT.

2020's Pokemon Go Lunar New Year runs until Monday, February 3 and will see an increase in Pokemon that are red-in-color. Specifically, you'll run into a lot more Charmeleon, Vulpix, Parasect, Voltorb, Jynx, Magmar, Magikarp, Flareon, Slugma, Wurmple, Corphish, Kricketot, and Foongus through the length of the event. You'll also have a better chance at catching a Shiny Gyarados for the length of the Lunar New Year event.

The next Limited Research event celebrates the year of the rat and runs from 2pm to 5pm locally on Sunday, February 2. The Minccino Limited Research tasks will give you the chance to encounter - you guessed it - Minccino for the first time ever. You'll also find Minccino in 5km eggs at an increased rate until the Limited Research event ends, after which they'll still appear in 5km eggs at a lesser frequency. 

For the three hours the Limited Research event runs, you'll also encounter more rodent-like Pokemon, including Rattata, Raticate, Pikachu, Sandshrew, Nidoran, Nidoran, Sentret, Marill, Zigzagoon, Plusle, Minun, Bidoof, and Patrat.

On top of all that, here are some bonuses coming to Pokemon Go as part of the Lunar New Year event, straight from Niantic:

  • Gifts will have a chance of rewarding you with Rare Candies, so be sure to send and open lots of Gifts with your friends.
  • Be sure to trade more often with your friends—the likelihood of becoming Lucky Friends will be increased.
  • When you trade a Pokémon, there will be an increased chance it will become a Lucky Pokémon.

Pokemon Go isn't exactly the new kid on the mobile gaming block, but our Pokemon Go tips and tricks are as useful today as they were in 2016.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.