Pokemon GO Promises Its Rarest Pokemon Will Return in the Future

Pokemon GO has confirmed that one of its rarest Pokemon – one that was released about a month ago – will return to the hugely popular mobile game at a later date. Alongside the release of the 10th Anniversary Celebration Mewtwo with the unique space background and 100% IVs, developer Scopely Explore revealed that the ultra-exclusive Times Square background Mewtwo will eventually be available again.

2026 has been quite the year for Pokemon GO, which has been celebrating its 10th anniversary with a regular roll-out of exciting events and releases. From the debut of Mega Mewtwo to a massive collection of costumed Pikachu, there have been tons of unique Pokemon to collect in the game, some of which will serve as many players’ most prized and rarest Mons.

Arguably the most exclusive of the 10th anniversary events was the one that took place in New York City, in the heart of Times Square. Scopely Explore was looking to recreate that iconic moment from the first Pokemon GO trailer, where hundreds of players were battling Mewtwo in New York’s most popular tourist destination, and they pulled it off.

How Did People Get the Times Square Mewtwo

I was part of that ultra-exclusive event, which had roughly 2,000 players battling Mega Mewtwo Y in-game, while the digital billboards surrounding us connected to our on-screen actions. For more on that one-of-a-kind experience, you can read my Pokemon GO feature, but the reward for completing that epic battle was a Mewtwo with 100% IVs and a special Times Square background.

GameRant Quiz

Given the logistics of the space, and I’m sure the potential problems it would have caused if it were open to the public, the event was fairly limited in terms of who could attend. Which also means that only those 2,000 or so Pokemon GO players were able to get the Mewtwo with a background. And although there have been exclusives and ticketed events like Pokemon GO Tour before, the combination of the background and the 100% IVs led to frustration within the Pokemon GO community.

This week’s Mewtwo celebration reward seems like a response to that community frustration, but it’s not the same background. However, the good news is that, in addition to revealing the Mewtwo research, Scopely Explore also confirmed that the Times Square background would return. In their worlds, “Mewtwo with a Times Square background will be available again at some point in the future.”

Whether that means the Mewtwo will be available within the next year or more is unclear. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it as a reward for a future anniversary event (i.e., the 11th anniversary or something like that), but it’s anyone’s guess.

Without question, though, the Times Square background Mewtwo is among Pokemon GO’s rarest Pokemon at this moment, and, at the time, it seemed like it was going to be a one-off reward. Perhaps that was Scopely Explore’s initial plan, but the response to the event has led to a change of heart. Or maybe both this space background Mewtwo and the Times Square Mewtwo returning were always part of the developer’s plan. Whatever the case may be, the good news is that one of the rarest Pokemon in Pokemon GO won’t always be, and every player got a Hundo Mewtwo with an incredible background (and a Masterball to boot) as their own reward for supporting the game these 10 years.