Pokemon GO Players Want a Holiday Celebration Feature Back

Pokemon GO players are lamenting the loss of a feature that used to be a regular part of holiday celebrations in-game, and they want it back. Although it’s been years since this particular bonus has stopped being offered, it seems a lot of Pokemon GO fans remember it fondly.

Pokemon GO is nearly 10 years old at this point, originally releasing back in 2016, and it’s gone through a lot of changes and growth in that time. Although it’s never quite reached the same level of explosive popularity as it did when it entered the market, Pokemon GO has a very strong playerbase, and the regular addition of new Pokemon, challenges, and events keeps fans coming back. However, not every change has been for the better, and fans in the midst of Pokemon GO‘s seasonal events are reflecting on it.

Pokemon GO New Years Event Unlocks Special Bonuses, Encounters, and Rewards for a Limited Time

Niantic announces a special New Years event for Pokemon GO that unlocks special bonuses and encounters for only a limited time.

Pokemon GO Players Miss Holiday Incubators

Pokemon GO is wrapping up the first part of its holiday event, but there is still one more wave that will run until December 29. On Reddit, a user called Entire_Pineapple4732 shared an image meme of two Pokemon GO trainers looking at a gravestone marked as “Free Daily Incubator.” It references a bonus from years ago, when Pokemon GO would give trainers special goodies during the holidays, including single-use Egg Incubators. All players had to do to get one was to spin a PokeStop; a new Incubator could be acquired every day during the event, so fans could readily hatch several Pokemon Eggs so long as they walked enough. However, as the dates on the gravestone indicate, this ended back in 2021, and the same opportunity hasn’t been offered since. Fans in the comments have been lamenting the change, and many wish that the freebie would come back.

As some in the comments have pointed out, 2025’s Winter Holiday in Pokemon GO has a particular emphasis on hatching Eggs, which can potentially provide players with unique holiday-themed Pokemon, like Pichu with a festive hat, or Cubchoo wearing a holiday ribbon, which can both hatch from 7 km Eggs. Given that players can generally acquire Pokemon Eggs in Pokemon GO quite easily, it doesn’t take long for most players to have an excess of Eggs and not enough Incubators to hatch them with. A daily gift of a free Incubator could go a long way to helping players to hatch these Eggs and get the rare Pokemon they’re seeking. Given that both of these Holiday-themed special Pokemon also have an increased chance of being Shiny, the need for Incubators is even higher.

Unfortunately, even before Pokemon GO was sold to Scopely, this benefit came to an end, and the new developers haven’t brought it back in 2025. While not everyone is in agreement, some players have been outspoken in recent years about Pokemon GO becoming more microtransaction-laden, and feeling as though they’re at a disadvantage if they don’t spend real cash on the game. Given that Incubators are a necessity to hatch rare holiday Pokemon from Eggs, and are typically bought with real money, it’s particularly a bit of a sore spot during this event.

On the plus side, not every holiday-themed Pokemon available during the event requires hatching Eggs. The first part of the holiday event provides a chance of finding Sudowoodo and Charjabug in holiday attire from three-star raids as well as wild spawns, plus a Vikavolt in holiday attire after evolving a holiday Charjabug. Part 2 will also feature Pokemon in holiday attire like Galarian Darumaka, Bergmite, Cetoddle, Dedenne, Stantler, and even a Shiny holiday Eevee. Even if players don’t hatch any of the special Eggs during the holiday season, there’s still a good chance that they can net a special Pokemon all the same.