This is Your Sign to Play Pokemon GO on February 23 if You Beat Pokemon Legends: Z-A's DLC

With Pokemon Legends: Z-A and its DLC being wrapped up, and Generation 10 expected to be revealed in the near future, considering the most likely option for the announcement is Pokemon Day 2026, many longtime fans are taking stock of their Legendary and Mythical collections. While Pokemon Legends: Z-A offers several high-profile encounters, its overall Legendary roster remains limited when viewed against the broader scope of the franchise, and especially for players interested in shiny Pokemon.

One could argue that Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s shiny Legendary hunts (Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, Latias, and Latios) and the game’s overall roster of 25 Legendary or Mythical critters are great additions, especially for a “smaller” game in scope. However, only five shiny-huntable Legendaries are still bad after Dynamax Adventures in Pokemon Sword and Shield, and several other relevant Legendaries from the series were missing altogether in the game. That is where Pokemon GO‘s Road to Kalos event, running from February 23 to February 27, quietly becomes one of the most important Pokemon events of the year.

We Are Officially 1 Month Away From The Biggest Pokemon Announcement of The Past 4 Years

Pokemon Legends: Z-A may officially be wrapped up with a final event in February, and the biggest announcement for the series could follow suit.

Pokemon GO’s Road to Kalos Event Is the Perfect Legendary Catch-Up After Pokemon Legends: Z-A and Before Gen 10

Road to Kalos Brings Back a Wide Range of Legendary Pokemon

As part of the lead-up to Pokemon GO Tour: Kalos, the Road to Kalos event cycles through multiple regions across five days, each featuring different wild spawns and Legendary raid bosses. Unlike Pokemon Legends: Z-A, where Legendary encounters are finite and largely tied to story progression, Pokemon GO allows players to repeatedly challenge and catch Legendary Pokemon through raids. The list of Legendary Pokemon in the Road to Kalos event includes:

Articuno, can be shiny
Zapdos, can be shiny
Moltres, can be shiny
Shadow Lugia, can be shiny
Shadow Ho-Oh, can be shiny
Primal Kyogre, can be shiny
Primal Groudon, can be shiny
Dialga, can be shiny
Palkia, can be shiny
Origin Forme Dialga, can be shiny
Origin Forme Palkia, can be shiny
Reshiram, can be shiny
Zekrom, can be shiny
Black Kyurem, can be shiny
White Kyurem, can be shiny

Even more importantly, every Legendary available during the Road to Kalos event can be shiny, something that immediately sets Pokemon GO apart from Legends: Z-A in terms of long-term collection value. Many of the Legendary Pokemon featured during Road to Kalos either do not appear at all in Pokemon Legends: Z-A or appear in a far more restricted form by being fixed encounters, like Primal Kyogre and Groudon. For players who care about completing a living dex, shiny dex, or a future-proof Pokemon Home collection, this distinction matters.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A Has Legendary Depth, but Limited Scope

Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s DLC adds Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, continuing the series’ tradition of cinematic, story-driven encounters. However, even combined, these encounters represent only a small fraction of the franchise’s total Legendary roster.

More notably, only five Legendary or Mythical Pokemon in Legends: Z-A can be shiny, dramatically limiting shiny hunting opportunities within the game. For completionists, this means that Legends: Z-A alone is not enough to build a comprehensive or visually distinct Legendary collection, especially with Pokemon Wind and Wave leaks stating Gen 10 will launch this year. This design choice makes sense within the context of Legends games, which prioritize narrative weight over replayable farming, particularly for Legendary and Mythical Pokemon. Still, it leaves a significant gap for players who want access to older Legendaries, alternate forms, or shiny variants.

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Why Pokemon GO Matters More Than Ever for Pokemon Home

Pokemon GO continues to be one of the most effective tools for building a long-term Pokemon Home collection, especially when it comes to Legendary Pokemon. The Road to Kalos event in Pokemon GO highlights this better than almost any other event in recent memory.

During the February 23–27 window, players can:

For players based in the United States, Europe, and other active Pokemon GO regions, the global nature of raids ensures equal access regardless of location, making Road to Kalos one of the most accessible Legendary-focused events to date.

Road to Kalos Is a Strategic Event, Not Just a Celebration

While Road to Kalos is framed as a celebration of past regions, its timing is what truly makes it significant. With Pokemon Legends: Z-A narrowing its Legendary focus and Generation 10 likely to expand the franchise once again, this event acts as a strategic bridge between eras. Players who skip Road to Kalos may find themselves missing key Legendary and shiny Pokemon that could remain unavailable for years. Meanwhile, those who participate gain a meaningful head start on whatever comes next for the series. In that sense, Pokemon GO‘s Road to Kalos event is not just a warm-up — it is one of the best opportunities players will have to future-proof their Legendary Pokemon collection before the next generation of Pokemon games arrives.