{"id":7674,"date":"2026-08-12T04:31:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T20:31:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/pokemon-go-ultra-unlock-water-festival-august-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T04:31:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T20:31:47","slug":"pokemon-go-ultra-unlock-water-festival-august-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/pokemon-go-ultra-unlock-water-festival-august-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Pok\u00e9mon GO Ultra Unlock: Water Festival \u2014 Three New Debuts Start 18 August"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Arrokuda, Barraskewda and Cramorant are diving into Pok\u00e9mon GO for the first time later this month \u2014 and Mega Starmie makes its debut the same week. If you are in Singapore, you also get an exclusive Tatsugiri form that players in Europe and the Americas cannot encounter without trading.<\/p>\n<h2>What Is Ultra Unlock: Water Festival?<\/h2>\n<p>The Ultra Unlock: Water Festival is a bonus event earned by Trainers who participated in Pok\u00e9mon GO Fest 2026: Global. It runs from <strong>Tuesday, 18 August at 10:00 a.m. local time<\/strong> through <strong>Monday, 24 August at 8:00 p.m. local time<\/strong> \u2014 for Singapore that is 10:00 SGT to 20:00 SGT. No ticket is required to join in: anyone can catch the wild spawns and progress through the free GO Pass track. Check out our <a href=\"\/blog\/category\/event\/\">upcoming events guide<\/a> for more Pok\u00e9mon GO event coverage.<\/p>\n<h2>Three Galarian Pok\u00e9mon Make Their Pok\u00e9mon GO Debut<\/h2>\n<p>All three newcomers are from the Galar region (Pok\u00e9mon Sword and Shield) and none were in the game before this event. Collect 50 Arrokuda Candy to evolve it into Barraskewda \u2014 Barraskewda does not spawn on its own.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/arrokuda-pokemon-official-art.png?w=474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Arrokuda official Pok\u00e9mon art \u2014 the Galarian barracuda making its Pok\u00e9mon GO debut in the Water Festival\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption>Image courtesy of The Pok\u00e9mon Company<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Arrokuda<\/strong> (Water) \u2014 appears in the wild, via Field Research task rewards, and through Rainy Lure Modules. This is your main candy source for the Barraskewda evolution.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Barraskewda<\/strong> (Water) \u2014 evolve from Arrokuda; does not appear in the wild.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cramorant<\/strong> (Flying\/Water) \u2014 hatches from Eggs, available through GO Pass rewards, and can appear as a GO Battle League encounter at Rank 16 and above. Note: Cramorant is not eligible for the Competitors Cup.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What Is Spawning in the Wild<\/h2>\n<p>Wild encounters during the event include <strong>Psyduck in a Swim Ring costume<\/strong> (shiny available), Goldeen, Mareanie, Wimpod and Ducklett \u2014 with Ducklett and Dewpider both enjoying a boosted shiny rate. Rarer encounters include Feebas and Clamperl (both shiny-eligible). Wiglett appears more often near coastal and beach biomes.<\/p>\n<h2>Singapore Gets Tatsugiri Stretchy Form \u2014 Europe and the Americas Do Not<\/h2>\n<p>Tatsugiri appears in <strong>1-Star Raids<\/strong> throughout the Water Festival, but its form is region-locked:<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cramorant-pokemon-official-art.png?w=474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Cramorant official Pok\u00e9mon art \u2014 the Flying\/Water-type Galarian bird making its debut in Pok\u00e9mon GO Water Festival 2026\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption>Image courtesy of The Pok\u00e9mon Company<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Asia-Pacific (including Singapore):<\/strong> Tatsugiri Stretchy Form<\/li>\n<li>Europe \/ Middle East \/ Africa: Tatsugiri Curly Form<\/li>\n<li>Americas: Tatsugiri Droopy Form<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All three are the same species and share the same move pool, but the forms are cosmetically distinct and region-locked \u2014 the only way to get all three on one account is via trading. If the Stretchy Form matters to your collection, grind those 1-Star Raids while you can.<\/p>\n<h2>The GO Pass: Free Rewards and Paid Upgrades<\/h2>\n<p>Every Trainer automatically receives the <strong>GO Pass: Water Festival<\/strong> on 18 August at 10:00 a.m. local time \u2014 no purchase required. Earn GO Points to level up through ranks: Rank 10 unlocks <strong>2\u00d7 Catch Candy<\/strong>, and Rank 20 unlocks <strong>half Egg Hatch Distance<\/strong>. Free rewards along the track include Arrokuda encounters, a Rainy Lure Module, Golden Razz Berries and Rare Candy. All GO Pass rewards expire on 26 August at 8:00 p.m. local time, so use them before then.<\/p>\n<p>Two paid tiers are available: <strong>GO Pass Deluxe at US$4.99<\/strong> for upgraded rewards and faster rank progression, or <strong>GO Pass Deluxe + 6 Bonus Ranks at US$6.99<\/strong> for an immediate head start. Deluxe holders get extra Arrokuda and Cramorant encounters, Silver Pinap Berries, Rare Candy XL and an event-exclusive avatar cosmetic.<\/p>\n<h2>Mega Starmie Raid Day on 22 August \u2014 Make It Count<\/h2>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pogo-starmie-super-mega-raid-day-2026.jpg?w=474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Pok\u00e9mon GO Ultra Unlock Starmie Super Mega Raid Day 2026 \u2014 Mega Starmie making its first appearance in Pok\u00e9mon GO\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption>Image courtesy of Niantic \/ The Pok\u00e9mon Company<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Overlapping with the Water Festival is the <strong>Ultra Unlock: Starmie Super Mega Raid Day<\/strong> on <strong>Saturday, 22 August, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time<\/strong>. This is Mega Starmie&#8217;s first-ever appearance in Pok\u00e9mon GO. Free bonuses available to everyone include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>+5,000 XP from all raids<\/li>\n<li>Up to <strong>6 free Raid Passes<\/strong> from spinning Gym Photo Discs<\/li>\n<li>Increased Shiny Starmie encounter rate after raids<\/li>\n<li>Increased Rare Candy XL drop rate<\/li>\n<li>All caught Starmie auto-unlock Mega Level 1<\/li>\n<li>Remote Raid Pass limit raised to 20 (from Friday 21 August 2:00 p.m. PDT through Saturday 22 August 8:00 p.m. PDT)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A premium event ticket (US$4.99) upgrades that to 14 Raid Passes from gyms, stacks an additional +5,000 XP, and grants guaranteed Rare Candy XL with each Starmie caught post-raid. A Timed Research track rewards a Scizor encounter plus a Premium Battle Pass.<\/p>\n<h2>Best Days to Play: The Bonuses Escalate<\/h2>\n<p>Catch XP and Stardust bonuses increase as the event progresses, making the final two days the most valuable farming window:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Window (local time)<\/th>\n<th>Catch XP<\/th>\n<th>Catch Stardust<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>18 Aug 10 a.m. \u2013 20 Aug<\/td>\n<td>2\u00d7<\/td>\n<td>3\u00d7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>20 Aug \u2013 22 Aug<\/td>\n<td>3\u00d7<\/td>\n<td>4\u00d7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>22 Aug \u2013 24 Aug 8 p.m.<\/td>\n<td>4\u00d7<\/td>\n<td>5\u00d7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>22 August is your single best day to play:<\/strong> the final tier of 4\u00d7 Catch XP and 5\u00d7 Catch Stardust runs simultaneously with Mega Starmie&#8217;s debut Raid Day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you can only clear your schedule for one day this week, make it that Saturday. Full event details are on the <a href=\"https:\/\/pokemongo.com\/en\/news\/water-festival-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">official Pok\u00e9mon GO website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><!--GT-SCOUT source=\"Web (English)\" theme=\"Pokemon\" flags=\"none\"--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pok\u00e9mon GO Ultra Unlock: Water Festival runs 18\u201324 August. Singapore trainers get the exclusive Tatsugiri Stretchy Form in raids, plus Arrokuda, Cramorant and Mega Starmie all making their GO debuts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":7670,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[17],"tags":[1159,1160,1161,185,31,182,1158],"class_list":["post-7674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-event","tag-arrokuda","tag-cramorant","tag-mega-starmie","tag-niantic","tag-pokemon","tag-pokemon-go","tag-water-festival"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pogo-water-festival-2026-banner.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p13AlF-1ZM","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5851,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/pokemon-legends-z-a-mega-plush-july-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":7674,"position":0},"title":"Pok\u00e9mon LEGENDS: Z-A Mega Plushies Drop Today \u2014 Starmie, Greninja, Zeraora and Lucario Z","date":"July 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Four Pok\u00e9mon LEGENDS: Z-A Mega Evolution plushies \u2014 Mega Starmie, Mega Greninja, Mega Zeraora and Mega Lucario Z \u2014 are now on sale at Pok\u00e9mon Center Online Japan from \u00a55,500.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/pokemon-mega-plush-key-visual.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4428,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/pokemon-go-fest-2026-global-free-mega-mewtwo-zeraora-singapore\/","url_meta":{"origin":7674,"position":1},"title":"Pok\u00e9mon GO Fest 2026 Global: Fully Free for the First Time \u2014 Mega Mewtwo X\/Y Debut, Zeraora, and a Guide for Singapore Trainers","date":"June 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Pok\u00e9mon GO Fest 2026 Global runs July 11\u201312, is completely free this year, and brings the debut of Mega Mewtwo X and Y plus Mythical Zeraora via Special Research. Here's everything Singapore trainers need to know.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Event&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/go-fest-2026-global-key-art.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6929,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/pokemon-go-nickit-community-day-august-16-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":7674,"position":2},"title":"Pok\u00e9mon GO August Community Day: Catch Shiny Nickit on 16 August","date":"August 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Shiny Nickit debuts in Pok\u00e9mon GO on 16 August 2026 Community Day \u2014 3\u00d7 Stardust, Icy Wind Thievul, and extended bonuses until 9 PM SGT.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Game Industry News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nickit-community-day-august-2026.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7485,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/pokemon-pokopia-fetching-scales-feebas-event-august\/","url_meta":{"origin":7674,"position":3},"title":"Pok\u00e9mon Pokopia: Fetching Scales for Feebas Starts 13 August","date":"August 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The next Pok\u00e9mon Pokopia limited-time event runs 13\u201328 August \u2014 collect Prism Scales, earn beach furniture, and lure Milotic permanently to your town.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Game News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pokemon-pokopia-feebas-event-art.jpg?fit=1151%2C647&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6096,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/pokemon-go-ultra-unlock-10th-anniversary-july-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":7674,"position":4},"title":"Pok\u00e9mon GO Ultra Unlock 10th Anniversary Edition: 21\u201327 July Guide","date":"July 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Pok\u00e9mon GO Ultra Unlock 10th Anniversary Edition runs 21\u201327 July with all 27 starters, up to 10\u00d7 catch XP, Professor Willow Pikachu debut, and Shiny Shaymin research.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Game News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ultra-unlock-10th-anniversary-banner.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4144,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/mega-skarmory-pokemon-go-super-raid-day-june-27-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":7674,"position":5},"title":"Mega Skarmory Raid Day Is This Saturday \u2014 Bonuses, Counters and Tips","date":"June 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Mega Skarmory debuts in Pok\u00e9mon GO this Saturday, 27 June, 2\u20135pm. Best counters, free passes, shiny odds, and tips for Singapore trainers \u2014 full guide.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Event&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mega-skarmory-raid-day.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7674"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7674\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}