Pokemon Go Tricky April Fools’ 2021 event – increased Ditto spawns, Shadow Aipom, more

Brent Koepp
Pokemon Go April Fools event 2021

Niantic has revealed how Pokemon Go will celebrate April Fools’ Day in April 2021. The prankster holiday will heavily feature the series’ great trickster Ditto, Team Rocket, and more. Here’s everything you need to know.

Pokemon Go is continuing its tradition of celebrating real world holidays with a special April Fools’ in-game event. The prankster holiday will give Trainers a chance to catch the ever-elusive Ditto.

Not only will players get to easily grind Candy for the shape-shifting creature, those who participate will also get their hands on a Shadow Aipom.

Screenshot of Ditto in Pokemon Go dex.
The Gen I ‘mon is rather tricky to find in Pokemon Go.

Pokemon Go Tricky April Fools’ event date & start time

Pokemon Go’s April Fools’ Day event will kick off on April 1 at 12:00 AM and run until 11:59 PM local time. Unlike past celebrations such as the Valentine’s Day festival, it will only last for a single day.

Trainers who log in during the time window will encounter some of the most mischievous Pokemon from the franchise such as Ditto, Croagunk, and Purrloin. Team Rocket Grunts will even have a Shadow Aipom to catch.

Speaking of the villainous group, Niantic is using the trickster holiday to also launch the special Rocket research. Trainers who complete it by April 8 at 11:59 PM local time will get a Super Rocket Radar to find Giovanni who has a Shadow Zapdos.

Pokemon Go Tricky April Fools’ event features

  • Boosted Spawn Rates: Aipom, Croagunk, Purrloin, Ditto (catch Pokemon it disguises itself as, which you can find here)
  • Team Rocket: Every encounter will feature Shadow Aipom
  • PokeStops: Will have increased Rocket takeoveer
  • Team Go Rocket Timed Research: Complete from April 1 to April 8 11:59 PM for a Super Rocket Radar
  • Go Battle League: The switch timer will be cut in half as a prank during the event
  • Snapshot: Taking a snapshot will feature a surprise
  • Ditto: A new disguise for the ‘mon will make its debut
Screenshot of Team Rocket Giovanni next to Shadow Moltres, Shadow Articuno, Shadow Zapdos in Pokemon Go.
Fans should take advantage of the April Fools’ event to catch Shadow Zapdos.

Players will definitely not want to miss out on this special event as Ditto is fairly hard to find. Those still stuck on Research because they can’t find the shapeshifting pink blob can finally catch him easily. It’s also the perfect time to grind Candy for the ‘mon.

Trainers with their sights on Shadow Zapdos should also take advantage of the boosted spawn rates of Rocket Grunts to complete the timed Research. While Niantic has given the community seven days to complete it, a lot can be completed just on April Fools’ alone.

About The Author

Brent is a former writer at Dexerto based in the United States, who covered topics such as Pokemon, Gaming, and online Entertainment.