Pokemon Go Trading Event Happening Now For A Limited Time

A new in-game event is underway in Pokemon Go. Following the recent rollout of Lucky Pokemon, developer Niantic has kicked off a special trading-focused event that nets players extra Candy, XP, and other bonuses when they trade Pokemon with friends.

The event runs from now until 9 PM PT on August 19 (12 AM ET on August 20). During that time, all trades with friends--even those who you've only recently added--will cost 25% less Stardust than they normally do. This applies to both standard and Special trades, the latter of which are for Legendary or Shiny Pokemon.

As a further incentive to trade Pokemon with friends, you'll be able to earn more Candy than before--up to six Candies during every trade, according to Niantic. If you receive a Pokemon that wasn't previously registered in your Pokedex, you'll also net triple the usual amount of XP, making this a good opportunity to fill out any blank spaces in your collection.

The event is also especially handy if you're looking to get your hands on a Lucky Pokemon. These special variants can only be received through trades. They're denoted on the collection screen by a sparkling background and require less Stardust to power up than typical Pokemon. According to Niantic, the longer a Pokemon has been sitting in a player's storage, the higher its likelihood is of becoming a Lucky Pokemon when traded to another player.

Beyond the trading event, Pokemon Go players have a couple of other activities to look forward to in August. First is this month's Community Day, which takes place across two days--August 11 and 12--and features Eevee. Then, from August 29 - September 2, Niantic will host a special Safari Zone event in Yokosuka, Japan. Even if you can't attend in-person, you'll be able to take part in a series of Global Challenges during the event for a chance to unlock a special global reward.