Is Pokémon GO Fest 2020 Worth It?

Pokémon GO Fest 2020 is here, or it will be soon depending on your particular time zone. The annual event has changed a lot due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but one of the big changes is that you no longer have to travel to Chicago or another large city to participate. This year anyone can join the fun right from home, and all they need is a ticket. But that ticket isn’t free, it costs $14.99 to be able to enjoy all the benfits across both days of the event. With players now getting to jump in and Niantic announcing most of the things they’ll get to play, is Pokémon GO Fest 2020 worth it?

Is Pokémon GO Fest 2020 Worth It

Let’s start with the basics. What does the $14.99 Pokémon GO Fest 2020 ticket even get you? Players will get to enjoy some benefits of the event without the ticket, but much of the best stuff is exclusive. Some of the special spawns in the wild will likely be there for all players, though a lot of the best Pokémon are going to be exclusive to ticket holders, such as Wash Rotom and Unown. But you can still play and enjoy a lot of Pokémon GO fun on July 25th and 26th without the ticket, so if money is tight or you’re going to be too busy to hit the pavement for a few hours, rest easy.

UPDATE: Day 2 has added a bunch of bonuses with battles against Team GO Rocket all throughout the day ending up with you getting shadow versions of Articuon, Moltres, Zapdos, and Mewtwo along with some other stuff that really enhance the value of the GO Fest 2020 ticket.

However, if you do have a ticket it unlocks a ton of great stuff that you’ll definitely like. Special Research, raids (update: raids seem to be available to all players as well), bonuses such as extra XP or candy will be featured just for Pokémon GO Fest 2020 ticket holders. So really, whether it is worth it to buy the ticket or not comes down to a few questions. And all are tempered or enhanced by your own circumstances.

Are you a Pokémon collector, especially of shiny Pokémon?

Are you OK playing at home or can you head to local Poké Stops and gyms while still staying safe? If you have lots of extra incense (or can buy some from the store, especially via boxes) then sitting at home might be totally worth the price of admission thanks to all the special spawns. And if you can maintain social distancing while still interacting with gyms and Stops then you should have plenty to enjoy throughout the event.

Are you a collector, especially of shiny Pokémon? If so then Pokémon GO Fest 2020 is definitely worth it, so feel safe in your purchase. You get a Victini, along with many rare encounters via research. Tons of new shinies will be introduced, potentially even shiny Unown (update: shiny rates and spawns appear mostly the same but Unown and a few others are boosted with a ticket).

Do you like competition and completing objectives? The research offered throughout the event, and all the challenges that lead to unlocked bonuses will be lots of fun. And since you’re working with others, there’s a lot of joy in completing these and getting bonuses in future weeks thanks to that hard work. There will be many hours worth of research to complete, and all should provide some fun and useful rewards.

So while the question of is Pokémon GO Fest 2020 worth it does come down to your personal tastes and situation, Niantic has clearly put a lot into the event. We’ve only gotten some info on everything that’s coming, and most of it is focused on just the first day. Players of all levels have a lot to look forward to, collect, and complete. If you’re still playing the game a lot then it definitely feels like this event is worth the cost of the ticket, but only if it fits with what you can get out of it.