Over the years, Pokemon Go has added no shortage of costumed Pokemon to the game. Sometimes, the designs are as simple as slapping some flowers or a bowtie on an existing Pokemon and calling it a day. But occasionally, Niantic really cooks with those costumed Pokemon designs. That’s definitely the case with the latest addition, which arrives as part of the Pokemon Fossil Museum exhibit’s first-ever appearance in the United States. The absolutely adorable Excavator Pikachu arrives in Pokemon Go on May 22nd and will be available until April 11th, 2027. But there’s a pretty big catch.
Pokemon Go has its fair share of regional Pokemon, from variants like Oricorio to region-specific creatures like Stonjuourner. But in the case of Excavator Pikachu, the game has gone a step above and beyond regional. This adorable new costumed Pikachu will be available only to trainers near the Chicago Field Museum during business hours. So, not only is the debut limited to the exhibit’s run of May 22nd, 2026 to April 11th, 2027, it will also appear only in the vicinity of the museum. That means those not planning a trip to Chicago, Illinois, will need to get creative to add Excavator Pikachu to their dex. That’s especially true if you want to snag a Shiny.
For those who are local to Chicago or planning a trip to see the Pokemon Fossil Museum Exhibit, there are a few ways to snag Excavator Pikachu. The Pokemon will be available through special tie-in Pokemon Go events at the Field Museum in Chicago during business hours of 9 AM CDT to 5 PM CDT. Notably, the exhibit will be running during the 2026 Pokemon Go Fest event in Chicago, which takes place from June 5th to June 7th. So, many US-based Pokemon Go players are likely to get a shot at this new Pokemon soon if they are planning to attend the in-person event. That said, tickets to the Pokemon Fossil Museum itself are likely going to be hard to come by with so many Pokemon fans in the city.
While the exhibit is certainly worth visiting, the Pokemon Go tie-in events don’t explicitly require a ticket to the Fossil Museum. The bonuses and encounters will be “available within the museum area,” which should mean you can participate if you are near, but not actually in, the museum. Here are all of the ways to encounter Excavator Pikachu in person at the Field Museum in Chicago:
In short, you can encounter Excavator Pikachu in Raids or Research Encounters, but only if you’re in Chicago, near the Field Museum, during business hours. The newly added costumed Pokemon can be Shiny, so if you’re in the area, you can complete multiple Raids and Research tasks for a shot at Shiny Excavator Pikachu.
If you’re not going to Chicago between now and April 11th, 2027, what can you do? Unfortunately, Remote Raids aren’t going to be available for Excavator Pikachu. So, even if your Chicago-based Poke Pals are participating in these Raids, they won’t be able to invite you to join from afar. Hopefully, however, Excavator Pikachu should be available for trades. So your best bet to snag one of these extra-rare Pokemon will be to build up your friendship with Chicago-based friends so you can remote trade. And if you do happen to be in Chicago? Stock up on Excavator Pikachu, because chances are you’re about to be popular. Especially if you can get ahold of a few Shiny ones.
The Fossil Museum tie-in event and Excavator Pikachu will be available in Pokemon Go from May 22nd, 2026 through April 11th, 2027. That gives fans just about a year to participate in person or make friends to trade remotely with to snag this extremely rare new Pokemon.
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