Even after 10 years, Pokemon Go remains popular. But for many players, the game doesn’t have much left to offer when there isn’t an active event on the calendar. Events bring new debuts, Shiny Pokemon to hunt, and other bonuses that entice even longtime players to take on a few Raids or catch a few critters. But outside of daily rewards and ongoing research, non-event weeks can be pretty boring. And Niantic is hoping to change that. Starting in May, Pokemon Go is rolling out a test for a new “Evergreen Weeks” feature.
Recently, Niantic reportedly shared details about its new “Evergreen Weeks” test with community ambassadors in Discord and Campfire. Since then, word has spread in the broader Pokemon Go community as we approach the rollout of this test feature. And in typical Pokemon Go fashion, player reactions to this latest change are mixed. Until our first non-event week arrives on May 5th, it’s hard to say exactly how the test will go. But for those who love a good research path, it might be a big win.
May kicked off with the 2026 edition of the Pokemon Go Steeled Resolve event, featuring Orthworm’s debut. That event runs until May 4th, at which point we’ll have a gap until Lechonk Community Day on May 9th. The first true weeklong event after Steeled Resolve doesn’t kick off until May 12th’s Spring Marathon. And that means that we should see the first test for Niantic’s new “Evergreen Weeks” programming starting on or around May 5th.
According to the post shared via Campfire and later reposted to Reddit, “Evergreen Weeks” will offer branching research for players to enjoy during non-event weeks in Pokemon Go. Specifically, players can choose from 3 different research paths during non-event weeks. The options are:
The research won’t necessarily be the same week to week, with tasks offering different focuses and bonuses. But, at least during the May test run, the general options of Exploration, Skill, or Battle will remain the same.
Since the info has made its way to social media, Pokemon Go players have been weighing in. And thus far, most trainers don’t seem especially impressed with the plan. “Doesn’t sound like enough to really get me to play on non-event weeks,” says one player, adding, “If the spawns aren’t interesting then I simply don’t have any motivation to play.” Indeed, the lack of interesting seasonal spawns seems to be a theme for the initial reaction to the upcoming “Evergreen Weeks” test.
While a few fans are curious to see the bonuses in action, many would prefer reruns of older events or the return of Spotlight Hour instead. That said, bonus Candy and XP can definitely be useful, even if they aren’t enough of an incentive on their own. At any rate, we’ll have to see the first evergreen research in action before we’ll know just how engaging those tasks really feel.
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