Shooting stars are about to feel pretty special in Pokémon GO. 
Minior, the Meteor Pokémon from the Alola region, is finally making its debut in the game, with an original twist: it will only appear during real meteor showers, starting with the Orionids from October 19 to 24. It is not the only novelty this month, with the Community Day dedicated to 
Zorua, the debut of 
Bramblin and the lake guardians in their Dynamax forms.
Minior follows the meteor shower calendar
Announced by Scopely on October 1, Minior’s arrival is tied to the real sky. The Pokémon can be found in the wild in its Meteor Form during six periods aligned with the year’s major meteor showers. Each one will debut a different core color out of the seven that exist: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. For the Geminids, the new color will not be the same in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
The announced dates, all in local time (the event will return every year):
- Orionids: Monday, October 19 at 5 p.m. to Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
- Leonids: November 14 at 5 p.m. to November 19, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
- Geminids: December 11 at 5 p.m. to December 16, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
- Eta Aquariids: May 3 at 5 p.m. to May 8 at 11:59 p.m.
- Southern Delta Aquariids: July 28 at 5 p.m. to August 2 at 11:59 p.m.
- Perseids: August 10 at 5 p.m. to August 15 at 11:59 p.m.
During each of these periods, the in-game sky fills with shooting stars every day from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., wild Minior appear more often, and every catch earns extra Stardust.
A form that changes mid-battle
Minior also brings a small novelty to battles. It enters the fight in its Meteor Form, which favors Defense at the expense of Attack. Once its HP falls below 50%, its shell breaks and reveals its core: Attack goes up and Defense goes down. At first, this form change will only work against Team GO Rocket, Team Leaders and in the GO Battle League. A useful note for competitors: Minior will not be allowed at the 2027 Pokémon Latin America International Championships.
Zorua and the lake guardians, highlights of the month
On Saturday, October 10, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Zorua will be the star of Community Day. You will need to evolve it during the event or within the four hours that follow to get a 
Zoroark that knows the Fast Attack Sucker Punch. The usual bonuses are on the menu: triple XP and double Candy for catching, and three-hour Incense. A paid Special Research (1.99 USD or the equivalent in euros) notably offers three encounters with Zorua that have a special Background.
Two weeks later, on Saturday, October 24 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Max Battle Day will mark the lake guardians’ debut in Level 5 Max Battles. As is often the case, the split is regional: 
Mesprit Dynamax for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India, 
Uxie for Asia-Pacific and 
Azelf for the Americas and Greenland. French players will therefore face Mesprit, with a chance of meeting it in its shiny form. Power Spots will be more numerous and will give eight times as many Max Particles, and a 4.99 USD ticket will grant access to a Timed Research with Max Mushrooms.
The rest of the October schedule
- Until Monday, October 5 (8 p.m.): Harvest Festival: Offensive, with Shadow
Zekrom to snatch from Giovanni using the Super Rocket Radar from the event’s GO Pass. - October 4 to 10: World Space Week, with astronaut
Pikachu in 1-star Raids and a free Timed Research. - Tuesday, October 6 (10 a.m.) to Tuesday, November 3: October GO Pass, with an encounter with
Kyogre and the Lucky Trinket as the final reward of the Deluxe GO Pass (7.99 USD). - Tuesday, October 13 (10 a.m.) to Monday, October 19 (8 p.m.): Fall Marathon: Buddy Trek, with the debut of Bramblin (rare, via the GO Pass and Incense) and the Super Max Level for Mega
Manectric, which gains the Charged Attack Discharge+.
Key takeaways: Minior arrives on October 19 for the Orionids, and its collection of colored cores will be completed over the course of the meteor showers through summer 2027. October 10 is reserved for Zorua, and October 24 for Dynamax Mesprit in Europe.
Source: Pokémon GO – Minior Meteor Showers, Zorua Community Day, Max Battle Day, Fall Marathon, GO Pass: October
