Alolan forms of Kanto Pokémon are coming soon to Pokémon GO

Pokémon GO players can expect to see a new twist on some familiar faces in the near future. The official Pokémon Twitter account announced today that the Alolan forms of Kanto Pokémon will soon be making their debut in Pokémon GO. The Alola Region was first explored in Pokemon Sun, Pokémon Moon, and their Ultra counterparts. Thus far, we have only encountered Pokémon from the first three generations of games, however the Alolan forms were not present until generation 7, the most recent version of the core Pokémon series. This update will not release any of the new Pokémon which first made their appearance in the Sun and Moon games, such as Togedemaru and Rockruff.

Evolution sometimes took a different path in the Alolan region, due to it being an isolated island, and the Alolan forms of Pokémon have more than cosmetic differences, they have evolved to have different elemental types. For example, while a Kanto region Raichu is an electric type, the Alolan Raichu is both an Electric and a Psychic type, giving it a different set of moves, strengths, and weaknesses. The bizzarely tall, long necked, palm tree-like Alolan Exeggutor, in particular, has become a fan favorite and will likely have quite the impression in the world of Pokémon Go. While there are no details as to how the different forms will work, they will likely appear in the game the same way as Castform’s different forms; with a different sprite visible in the overworld. While we know that these forms are coming ‘soon,’ the announcement did not provide a specific release date, only that they would be appearing in the coming weeks.

Which Alolan form are you most looking forward to? How do you feel about Niantic releasing Generation 7 forms when we’ve yet to see all of Generation 3 released?

Get ready to expand your collection in #PokemonGO soon! Start stocking up on Poké Balls and keep your eyes peeled for certain Alolan form Pokémon in the wild: https://t.co/1B6UZ56GzU pic.twitter.com/0Mo4Qlc2vZ

— Pokémon (@Pokemon) May 21, 2018

See below for our list of partners and affiliates: