Pokémon's 30th anniversary: When is it and what to expect

This year, Pokémon celebrates its 30th anniversary, but what plans are in place to celebrate?

This Pokémon Day, we can look forward to a brand-new Pokémon Presents where we'll hear all about it.

We'll be hearing about new collaborations and crossovers, updates for the anime, TCG, Pokémon Go and more.

We're already getting Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen ports, but what news is there on Generation 10?

For everything you need to know about Pokémon's 30th anniversary celebrations, read on!

When is Pokémon's 30th anniversary? Pokémon Day 2026 confirmed

Pokémon celebrates its 30th anniversary on 27th February 2026, otherwise known as Pokémon Day.

This date marks the anniversary of Pokémon Red and Green first releasing for the Game Boy back in 1996.

Since then, Pokémon has gone on to become one of, if not the biggest franchise in gaming, spawning endless spinoffs into film and TV, a card game and much more.

How to watch Pokémon Day 2026

The Pokémon Day 2026 livestream will go live on the official Pokémon YouTube channel and Twitch on 27 February 2026 at 2pm here in the UK.

Check out the Pokémon Day 2026 timings around the world below:

• 6am PST
• 9am EST
• 2pm GMT
• 3pm CET

What to expect from Pokémon's 30th anniversary

Pokémon's 30th anniversary already has one massive announcement: Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen have been ported to the Nintendo Switch!

Both games can be downloaded digitally from the eShop from 27 February 2026 and each cost £16.99 here in the UK. They aren't on Switch Online and have to be purchased separately. Yeah...we know.

The Pokémon Company has released an official 30th anniversary logo for every single Pokémon. You can check them all out here on serebii and find your favourites to rep.

Teasing for the 30th Anniversary celebrations began on New Year's Day 2026, official Pokémon social media channels posted a teaser for this year's Pokémon Day, featuring Pikachu's original, chubbier design.

The caption, translated from Japanese, teases that "this year is going to be the best one yet," confirming that there's plenty in store.

The stream will begin at 11am BRT, which translates to 2pm GMT.

What we don't know, however, is what's going to be shown at this Pokémon Presents, but we have some guesses.

The first major expectation players have, is that Generation 10 games will finally be announced, following a huge leak in October that alluded to 'Pokémon Winds and Waves'.

Aside from that, we do at least have one confirmed Pokémon game on the way, with Animal Crossing-like Pokémon Pokopia arriving in March.

Beyond that, Pokémon has already confirmed collaborations with several major companies, including clothing brands like Adidas and Uniqlo, new Pokémon LEGO sets, and limited-edition Pokémon TCG cards available in McDonald's Happy Meals.

There's sure to be plenty more where that came from, but for now, it looks like we're going to have to wait for Pokémon Day 2026 to find out the rest.

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