Pokemon Go Brings Back a Rare Spawn in Latest Event (But There’s a Catch)

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In 2025, many Pokemon fans were surprised and frustrated when the Heart-Shaped Spinda didn’t return for Valentine’s Day. Since its release back in 2019, this Spinda form has typically returned in February. Now, it is back once again for a limited time after skipping 2025. From February 10th to February 15th, trainers have a chance to get Heart-Shaped Spinda in Pokemon Go during the Valentine’s Day 2026 event. But we’ll have to work together to unlock it first.

Spinda with a Heart Pattern Returns in Latest Pokemon Go Global Challenge

Image courtesy of Niantic

Valentine’s Day 2026 in Pokemon Go is admittedly not the most exciting event we’ve seen recently. It doesn’t feature any new Pokemon debuts, instead focusing on Nidoran and Cherubi. That said, Shiny odds are boosted, so it’s a nice chance to fill in your Shiny dex. But the highlight for the event is the long-awaited return of Spinda with a heart-shaped pattern. This rare variant of the spot panda Pokemon has been absent for a while, but it’s finally back… once we unlock it.

Encounters with heart-shaped pattern Spinda are locked behind Pokemon Go‘s latest Global Challenge. Before we’ll get a chance to add this rare Pokemon to our collection, trainers will need to complete a new Global Challenge. This time, Niantic is tasking players with sending a collective 100,000,000 gifts in the mobile game. The challenge is already underway, and we’re almost halfway there. The sooner the Global Challenge is complete, the longer we’ll have to encounter Spinda and take advantage of the other bonuses.

The Valentine’s Day 2026 Global Challenge will unlock the following bonuses once it is complete:

Timed Research to get encounters with the rare Heart-Shaped pattern Spinda
Increased XP for catching Pokemon using curveball throws
Increased chance of getting Rare Candy from opening gifts

Image courtesy of Niantic

The event ends on February 15th at 8 PM local time. So, it looks like players will wind up with roughly 5 days to catch those rare Spinda, once the Global Challenge unlocks the encounters. And even if you already have this variant, keep in mind that it can be Shiny, so you may want to test your luck there.

Along with Spinda, Furfrou will also be participating in its Valentine’s Day tradition. Trainers will be able to change their Furfrou to the Heart Trim form during the event by using 25 Furfrou Candy and 10,000 Stardust. This form isn’t always available, so be sure to take the opportunity if you’ve yet to add this variant to your Pokemon Go dex.

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