Pokémon GO Solstice Horizons: Start Time, Wild Encounters, Raids & More

It’s that time of the year when the Sun will be positioned either the farthest south or north, depending on its path, making way for various Pokémon to emerge. The Solstice Horizons event is coming soon to Pokémon GO as part of the current Season of Hidden Gems with more activities and rewards.

Additionally, the event sees the arrival of Shiny Fomantis, who’ll be featured in wild encounters, Raids, and Field Research if Trainers are lucky to encounter it. We’ll review everything you need to know about the Solstice Horizons event, including the event schedule, Raids, Research tasks, and more for Pokémon GO.

23rd June 2023 Update: This guide reflects the Solstice Horizons event that has begun for Trainers globally in Pokémon GO featuring new wild encounters, Raids, research tasks, and more. The original article continues below.

Pokémon GO Solstice Horizons: Event Dates & Times

The forthcoming event for Pokémon GO’s Season of Hidden Gems, the Solstice Horizons, has been announced by developer Niantic on the official Pokémon GO blog post. This event sees various Pokémon spawning during the day or nighttime and engaging in themed activities.

The Solstice Horizons will commence on 16th June 2023 at 10 am local time, for which it will run for ten days concluding on 25th June 2023 at 8 pm local time. For the event’s duration, Trainers can take advantage of the active event bonuses, which include double Stardust when catching Pokémon GO, and Lunastone and Solrock will spawn more frequently in the wild irrespective of Trainers’ location.

Pokémon GO Solstice Horizons: Wild Encounters

Niantic has revealed that various Pokémon will spawn more frequently in wild encounters during the day or at night. There is a chance Trainers may encounter their Shiny forms (*) in the wild, including Sneasel, for which this event marks the debut of Shiny Formatis.

Let’s look at all the day and night wild encounters for the Solstice Horizons event in Pokémon GO:

Pokémon GO Solstice Horizons: Event Raids

Along with the night and day wild encounters, a few Raid encounters will be active for the event’s duration. While there won’t be any Shadow Raids available for this event, Trainers can still expect to engage in battle with Pokémon featured in one-star, three-star, five-star, and Mega Raids, so here’s the Raid list for the Solstice Horizons event in Pokémon GO:

Pokémon GO Solstice Horizons: Field & Special Research Tasks

The Solstice Horizons event will include themed Field Research tasks available to Trainers for free to claim and complete. There are plenty of rewards on hand to earn after completing a task, including battle items, Poké Balls, and encounters, including Formantis, with the chance of being a Shiny Fomantis.

A new Special Research story, Starry Skies, will be available for Trainers to obtain and complete. If you have a Trainer Level 5 and higher and log in between 16th and 25th June 2023 from 10 am and 8 pm local time, you can grab this Special Research story for free.

If you wish to have another chance at this Special Research story, you can purchase a ticket for $5,00 or equivalent in your local currency, as you can encounter Cosmog on your first or second time playing the research story. Ticket holders will be able to have access to this research story during the event by logging in, and once received, you can complete it at any time once you’ve acquired it.

Lastly, Niantic will make a themed Collection Challenge available for the Solstice Horizons event which Trainers can complete tasks to acquire specific Pokémon. This will contribute to your progress for the Elite Collector Medal, where you can receive Stardust and Pokémon encounters, including a Shiny Fomantis.