Trainers, mark your calendars-Niantic’s 2023 Community Day lineup is packed with returning favorites, new shiny chances, and exclusive moves you won’t want to miss. Here’s the full schedule to plan your year of Pokémon-catching adventures.
Each Community Day typically features a Pokémon who either requires lots of candy to evolve or has three evolution stages. Last year, we saw an exception to this rule, as one day featured Kantonian and Alolan Sandshrew. We’ve also had Eevee Community Day in 2021, which breaks this pattern.
Niantic will also run Community Day Classic events, which bring back old Community Day Pokémon. Last year, Pokémon Go had classic events for Bulbasaur, Mudkip, and Dratini, allowing newer players to grab these very powerful older Pokémon with ease. It’s unknown when exactly Niantic chooses to run these events, as they sort of just pop up randomly.
The final Community Day of the year in December is typically a weekend-long event that brings back all of the Community Day Pokémon from earlier in the year, so don’t fret if you miss out on one of the days – you’ll be able to catch up in December.
Below, we’ve listed out all the known Community Days for 2023. Niantic sometimes announces dates without announcing what the featured Pokémon is; we’ve listed those dates below as well.
Pokémon Go 2023 Community Day schedule
The Pokémon Go 2023 Community Day schedule outlines the dates, hourly windows, featured Pokémon, and special bonuses across the year, helping players plan events, raids, and in-game activities to maximize hours of boosted catches and bonus XP.
Date |
Community Day |
Special move |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 7 | Chespin | Frenzy Plant |
| Jan. 21 | Larvitar (Classic) | Smack Down |
| Feb. 5 | Noibat | Boomburst |
| March 18 | Slowpoke and Galarian Slowpoke | Surf |
| April 15 | Togetic | Aura Sphere |
| April 29 | Swinub (Classic) | Ancient Power |
| May 21 | Fennekin | Blast Burn |
| June 10 | Fraxure | Breaking Swipe |
| July 9 | Squirtle (Classic) | Hydro Cannon |
| July 30 | Poliwag | Counter (Poliwrath) and Ice Beam (Politoed) |
| Aug. 13 | Froakie | Hydro Cannon |
| Sept. 2 | TBA (Classic) | TBA |
| Sept. 23 | TBA | TBA |
| Oct. 15 | TBA | TBA |
| Nov. 5 | TBA | TBA |
| Nov. 25 | TBA (Classic) | TBA |
Best Pokémon to target from 2023 Community Days for raids
Tyranitar, Gigalith, and Hydreigon stand out as top raid attackers from 2023 Pokémon Go Community Days due to their powerful exclusive moves like Smack Down, Meteor Beam, and Brutal Swing.
Top Raid Attackers
These Pokémon from the 2023 schedule excel in PvE raids thanks to high DPS, TDO, and meta relevance against common bosses.
| Pokémon | Exclusive Move | Raid Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyranitar | Smack Down (Rock) | Top Rock/Dark | Shadow versions dominate; versatile for multiple types |
| Gigalith | Meteor Beam (Rock) | Elite Rock | Non-legendary option; trade for 0 candy XL candy |
| Hydreigon | Brutal Swing (Dark) | Top Dark | Strong alternative to shadows; high damage output |
| Ursaluna | High Horsepower (Ground) | Strong Ground | Best non-mega/legendary Ground attacker |
| Greninja | Hydro Cannon (Water) | Solid Water | Good for gym bosses; PvP crossover value |
Targeting Strategy
Prioritize shiny or high-IV catches of Tyranitar (Jan Classic) and Gigalith (Dec recap) for Rock-weak raids like Ice or Flying bosses. Hydreigon and Ursaluna fill gaps in Dark and Ground teams without relying on legendaries. Evolve during post-event windows to lock in legacy moves for long-term use.
Best IVs for Rhyperior raids from Community Day
For Rhyperior as a raid attacker from Pokémon Go Community Days (notably its Rock Wrecker move from February 2020, though relevant to 2023 strategies via recaps), prioritize high Attack IVs since it boosts DPS most significantly in PvE scenarios.
Optimal IVs
Perfect or near-perfect IVs (15/15/15 or close, like 15/14/15) maximize Rhyperior’s performance at level 40 or 50, as Attack contributes heavily to damage output against bosses weak to Rock or Ground. Lower Attack IVs (e.g., 10 or below) noticeably drop its ranking among top Rock attackers like Tyranitar.
| IV Priority | Example Spreads | Max CP (Lv 40/50) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best | 15/15/15 | 3695/4221 | Top DPS/TDO; power up fully with XL Candy |
| Good | 15/14/15, 15/15/14 | 3680-3690/4200+ | Minimal loss; still elite Rock attacker |
| Avoid | 0-10 Attack | Under 3600/4100 | ~5% DPS drop; save for PvP instead |
Moveset Tips
Pair Mud-Slap or Smack Down with Rock Wrecker for peak Rock damage (23+ DPS); add Surf for Ground coverage on Flying/Ice raids. From conversation context, Rhyperior ranks below Tyranitar/Gigalith but shines as a non-Shadow Rock option.
