Pokemon GO Charged-Up Research Day: Dates, Featured Pokemon, & Paid Timed Research

Now that we’re headed into a new season for Pokemon GO, the event announcements keep rolling in. Niantic has announced a one-day research-centered event called Charged-Up Research Day.

This latest event will focus on electric-type Pokemon, and it’s a bit different from much of what we’ve seen lately out of Niantic. It is so different, in fact, that players are a bit confused about whether this is entirely paid or if players will be able to participate without a ticket. We’re here to clear up the confusion and break down all the details for the Pokemon GO Charged-Up Research Day event.

When is the Pokemon GO Charged Up Research Event?

The Charged-Up Research event will take place on March 3 2024 from 2 PM to 5 PM local time. While this is yet another shorter event, it does at least take place on a weekend, which hopefully offers up a bit more flexibility for folks to jump in.

While initial announcements from Niantic made this event look entirely pay-to-play, it looks like players will be able to enjoy the Field Research and Wild Encounter portions of the event without buying a ticket. The Timed Research for the event does require a paid ticket to unlock, which costs $1 USD (or local equivalent).

Field Research Encounter Pokemon for Charged-Up Research Event

During the Charged-Up Research Day event, players will get special event-themed Field Research tasks when we spin photo discs at PokeStops. Checking off these tasks will lead to encounters with the following event-themed Pokemon:

Chinchou	Elektrike	Blitzle
Joltik	Helioptile

I’ve also got some good news for Shiny hunting fans – Shiny odds for these Pokemon will be boosted during the event, which means you’re more likely to snag a Shiny by completing these tasks.

Featured Wild Encounter Pokemon for Charged-Up Research Event

In addition to those Pokemon appearing in research encounters, the event will also feature increased spawns of certain electric-type Pokemon in the wild. The featured wild encounters for Pokemon GO’s Charged-Up Research event are:

Pikachu	Voltorb	Plusle
Minun	Emolga	Pawmi

Shiny odds are not boosted for wild encounters during the event, but all of these Pokemon except Emolga and Pawmi can be Shiny in Pokemon GO, so there’s still a chance you might get one.

Paid Ticket Details for the Pokemon GO Charged-Up Research Event

And now for the detail that confused everyone (myself included) when this event was first announced: the paid Timed Research ticket for the Charged-Up Research Event. Players who spend $1 USD for the paid ticket to the Charged-Up Research Day will unlock a special event-themed Timed Research challenge.

This paid ticket adds on additional challenges that will encourage you to really run through the Field Research tasks you receive from PokeStops. Doing so will lead to more chances to encounter those Shiny-boosted electric types featured in the research encounters.

According to Niantic, opting in for the paid ticket doesn’t increase those Shiny odds, just gives you more opportunities to encounter the Pokemon. It also doesn’t add any new or different creatures to the mix.