Updated January 3rd, 2024
In Pokemon Go, there are a lot of different ways to show off your coolest Pokemon. You can add a Pokemon as your buddy, to show it off to your friends on your friend list, you can post a cool Pokemon you recently caught on Campfire, and you can put your favourite Pokemon in gyms. Now that Pokemon Go has added sizes for Pokemon, there is a new way to show off those that are the biggest and smallest, as well as rank them against others! This is done through Showcases.
What are Showcases?
Showcases are events that happen at specific Pokestops. These events feature a very specific Pokemon and task you with trying to get the best of a certain size – whether that’s largest, smallest, lightest or heaviest. You will need to enter this specific Pokemon into the Showcase in order to be a part of it. The contests available at the same time often have a set Pokemon as well as evolutions to that Pokemon. They are a great way to get prizes and show off your Pokemon to locals. They often do not last longer than a weekend, so it’s a quick and easy way to participate in the community.
Once you have entered a Pokemon, you can still transfer, trade or evolve it, and it will stay in the Showcase unless you actively decide to switch it out.
How to find a Showcase
You can tell if a Stop has a Showcase because it has a little green circle above it. When you get closer to a Stop, the circle has a design similar to winning ribbons during contests inside it. If you have entered that contest, the circle will be purple. You can view your rank and other stats by going to your Today area, in the binoculars bar, and then scrolling all the way down past the news. There is a section for Showcases there, which shows which ones you have entered, as well as your current rank.
If you catch a Pokemon that can be placed in a nearby Showcase, you will also find a prompt on the Pokemon’s page right after you catch it, that you can tap to enter it automatically.
Pokemon Showcase Rankings
Once you have entered a Pokemon into a Showcase, you can see the points others entered in the completion have, as well as your own, and your position against other trainers. You can switch out your Pokemon for another, which will be sorted by size and show the points of the other contestants beneath it. This ranking will depend on what the specific Showcase is looking for; sometimes it’s the heaviest, sometimes it’s the smallest, and sometimes it’s the tallest, for example.
Why should I enter a Showcase?
Now, you may not have a fun Pokemon to add to the showcase, but you should always enter. When the showcase ends, you will receive a pop-up which contains information on your rank, as well as prizes. If you do well in the showcase, these prizes can be quite significant, including a lot of stardust, XP, Super Incubators, Star Pieces, Ultra Balls, and Different Lures. These premium items are really great to win and can save you coins. There is also a badge for you to level up if you hit first place. You can only enter three Showcases at a time and ranking higher above more trainers will net you more prizes.
Tips on winning a Showcase
If, like me, you want to be the best, like no one ever was, you will be looking to win Showcases. This can be challenging though, as this new feature often prompts people to join the nearest contest when they catch the Pokemon that is shown off, so there may be a lot of trainers that are entering them.
I have found success looking for Showcases in less popular areas. Often, there are stops that have Showcases along trails and along long roads, allowing you to place your Pokemon in places where people are less likely to go. The fewer people there competing for that top spot, the more likely you are to rank.
Many of the Showcases that are active will allow you to enter the Pokemon you can currently catch in the wild, but you can also find versions for their evolved forms. I have found fewer people have entered the evolution Showcases, as they will not get the prompt when catching the Pokemon or have as many Pokemon to enter.
It is important to pay attention to the time the Showcase ends. You are able to switch out the Pokemon you have in the Showcase without physically going back to it. Towards the end of a Showcase’s time, it’s good to check to see your rank as well as swap out any Pokemon that could help you rank up. You can only have a single Pokemon in one Showcase, so make sure you are not pulling from a different one.
If you do see that you are hopelessly behind on a Showcase, pull that Pokemon from that competition by placing that one in another. This frees up a Showcase slot so that you can find a new Showcase to enter your Pokemon in. This is sometimes needed when you do not have a highly-ranking Pokemon and want to try again at a less busy Stop.
It is worth noting that if you win a showcase, that specific Pokemon cannot be used in a showcase again. If you trade that Pokemon with a friend, that friend will not be able to enter that Pokemon into a showcase either. Their specific ID is blocked for winning a second showcase, requiring you to collect more XXL Pokemon of that type, if there is a secondary showcase for that same Pokemon. Keep this in mind when it comes to entering Pokemon into showcases, especially if you could win that showcase with a slightly worse Pokemon!
Pokemon Go Showcases for January 3rd, 2024
All showcases in January award more points to the heaviest Pokemon.
- January 1st to January 3rd, at 8PM Local Time – Jigglypuff
- January 6th at 2PM Local Time to 10 PM Local Time – Rowlet & Decidueye
- January 7th at 10 AM Local Time to January 10th at 10 PM Local Time – Rockruff & Lycanroc (Dusk Form)
