Pokemon Sword And Shield Lunar New Year Event Now Live, Features Shiny Tauros [Last Chance]

Another new Max Raid event is now underway in Pokemon Sword and Shield. To celebrate the Year of the Ox, Tauros, Miltank, and Bouffalant are all appearing more frequently in Max Raid dens across both games this weekend, and you'll have a chance to encounter a Shiny Tauros in five-star Raids.

Like other "extra" Max Raid events, however, the Lunar New Year event will only be around for a limited time. The event runs until 3:59 PM PT / 6:59 PM ET / 11:59 PM UTC today, January 24, making this your last chance to take advantage of its increased spawns. Afterward, January's regular Max Raid event will resume.

Before the featured Pokemon can appear in your game, you'll first need to refresh your Max Raid dens. You can do so either by connecting online via the Y-Comm or by opening the Mystery Gift menu and selecting Get the Wild Area News.

January's regular Max Raid event runs through January 31 and features various Normal- and Dragon-type Pokemon, including Bewear, Cinccino, Haxorus, Goodra, and their pre-evolved forms. Gigantamax Snorlax and Gigantamax Duraludon are also appearing as part of the event, giving you another chance to catch them if you missed them in previous Max Raid events.

In other Pokemon news, The Pokemon Company recently released a statement outlining its plans to clamp down on players who use hacked Pokemon in Sword and Shield as well as Pokemon Home. This year also marks the Pokemon series' 25th anniversary, and The Pokemon Company is celebrating with various events, promotions, merchandise, and more this year, including a collaboration with Katy Perry.