Pokémon is turning 30, and two big anniversary announcements explain why the milestone is suddenly all over your feed. Krispy Kreme is releasing a six-doughnut Pokémon collection on Tuesday, August 18 — with preorders open as of August 13 and a free-doughnut giveaway coming on August 22 — while Pokémon GO has unveiled PokéXciting!, a 30th-anniversary tour that will sweep through five Asia-Pacific cities between September 2026 and February 2027. Here’s what’s actually happening, when, and how to get in on it.
Key Takeaways
- Krispy Kreme's six-doughnut Pokémon collection launches Tuesday, August 18, with dozen preorders open since August 13.
- Wear Pokémon attire to a participating shop on Saturday, August 22 and you get a free Original Glazed — one per guest, in-shop or drive-thru only.
- Pokémon GO's PokéXciting! tour runs through five Asia-Pacific cities between September 2026 and February 2027, starting in Kuala Lumpur on September 12–13.
- Each city gets its own PokéXciting! Pikachu costume color, and that regional variant keeps appearing in the wild there for a month after the local event ends.
One very big birthday, two very different parties
Thirty years is a long time for any franchise, and even the people covering the anniversary seem a little stunned by it. “How is that possible?!” is how TODAY.com put it while reporting on the Krispy Kreme collaboration, noting that it’s hard to believe three decades have passed since kids were first introduced to Ash Ketchum and his sidekick, Pikachu. According to TODAY, the franchise’s trading cards debuted in the 1990s and the imaginary universe quickly expanded into a cartoon, merchandise, and more.
The anniversary celebrations announced so far split neatly into two camps. On the food side, Bake Magazine reports that Krispy Kreme has teamed up with The Pokémon Company International for a limited-time doughnut collection celebrating 30 years of Pokémon. On the gaming side, the Pokémon GO team announced PokéXciting!, a series of two-day, city-wide celebrations across the Asia-Pacific region, each packed with exclusive encounters and event-only bonuses. One is a nostalgia play you can eat; the other is a reason to book a flight.
The Krispy Kreme lineup: five Pokémon and one Poké Ball
The collection features five classic characters plus a bonus Poké Ball design, according to TODAY.com and Bake Magazine. Here’s the full menu:
- Bulbasaur Doughnut — an Original Glazed doughnut dipped in vanilla-flavored icing, topped with frosting and a Bulbasaur piece.
- Charmander Doughnut — an unglazed shell doughnut with chocolate and toasted marshmallow-flavored filling, dipped in orange-colored caramel icing with red and gold sugar, topped with a Charmander piece.
- Squirtle Doughnut — an Original Glazed doughnut piped with cotton candy-flavored buttercreme, finished with sugar, nonpareils, and a surfing Squirtle piece.
- Pikachu Doughnut — an unglazed shell filled with lemon-flavored Kreme, dipped in vanilla icing and decorated with drizzle, nonpareils, and a Pikachu piece.
- Jigglypuff Doughnut — an Original Glazed doughnut with strawberry-flavored buttercreme, strawberry-flavored cookie, and a Jigglypuff piece.
- Poké Ball Doughnut — an Original Glazed doughnut with vanilla-flavored icing, red sprinkles, and chocolate icing.
“We had so much fun bringing the world of Pokémon to life through doughnuts in a way only Krispy Kreme can,” Alison Holder, Krispy Kreme’s chief brand and product officer, said in the announcement reported by Bake Magazine, adding that the collection “is made to be caught and shared.”
How to get them before they’re gone
The collection officially debuts Tuesday, August 18, for a limited time, according to both TODAY.com and Bake Magazine. Doughnuts will be sold individually and by the dozen, in shops and for pickup or delivery through Krispy Kreme’s app and website. If you don’t want to risk missing out, preorders for the dozen opened Thursday, August 13 — so you can already lock in a box.
Bake Magazine reports that a Pokémon Dozen comes in special-edition packaging featuring the five Pokémon, while select retailers will carry a Krispy Kreme six-pack box containing one Charmander Doughnut, one Pikachu Doughnut, one Jigglypuff Doughnut, one Poké Ball Doughnut, and two Original Glazed Doughnuts. There’s also a drinkware tie-in: special-edition Pokémon cups in five exclusive designs, each filled with 10 Original Glazed Gold Dots — Krispy Kreme’s mini doughnuts, per TODAY.com.
Free doughnuts on August 22 — if you dress the part
The date to circle is Saturday, August 22. Customers who show up to participating Krispy Kreme shops wearing Pokémon attire will receive a free Original Glazed Doughnut, according to TODAY.com. The offer is limited to one per guest and is valid in-shop and at the drive-thru only, per Bake Magazine. Neither source spells out exactly what counts as “Pokémon attire,” so a Pikachu tee is probably the safe play.
PokéXciting!: Pokémon GO takes the party on the road
For players, the bigger anniversary story is PokéXciting!, which the Pokémon GO team describes as a two-day celebration coming to “vibrant cities across the Asia-Pacific region” with massive city-wide activities. The confirmed schedule, according to the official Pokémon GO announcement:
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — September 12–13, 2026 (gameplay area: KLCC Park)
- Taipei, Taiwan — October 10–11, 2026 (select areas of Xinyi District, excluding mountainous regions)
- Singapore — November 7–8, 2026 (citywide)
- Manila, Philippines — January 23–24, 2027 (SM Mall of Asia surroundings)
- Bangkok, Thailand — February 13–14, 2027 (gameplay area and details to be announced)
The Pokémon GO team’s announcement notes that the actual boundary of each gameplay area will depend on the final scale of the real-world event, and that upcoming events are subject to change.
The headline catch: a Pikachu that changes color by city
The tour’s marquee attraction is PokéXciting! Pikachu, which the Pokémon GO team says players will be able to encounter “for the first time ever.” The twist is regional: the PokéXciting! Pikachu in each city wears a differently colored costume inspired by that local region, and each regional variant will keep appearing as a wild encounter in its respective city for one month after the local event ends.
Each stop also runs a GO Stamp Rally — collect five stamps at designated PokéStops to earn an encounter with a PokéXciting! Pikachu that has a Location Background — and the rally stays available in each city for one month after the local event begins. Beyond Pikachu, the announcement lists two free Timed Research lines (with rewards including a Premium Battle Pass and an event sticker), event-themed Field Research, and a birthday-appropriate wild spawn list headlined by Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Raticate, Grimer, and Eevee all wearing party hats. Lure Modules will attract party-hat Gengar plus heavy hitters like Gyarados, Tyranitar, and Garchomp; Incense will draw city-specific Unown letters in each host city. Gigantamax Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise will appear in Gigantamax Battles, and bonuses include five daily GO Snapshot surprise encounters and hourly bonus balloons carrying extra supplies.
What happens next
The near-term calendar is doughnut-shaped. Preorders are already live as of August 13, the full collection hits shops and the app on August 18, and the costume-for-a-doughnut giveaway lands on August 22. Bake Magazine and TODAY.com both describe the collection as limited-time, though neither gives an end date — so how long it sticks around is unconfirmed.
For Pokémon GO players, the first PokéXciting! stop is still about a month out, kicking off in Kuala Lumpur on September 12–13. Details for the final announced stop, Bangkok, haven’t been released yet, and the Pokémon GO team explicitly says upcoming events are subject to change. It’s worth flagging what the sources don’t say: the announced tour covers only Asia-Pacific cities, and whether comparable 30th-anniversary events will come to North America or Europe is unconfirmed. Likewise, none of the sources describe other anniversary plans from The Pokémon Company — new games, cards, or additional brand tie-ins — so treat any such rumors as unconfirmed for now. Given that the doughnut deal exists at all, though, it would be surprising if this were the last 30th-anniversary crossover we see.
If your nostalgia runs toward controllers rather than doughnuts, the other giant gaming event on the calendar is Rockstar’s GTA 6 Extended Look ahead of the game’s November 19 launch. And if it’s limited-time menu drops you’re chasing, Starbucks’ fall lineup is already back with the PSL and six new drinks.
Quick poll
Which Pokémon doughnut are you catching first?
For the record: the collection also includes a Bulbasaur doughnut and a Poké Ball doughnut — and on August 22, Pokémon attire gets you a free Original Glazed.
FAQ
When do the Krispy Kreme Pokémon doughnuts come out?
The six-doughnut collection launches Tuesday, August 18, 2026, for a limited time, in shops and via Krispy Kreme’s app and website, according to TODAY.com and Bake Magazine. Preorders for the dozen opened August 13.
How do I get a free Pokémon doughnut from Krispy Kreme?
Wear Pokémon attire to a participating Krispy Kreme shop on Saturday, August 22. You’ll get one free Original Glazed Doughnut — limited to one per guest, in-shop and drive-thru only, per Bake Magazine.
What is the Pokémon GO PokéXciting! event?
PokéXciting! is Pokémon GO’s 30th-anniversary tour: two-day, city-wide celebrations in Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Singapore, Manila, and Bangkok between September 2026 and February 2027, featuring the debut of PokéXciting! Pikachu with region-exclusive costume colors.
Can I still catch PokéXciting! Pikachu after the event?
Yes, for a while. Each city’s regional variant continues to appear as a wild encounter in that city for one month after the local event concludes, according to the Pokémon GO announcement.
