Welcome to this week's Pokémon gaming news briefing for October 17, 2026. From high-tier raid battles in Paldea to mobile event schedules and major hardware physical bundles, here is everything players need to know to stay current across the franchise.
Scarlet, Violet, and Pokémon GO Events
In Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, a 7-Star Tera Raid event featuring a Steel-Tera Type Metagross carrying the Mightiest Mark is live until October 22. Players must update their Poké Portal News to take on this difficult challenge and secure their single allowed catch. Meanwhile, Pokémon GO is hosting its Sandile Hatch Day on October 17 from 11 AM to 5 PM local time, offering half hatch distance, boosted double candy, and increased shiny odds for Sandile from 2km Eggs. This coincides with the ongoing Fall Marathon: Buddy Trek event, which marks the debut of Bramblin and introduces a Super Max Level for Mega Manectric.
TCG Pocket Roadmap and Legends Z-A Launch
The development team behind Pokémon TCG Pocket released a Producer Letter on October 16 outlining features scheduled for late October. The upcoming update focuses on introducing a new card expansion series, improving access for casual card collectors, and expanding battle features. On the console side, retail pre-orders are reaching their final phase for Pokémon Legends: Z-A - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition bundled with the Mega Dimension DLC, leading up to its global launch on October 29.
Game Freak Wraps Up Beast of Reincarnation
Outside of the main Pokémon franchise, developer Game Freak announced that its non-Pokémon action-RPG Beast of Reincarnation will receive its ninth and final major post-launch patch on October 19. Titled after the game itself, this final update concludes active support roughly two months after the title launched, as the studio shifts focus toward future projects.
To prepare for the coming week, log into Pokémon Scarlet or Violet to update your news feed and build a Fire-, Ground-, or Fighting-type counter for the Metagross raid before October 22. If you are playing Pokémon GO, equip your incubators with 2km Eggs during local event hours today to hatch Sandile. TCG Pocket players should save in-game currency ahead of the late-October updates, while console fans should verify their physical pre-orders before October 29.