May 5, 2026, 11:02 PDT, Culver City —
- Pokémon GO is piloting a weekly “Choose Your Path” Timed Research setup during slower event weeks.
- Players choose Explore, Catch, or Battle; XP bonuses differ, though item rewards stay mostly in line across options.
- This test lines up with a broader move to more consistent weekly play for the Memories in Motion season.
Pokémon GO on Tuesday rolled out a fresh “Choose Your Path” Timed Research, swapping out the usual event quest for a week-long decision between Explore, Catch, or Battle routes. The research window, according to Leek Duck, kicked off May 5 at 10:00 a.m. local time and wraps up May 12 at 8:00 p.m. local time. Leek Duck
This tweak is significant—it hands the game a bit of weekly rhythm during what’s now called “evergreen weeks,” periods lacking any major event drop. According to Pokémon GO Hub’s Zeroghan, the setup looks structured to steer players toward clear goals, especially when the game shifts into a more standard seasonal mode, rather than centering on a fresh headline event. Pokémon GO Hub
This comes as Pokémon GO rolls out its Memories in Motion season, taking place March 3 through June 2, 2026. According to the official season page, the game’s event cadence is shifting—expect daily discovery features and weekend events set for Saturdays.
The week’s three-track split hinges on play style. Explore hands out 5x XP for spinning PokéStops, those map spots that hand over items and help level accounts faster. Catch mode? 1.5x XP, but only when players make Nice Throws or better while catching Pokémon. As for Battle, finishing raids nets an extra 5,000 XP, per Leek Duck.
The item rewards stay pretty even across the board. For Explore, players need to walk 5 km and spin 50 PokéStops or Gyms. The Catch route? That’s 15 Excellent Throws plus 50 Curveball Throws. Battle, on the other hand, has you win five raids and land 25 supereffective Charged Attacks—so, charged moves that strike a weakness. According to MeinMMO, the rewards include 10 Great Balls, 10 Ultra Balls, three Pinap Berries, and five Rare Candies for any path you choose.
So the real choice comes down to the bonus, not the prize box. In crowded cities, Explore could offer a better haul; trainers eyeing raid week will likely stick with Battle, while heavy catchers will favor Catch. Pokémon GO Hub noted that while specific tasks and rewards could rotate weekly, the lineup—Explore, Catch, or Battle—should stay consistent.
But here’s the hitch: after you pick a path, you’re locked in. If you don’t wrap up every task and collect rewards before the clock runs out, that Timed Research just disappears. For anyone low on raid passes, short on raid partners, or strapped for time, Battle is a gamble. Explore, on the other hand, could disappoint players stuck somewhere with barely any PokéStops.
Scopely’s test arrives less than a year after the company wrapped up its acquisition of Niantic’s games business—Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now among them. The Niantic division, according to Scopely, counted more than 30 million monthly active users and racked up over $1 billion in 2024 revenue. That haul slots in alongside the likes of MONOPOLY GO!, adding heft to Scopely’s live-service lineup.
Ed Wu, senior vice president of Pokémon GO, said at the time of the Scopely deal that the game’s goal is still “to inspire people to discover Pokémon in the real world together.” A new weekly path test—a small tweak—echoes that mission, nudging players to walk, catch, or raid, regardless of whether a headline event is on. Scopely
