From the very beginning, Pokemon Go has encouraged players to travel around the world in order to catch ’em all. Over the years, the game has featured several regional exclusives, which can only be found by players that live in or visit those specific areas of the world. One such Pokemon is Hawlucha, which can only be obtained by players in Mexico. That restriction will soon change, however, as Niantic has confirmed that Hawlucha will be made available during the Pokemon Go Fest 2025 events that are being held in Paris, Jersey City, and Osaka.
This is great news for players that plan on attending these events, but it seems players in the rest of the world are still out of luck. From the phrasing, it sounds like Hawlucha will only be available during the in-person events, and not during the global one set to take place on June 28th and 29th. This has naturally led to some disappointment from players across social media, who are lamenting the fact that they still won’t be able to find this particular Pokemon in Pokemon Go.
While this announcement is disappointing for players, it’s worth noting that the limitations on Hawlucha could be lifted in 2026. While nothing has been announced just yet, this year’s Pokemon Go Tour focused on the Unova region from Pokemon Black and White. In theory, Kalos from Pokemon X and Y will get the focus next year. That should make Hawlucha much easier to come by, as we’ve seen done for other regional exclusives. That’s all just hypothetical right now, but it’s a pretty safe bet based on everything Niantic has done over the last few years.
On one hand, regional Pokemon can be a cause of frustration for a lot of players. Not everyone can afford to travel to areas like Mexico or Hawaii (the latter of which has the exclusive Pokemon Comfey). However, it also adds an incentive to spend some time with the game while traveling. And those that do travel can always try to snag a rare Pokemon to trade with a friend when they get home. That also helps to keep the social aspect of the game thriving.
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As far as regional exclusives go, Hawlucha has always made a lot of sense for Mexico, given that the Pokemon’s design was inspired by luchadore wrestlers. Still, it has made fans in other areas a bit jealous, given that the Pokemon is somewhat popular. On top of the fact that Hawlucha has a fun and unique design, it was used by Ash Ketchum in the Pokemon anime. Hopefully Niantic will make Hawlucha more widely available one of these days, but for now, fans that can’t travel to Mexico or to an in-person Pokemon Go Fest event are out of luck.
How do you feel about the regional exclusives in Pokemon Go? Are you frustrated that Hawlucha won’t be available in the global event? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
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