Pokémon Go Tour: Sinnoh won’t feature version exclusives, with one Legendary exception

Typically when a Pokémon Go event includes a ticket that features different paths, each path will come with exclusive content. For Go Tour: Sinnoh, however, Niantic has decided to forgo version-exclusive spawns—though bonuses and encounters are still on the table.

For Go Tour Sinnoh, both the L.A. in-person event and its global alternative, a spokesperson from the Pokémon Go event team confirmed to Dot Esports that version-exclusive spawns will not be used for the Diamond and Pearl badges. That will not stop other content from being exclusive to that choice, but the developers are not including wild Pokémon in any of that split. “There are no version-exclusive spawns, however, trainers can look forward to fun bonuses based on which badge version they select,” a Niantic spokesperson said.

This is in contrast to Go Tour: Hoenn in February 2023, which used Latios and Latias as version-exclusive wild spawns for the Ruby and Sapphire badges respectively. The only other version-specific content for that event was the Ruby vs. Sapphire Challenge, which pit players against each other to earn boosted spawns based on who completed the most Field Research.

Go Tour: Sinnoh will follow a somewhat similar path with the version-exclusive content centered around the debut of Origin Forme Dialga and Origin Forme Palkia, along with two new mechanics tied to these special debuts. If you pick the Diamond badge, you get a guaranteed encounter with an Origin Forme Dialga that knows Roar of Time, while Pearl enjoyers will see an Origin Forme Palkia that knows Spacial Rend. Both sides will see boosted Adventure Effect duration for their respective Legendary’s new feature and earn Candy for them.

Along with taking feedback on content like version exclusives, Niantic and the Pokémon Go event team are working to ensure Go Tour: Sinnoh – L.A. avoids many of the issues that plagued Go Tour: Hoenn – Las Vegas last year, such as poor network performance and gameplay bugs. “The team has taken the learnings from last year’s event and implemented them for Go Tour: Los Angeles, and we’re excited to deliver a great experience for all the trainers attending this sold-out event,” a Niantic spokesperson told Dot Esports today.

Go Tour: Sinnoh – L.A. runs from Feb. 16 to 18, while players at home will gain access to the event’s features during Go Tour: Sinnoh – Global on Feb. 24 and 25. Make sure you know all of your Pokémon Go event times so you don’t miss out on anything.