Can you evolve World Cap Pikachu and Original Cap Pikachu in Pokémon Go?

October is said to be a scary month for Pokémon Go fans, with various Ghost, Dark, and Poison-type Pokémon making multiple appearances throughout the month. Notably, for those who have completed the Mega Buddy Challenge, you will have a rare opportunity to unlock Mega Gengar by completing the Halloween challenge at the end of the month. Prior to that, the weekly Spotlight events will take place, the first two being World Cap Pikachu and Original Cap Pikachu.

It's an odd choice for two Pokémon with unique appearances to feature in the Spotlight event. Many players were initially disappointed with this news because, traditionally, Pokémon with hats or appearance items cannot evolve, making these event-based captures completely unnecessary. However, unearthed by the Pokeminers group on Twitter, they discovered that World Cap Pikachu could evolve into a Raichu also wearing the World Cap hat.

They posted their results on Twitter, several days before the official Spotlight event which was scheduled to take place on October 6 from 18:00 p.m. to 19:00 p.m. in your time zone. During this hour, there would be plenty of World Cap Pikachu spawns in your area, and when you capture enough, you can use your Pikachu candy to evolve it.

This is the first time in a long time that Niantic has allowed players to evolve an event-themed Pokémon. When Pokémon Go was first released, it was much more common. However, the team stopped allowing players to evolve them, forcing players who captured these Pokémon with unique appearances to keep them if they were collectors, or to discard them. At this time, we cannot confirm that Original Cap Pikachu will receive the same treatment, but given that World Cap Pikachu has an evolved form, we are confident that this applies to both.

World Cap Pikachu will be available on October 6 from 18:00 p.m. to 19:00 p.m. in your time zone. Original Cap Pikachu will premiere on October 14 from 18:00 p.m. to 19:00 p.m. in your time zone. You only have one hour to capture them during the hours of their event before they vanish.