Niantic Zapdos is currently available in Pokemon Go.
Zapdos is the latest legendary Pokemon to be added to Pokemon Go. But like with the previous two legendary birds, it will only be around for a limited period of time. So when exactly does Zapdos leave Raid Battles, and when will the next legendary show up after that?
Zapdos will remain in Raid Battles in Pokemon Go until Monday, August 14th, Niantic previously said on Twitter. If Niantic follows the same schedule as they did with Articuno and Moltres, Zapdos will still be available for much of Monday, so the 14th is your last day to catch it in Raid Battles.
So what comes after the disappearance of Zapdos? Niantic has not made anything official, but it’s a strong possibility that they will launch another legendary Pokemon after that, potentially Ho-Oh.
After all, Niantic is holding a Pokemon Go Stadium event on August 14th in Japan, and this event just happens to be taking place the same day that Zapdos leaves Raid Battles. Fans will recall that Niantic launched the first legendary Pokemon after Pokemon Go Fest, a live event in Chicago, and so it would make sense for the next legendary Pokemon to launch as a result of this event in Japan. If that’s not the plan, the fact that Niantic is holding an event on the exact same day that Zapdos leaves Raid Battles is a pretty massive coincidence.
The Pokemon Go Stadium event is also going to be streamed live on Facebook, which suggests something fairly significant will happen there beyond just players catching Pokemon. Niantic previously streamed the Pokemon Go Fest Chicago event, where the first legendaries were released, although the launch of the legendaries did not quite go according to plan.
So with Articuno, Moltres and Zapdos gone, when will they be back again? Nobody really knows, though it’s pretty safe to assume that they will return at some point. Niantic may save their re-release for another event in the future, probably one that requires teamwork in some way, though nothing has been confirmed.