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Pokémon Go Incense Day October time, date and bonuses explained

Everything you need to know about Incense Day in Pokémon Go.

Image credit: Niantic

Incense Day is an event in Pokémon Go themed around the use of, unsurprisingly, Incense, which is used to attract Pokémon to you.

Each Incense Day in Pokémon Go focuses around a specific Pokémon. Certain Pokémon which share the same types as this spotlighted creature can then be found more frequently when using Incense during event hours.

Incense Day's also include a variety of other bonuses, such as increased shiny rates for the spotlight Pokémon or an increased duration for Daily Adventure Incense.

Below you'll be able to find the time and date for the next Incense Day, as well as the bonuses that apply to that event.

On this page:

Incense Day time and date in Pokémon Go

The next Incense Day will occur on Saturday 21st October 2023 from 11am to 5pm local time. The spotlighted Pokémon for this Incense Day is Skorupi.

Each hour of this event causes any Incense you use to attract a particular type of Pokémon, with that Pokémon type changing every hour.

Image credit: Niantic

Incense Day bonuses in Pokémon Go explained

During an Incense Day in Pokémon Go you'll be able to take advantage of a variety of bonuses.

The first bonus sees you encountering a higher number of Skorupi when using Incense, which works perfectly with the second bonus - an increased chance of encountering shiny Skorupi! So, if you haven't had the chance to add shiny Skorupi or Drapion to your collection yet, now is the time to do so.

The third bonus sees Daily Adventure Incense lasting for 30 minutes during event hours. This is double the amount of time Daily Adventure Incense is usually active for, increasing your chances of encountering one of the Galarian Legendary Birds.

There will also be a selection of event-exclusive field research tasks to collect throughout the event.

Keeping to Incense Day tradition, the next bonus sees a selection of Pokémon being more attracted to Incense than the rest. These Pokémon hail from the Bug and Poison-types, with the specific type of Pokémon changing on the hour much like how habitats rotate during a Go Fest event. (Skorupi will appear in every hour though - it is the little scorpions special day.)

Here are the hours each type is active during October's Incense Day:

  • 11am to 12pm - Bug-type Pokémon
  • 12pn to 1pm - Poison-type Pokémon
  • 1pm to 2pm - Bug-type Pokémon
  • 2pm to 3pm - Poison-type Pokémon
  • 3pm to 4pm - Bug-type Pokémon
  • 4pm to 5pm - Poison-type Pokémon

During the hours that Bug-type Pokémon appear more frequently, you might encounter:

  • Caterpie
  • Weedle
  • Scyther
  • Pinsir
  • Yanma
  • Wurmple
  • Dewpider
  • Wimpod
Scyther and Dewpider are the rarer spawns during the Bug-type hours.

Meanwhile, during the hours for Poison-type Pokémon you might find:

  • Ekans
  • Zubat
  • Alolan Grimer
  • Gulpin
  • Stunky
  • Croagunk
  • Trubbish
  • Skrelp
Alolan Grimer and Trubbish are the rarer spawns during the Poison-type hours.

There will also be a selection of event-exclusive field research tasks to collect and complete. The rewards you can earn from completing them include Skorupi encounters, Stardust and Ultra Balls.

Finally, if you need some Incense, you can purchase one from a 1 PokéCoin bundle in the in-game shop.

How to prepare for Incense Day in Pokémon Go

If you're planning on taking part in Incense Day in Pokémon Go, then you should make sure you're prepared for it.

First things first, you need to ensure that you actually have Incense. If you don't then you can easily purchase some from the in-game store or earn it by completing Special Research tasks, such as Let's Go Meltan.

Having a Lucky Egg or two for doubling your XP is also a good idea, especially if you're planning on catching a lot of Pokémon.

Finally, you should also ensure that you've stocked up on Poké Balls and berries of all varieties. The worst thing that could happen to you on Incense Day is that, when that rare Pokémon you've been hunting appears only to discover that you're all out of Poké Balls.

Where to purchase Incense in Pokémon Go

You can purchase Incense in Pokémon Go from the in-game store, which is accessible via the main menu.

During the event, you'll be able to purchase an exclusive bundle containing one Incense in exchange for 1 PokéCoin.

You can purchase additional Incense at these PokéCoin prices:

  • One Incense - 40 PokéCoin
  • Eight Incense - 250 PokéCoin

The Season of Timeless Travels has arrived in Pokémon Go! The Along the Routes event is here, bringing Gift Exchange and the A Route to New Friendships quest with it. During it, take the time to try out Routes and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.


Previous Incense Days in Pokémon Go

Below you'll find all the Incense Days that have occurred in Pokémon Go so far:

The 5th Pokémon Go Incense Day:

Date: Sunday, 5th December 2021

Time: 11am to 5pm local time

Featured Pokémon: Swinub

Bonuses: Event-exclusive field research tasks, special incense hours for Ground and Ice-type Pokémon


The 4th Pokémon Go Incense Day:

Date: Sunday, 14th March 2021

Time: 11am to 5pm local time

Featured Pokémon: Beldum

Bonuses: Special Incense Hours for Steel and Psychic-type Pokémon


The 3rd Pokémon Go Incense Day:

Date: Sunday, 24th January 2021

Time: 11am to 5pm local time

Featured Pokémon: Mareep

Bonuses: Special Incense Hours for Electric and Dragon-type Pokémon


The 2nd Pokémon Go Incense Day:

Date: Sunday, 17th May 2020

Time: 11am to 5pm local time

Featured Pokémon: Carvanha

Bonuses: Special Incense Hours for Water and Dragon-type Pokémon


The 1st Pokémon Go Incense Day:

Date: Sunday, 19th April 2020

Time: 11am to 5pm local time

Featured Pokémon: Sentret

Bonuses: Special Incense Hours for Water, Fire, Grass, Psychic, Bug and Ground-type Pokémon

Good luck with Incense Day!

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Lottie Lynn

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Lottie Lynn is Eurogamer's Guides Editor. She likes exploring new games and still has nightmares about the moon from Majora's Mask.

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