Key Highlights:
- Pokémon GO’s free 10th Anniversary Timed Research guarantees a 15/15/15 Mewtwo with a Special Background.
- Completing its two tasks also awards one Master Ball and 500 Mega Mewtwo Y Energy.
- The Mewtwo already has Mega Level 3 unlocked for Mega Mewtwo Y, but that progress does not apply to Mega Mewtwo X.
Pokémon GO is giving players a guaranteed perfect-IV Mewtwo, a Master Ball and 500 Mega Mewtwo Y Energy through new free Timed Research celebrating the game’s 10th anniversary.
The 10th Anniversary Celebration began on August 12. Players have until September 6, 2026, at 11:59pm local time to complete the research and claim every reward.
The research itself is unusually easy.
| Timed Research task | Reward |
|---|---|
| Catch 10 Pokémon | 1 Master Ball |
| Power up Pokémon 10 times | 500 Mega Mewtwo Y Energy |
| Complete the research | Perfect-IV Mewtwo encounter |
The encounter is guaranteed to have maximum Attack, Defense and HP IVs. A perfect research Mewtwo appears at 2,387 CP, corresponding to a Level 20 Mewtwo with 15/15/15 IVs.
That distinction matters. This is a perfect-stat Mewtwo, not a Pokémon already powered up to its maximum level.
The reward also comes with a Special Background commemorating Pokémon GO’s anniversary. More importantly, its third Mega Level is already unlocked for Mega Mewtwo Y.
That bypasses much of the normal Mega Evolution progression for this particular Mewtwo.
Mega Levels provide increasingly strong bonuses as a Pokémon progresses. Pokémon GO also tracks Mega Evolution progression separately when one species has multiple Mega forms. Mega Mewtwo Y reaching its third level therefore does not mean the same Mewtwo automatically has equivalent progression for Mega Mewtwo X.
The 500 Energy reward is likewise specifically Mega Mewtwo Y Energy. Players interested in Mega Mewtwo X still need the corresponding X Energy and progression for that form.
I think that makes the free Mega Level 3 unlock the most valuable part of the giveaway beyond the perfect IVs. A hundo Mewtwo is obviously desirable, but Pokémon GO is also removing a large chunk of the long-term Mega progression normally attached to that individual Pokémon.
The Master Ball makes the research even more unusual.
Unlike ordinary Poké Balls, a Master Ball guarantees a successful catch when used. Pokémon GO has historically distributed the item sparingly through selected research rather than making it a routinely obtainable resource. The anniversary research gives one away after catching only 10 Pokémon.
The global reward also closes the loop on a much more exclusive Mewtwo giveaway held in New York last month.
Pokémon GO’s 10th anniversary event recreated the original Mewtwo battle in Times Square on July 9. More than 1,000 players gathered for the real-world celebration, while selected attendees received a perfect-stat Mewtwo tied to the event.
That exclusivity caused frustration among some players watching from outside New York. The new Timed Research now gives trainers worldwide their own guaranteed perfect Mewtwo.
There is one important exception for players who already received the Times Square reward.
Scopely Explore says trainers who caught a Mewtwo during the July 9 event can still complete the anniversary research, but their new Mewtwo will have different stats and their rewards will change.
Leek Duck’s live research breakdown confirms that those players receive 30 Mewtwo Candy instead of the Master Ball for catching 10 Pokémon. Their second Mewtwo is also not guaranteed to have perfect IVs.
The Times Square background itself is not permanently exclusive. Pokémon GO has confirmed that Mewtwo carrying that particular background will become available again at some point in the future.
The research arrives shortly after Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y made their global debut during Pokémon GO Fest 2026.
Mega Mewtwo was initially tied to Super Mega Raids. Every Mewtwo caught from those battles received at least one Mega Level for the form defeated, with a chance of arriving at Mega Level 2 or 3.
Technical problems disrupted some GO Fest raids in July. Pokémon GO subsequently held a worldwide compensation event on July 26 featuring Mega Mewtwo Y and increased the number of free Raid Passes to 12.
Another opportunity is already scheduled.
Mega Mewtwo X returns to Super Mega Raids during Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Mega Finale on September 5, followed by Mega Mewtwo Y on September 6. The second day coincides with the final deadline for claiming the anniversary Mewtwo.
Players therefore have several weeks to complete two very small research tasks before the Mega Finale begins.
The important deadline is 11:59pm local time on September 6. Because this is Timed Research, unfinished tasks and unclaimed rewards disappear when the event expires.
