Pokemon Go Halloween event increases Candy drops, threatens more Drowzees and Zubats

Trick-or-treat? Gengar, Hypno, Golbat and more star in Niantic's spooky celebration.

To celebrate all things that go bump in the night, Pokémon Go is set to enjoy a Halloween-themed update that increases the chances of encountering ghostly critters from 26 October to 1 November.

The timed event will see Ghastly, Haunter, Gengar, Drowzee (is this the trick part of the treat?), Hypno, Zubat and Golbat pop up far more often in Pokemon Go's location-based recreation of the Pokémon world.

On top of the Ghost and Psychic-type invasion, a video accompanying the announcement of the Halloween event (embedded below) noted that all Candy drops –the in-game consumable used to power up and evolve your pocket monsters – will be increased throughout the game.

The Pokémon Company later revealed that during the event, every Pokemon caught will earn players six Candies as opposed to the usual three, Buddy Pokemon will award four Candies for each distance milestone, and Professor Willow will gift double Candy amounts for each creature transfer to his care.

This is the first Pokémon Go event to date and indicates that the mobile game's developer, Niantic, is keen to take advantage of notable celebrations in the calendar year as a way of encouraging trainers to re-enter the Poké-hunt.

"It's been incredible watching people explore their neighborhoods and catch wild Pokémon all summer," said Niantic's senior product manager Tatsuo Nomura. "We would like to trick-or-treat in our own special way by giving Trainers the chance to catch more Pokémon and earn extra Candy this Halloween."

Pokémon Go's last major update added significant changes including a new rules for gym training and an updated medal system which encouraged players to catch multiple Pokémon of the same type. Thanks to the Halloween event, trainers looking to increase the chances of seeing more supernatural beasts will have a good chance to do so while out trick-or-treating.