Pokémon Go players are convinced Niantic has forgotten what day it is

Valentine’s Day usually kicks off a number of events and exclusive rewards in online games, ranging from pink outfits and heart-themed collectibles to interesting, themed events. If nothing else, it’s a lucrative day to dig into your favorite titles.

Usually, this is the case for Pokémon Go, but much to the dismay of some players online, nothing has been announced for Valentine’s Day 2025. Unless a surprise event drops later in the day, it looks like a fairly standard Friday for the community.

For the past four years, Niantic has announced a Valentine’s Day celebration with interesting spawns, pink Shinies, and fun rewards for players to dig into.

During the Mythical Wishes season, for example, a Global Valentine’s Day Challenge was announced alongside Mega Gardevoir’s debut, the Heart Trim for Furfrou, and a number of fun spawns, notably Shiny Spinda with a heart pattern.

These events and spawns have been announced on roughly Feb. 7—Feb. 8 each time, giving players a week or so to prepare. No such news has been announced this year, though, with the big day finally arriving and no Shiny heart pattern Spindas waltzing around in sight.

While this may seem minor for some players, it’s been disappointing for Shiny collectors and completionists. Many players take themed days like Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to pick up rare catches and variants to add to their collection.

The topic made its way onto Reddit, where players dug into it further and theorized what might have happened. Many joked that Niantic must’ve forgotten to make the event live, with one person simply declaring, “It’s like they’ve pretended Valentine’s Day doesn’t exist this year or something.”

One poster asked if anyone else was disappointed by the lack of opportunities to pick up a Shiny heart pattern Spinda, and a group of other players jumped in to share their thoughts in several threads, pointing out that the lack of Heart Trim Furfrous was a let-down as well.

One person shared that they’d saved a Hundo Furfrou specifically to get this aesthetic, while another disappointed player added that they’d even tracked down a Shiny Furfrou for the occasion.

A fan lamented, “I forgot Heart Trim Furfrou every other year, so not even getting the chance this year is really painful.” Furfrou isn’t an exceptionally popular Pokémon for the most part, but it’s a collector’s dream thanks to the wide variety of aesthetics it can have, especially with event variants.

While a Valentine’s Day event could still theoretically pop up later in the day, it feels improbable. No official announcement about a themed event has gone up on the game’s social media pages or news site, so Spinda and Furfrou fans will likely have to wait for another shot to add these critters to their collection.