Pokémon Fans, Mark Your Calendars For November 30

Published Nov 2, 2026, 9:30 AM EST Austin King is the Senior Editor of Gaming at ScreenRant and has been with the site since 2020 with a focus on RPGs and tabletop games. He previously managed content for Geek to Geek Media, and has served as a writer for sites like Nintendad, Geek Fitness, and more. In addition to his work at ScreenRant, he also hosts the Dragon Quest FM podcast and is the author of several books, including co-writing Nimbus (a #1 bestseller in 2013). His latest is the nonfiction The Dragon Quest Book, available now. He's written about pop culture, video games, and genre studies over the course of his career. You can find him on BlueSky, X, and at Dragonquestaustin.com Pokémon has had a big 2026 thanks to its 30th anniversary. The festivities have seen the release of a 30th Celebration set for the Pokémon TCG, FireRed and LeafGreen coming to Switch and Switch 2, and a nearly endless number of merchandise collabs. From Adidas sneakers and Santa Cruz skateboard decks to McDonald's Happy Meals and a Stern pinball machine, there have been a lot of products to enjoy this year. Now, however, it looks like Pokémon has at least one final and major announcement in store. The news comes thanks to the official X account for Pokémon in Japan, which seems to be mysteriously counting down to something. Serebii's Joe Merrick, via BlueSky, posted about the mysterious countdown last week: "They just tweeted this with 843. On October 18th they posted this with 1025. There was precisely 182 hours between the tweets. 1025-182 = 843." "Assuming an hourly countdown," Merrick continued, "this ends November 30th at 14:00 UTC." You can see the full post from BlueSky below: Ok Pokémon in Japan are counting down to something They just tweeted this with 843. On October 18th they posted this with 1025 There was precisely 182 hours between the tweets. 1025-182 = 843 Assuming an hourly countdown, this ends November 30th at 14:00 UTC — Joe Merrick (@joemerrick.bsky.social) 2026-10-26T11:03:20.511Z Shortly after this post, the Japanese Pokémon account once again posted, this time with an image of Teddiursa with the 30th anniversary logo, along with the numbers 676. Once again, the math comes out to something being revealed on November 30, 2026. Fans have translated the words beneath the images, which comes out to "Continue with Pokémon." Understandably, this mystery only continues to grow, and it's an admittedly strange piece of marketing. The posts mostly went unnoticed for a while. After all, the numbers under the Pokémon in the original posts weren't their corresponding Pokédex numbers, and combined with the 30th anniversary logo, it just seemed like the usual, random social media marketing to remind folks that, yes, this beloved franchise has turned the big 3-0 this year. Now, the real guessing game begins. A new trailer or reveal for Pokémon Winds and Waves would make the most sense. The leaked release window for Pokémon Winds and Waves is November 2027, so this would be exactly a year before those games come out. Since the starters and a short trailer were unveiled in February, The Pokémon Company and GameFreak have been silent on the Gen 10 games, and many insiders said no new information would be given until February of next year. Of course, this could also just be a publicity stunt with very little payoff. It wouldn't be the first time a Nintendo property has created hype online, only to reveal something underwhelming. Even Pokémon might just be counting down to a new music collaboration, card collection, or merchandise release that has nothing to do with Gen 10 and everything to do with milking the 30th anniversary for all it's worth. We also have to consider that it's just the Japanese account that's counting down right now. If it were a trailer or reveal for Winds and Waves, it seems likely the English social media accounts would be involved as well. Pokémon has global popularity, and many releases launch worldwide, even if they appear in Japan first, so the odds are good at least that, no matter what is shown off, English-speaking fans will have a chance to get it too. For now, we'll all just have to wait and see. Pokémon, at least in Japan, is certainly counting down to something. If the suspense is killling you, you thankfully don't have to wait too long. November 30 is just a few weeks away. TV Show(s) Pokémon Video Game(s) Pokemon Red and Blue, Pokemon Yellow, Pokemon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Crystal, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokemon Sapphire, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Pokemon Platinum, Pokemon Black and White, Pokemon Black and White 2, Pokemon X and Y, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon Winds and Waves, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Pokemon Legends Z-A First Film Pokemon: The First Movie First TV Show Pokémon First Game Pokemon Red and Blue Genres RPG Pokémon is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori, launched by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures in 1996. Centered on fictional creatures called Pokémon, the series spans video games, trading cards, animation, films, merchandise, and competitive events. Players assume the role of Trainers who capture, battle, and trade Pokémon. It is one of the highest-grossing entertainment franchises in history.