Pokémon Officially Switches Genre In The Twilight Trails

Published Oct 4, 2026, 10:00 PM EDT

Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot.

Sometimes, if it truly packs a punch, the spooky season can start as early as September, and the ongoing festivities in Pokémon GO are proof that 2026’s spooky season began last month (not to mention that Silent Hill: Townfall was released at the end of September as well). Pokémon isn’t a horror series, of course, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some Pokémon that have decidedly creepy designs or terrifying Pokédex lore.

For example, eerie Pokémon like Hypno, Banette, Cacturne, Bewear, and Gengar wouldn’t be out of place at all in the horror genre proper. Halloween ultimately dominates the whole fall season, whether or not Pokémon is actually willing to go as dark as horror typically does or can, and Pokémon GO’s latest season is honoring an eerie Pokémon this October.

Pokémon GO’s Spooky Season Is Here

Pokémon GO’s Twilight Trails season began on September 8, 2026, at 10 AM local time, and runs until December 1, 2026, at 10 AM local time. Twilight Trails' feature include the following:

• New Pokémon from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Paldea region
• Mega Evolutions for Staraptor, Chandelure, and more
• Dynamax Rhyhorn, Dynamax Sneasel, Dynamax Sizzlipede, Dynamax Uxie, Dynamax Mesprit, and Dynamax Azelf making their way into Max Battles, with Dynamax Uxie, Dynamax Mesprit, and Dynamax Azelf appearing in a Max Battle Day during the season
• Community Day events such as September Community Day Classic (September 12), October Community Day (October 10), and November Community Day (November 21)
• A free, limited-time GO Pass where you can “complete Pass Tasks to earn GO Points to increase your rank and earn rewards,” as well as a Deluxe version of the GO Pass that paywalls “upgraded rewards and faster progression.”
• Season-themed Pokémon Research Breakthrough encounters unlocked by completing Field Research

If you haven’t already been indulging in the rewards and events this season, late is better than never. And with the air finally crisping and the leaves yellowing this fall, October is a phenomenal month to associate a slightly spooky and chilly autumn atmosphere with.

Likewise, Twilight Trails’ upcoming Fall Marathon: Buddy Trek—which runs from October 13, 2026, at 10 AM local time, to October 19, 2026, at 10 AM local time—will mark Bramblin’s Pokémon GO debut. Bramblin is a cute dual-type Grass/Ghost Pokémon that evolves into Brambleghast, and arguably the best Pokémon to add to a fall/Halloween-themed event.

​​​​​​​Say Hello To Bramblin, The Adorable Tumbleweed Pokémon

With Bramblin only having made its first appearance in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, it’ll forever be fascinating to see how easy it is for Nintendo to conceive brand-new Pokémon with exceptional levels of creativity, and that’s demonstrated in each new Pokémon Generation. In particular, Bramblin once again toes a wobbly line between childlike whimsy and legitimate horror. While Pokémon has never particularly tried to embrace horror, creatures that come close makes the pool of Pokémon all the more rich and robust, especially when it comes to a season as spooky as the fall.

Bramblin is certainly one of the more ominously designed Pokémon in recent memory, and the fact that it’s meant to resemble tumbleweed does nothing to alleviate its threatening aura as an orb of curved plant stalks and a pair of dark eyes. That said, you won’t see Bramblin tumbling and being carried by the wind in wild encounters as you trek through a wooded glen on a brisk morning. Hauntingly, its Pokédex entry explains how it’s both a Grass type and Ghost type, and reads as follows:

A soul unable to move on to the afterlife was blown around by the wind until it got tangled up with dried grass and became a Pokémon.

However, the only way you might encounter Bramblin is by completing GO Pass Tasks and event-themed Field Research Tasks or using Incense (but not Daily Adventure Incense, apparently). Unlike Galarian Ponyta, Hoppip, Dweeble, Hisuian Growlithe, Nincada, Electrike, and Helioptile, though, there will not be a Shiny Bramblin to encounter in this season of Pokémon GO.

Systems

Created by Niantic, Pokémon GO is an augmented reality RPG where players can wander around catching Pokémon as they pass by various landmarks in real life. Players can engage in a traditional Pokémon experience via battles with other trainers, catching Pokémon to breed new ones, and even trade them with other trainers they come across.