Can Bounsweet, Steenee, and Tsareena be shiny in Pokemon GO? 

Thanks to Pokemon GO's Sustainability Week that began April 20, 2023, Bounsweet and its evolutions, Steenee and Tsareena, have arrived in the mobile title. Trainers can currently capture Bounsweet in the wild, hatch it from eggs, and catch it in Timed Research encounters.

While catching and evolving Bounsweet is one thing, Pokemon GO players are likely curious about whether the creature and its evolutions have shiny variants available to catch.

Unfortunately, this isn't the case at the moment. Niantic confirmed as much in their official announcement for Sustainability Week. Creatures that have shiny variants available in the announcement are marked with a shiny symbol, and Bounsweet's evolutionary family did not have this marking.

So, when will Pokemon GO debut shiny Bounsweet/Steenee/Tsareena?

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When can players expect shiny Bounsweet and its evolutions to arrive in Pokemon GO?

Bounsweet and its evolutions aren't marked with the shiny variant confirmation in the Pokemon GO announcement (Image via Niantic)

As many members of the Pokemon GO community are aware, Niantic is particular about when it releases shiny forms in the mobile title. Although some Pocket Monsters receive their shiny variants when they first appear in the game, others are withheld until a later date. This strategy is pretty polarizing among players, but the developer has stuck to it for quite some time now.

When shiny variants are withheld in Pokemon GO, Niantic tends to plan its implementation around certain events or important moments on its content calendar. Since Bounsweet, Steenee, and Tsareena were introduced during Sustainability Week, their shiny variants will likely be added at a later date when the three Pokemon are included in some capacity.

It could be during a Spotlight Hour or Community Day. It might also be a more encompassing event that includes Bounsweet and its evolutions for other thematic reasons, like their elemental type or the generation of games they hail from.

Niantic's decision has a certain kind of logic to it. Since shiny variants are coveted by many fans, placing them in the game during certain events can encourage players to participate even if they wouldn't have considered doing so beforehand.

Additionally, if players are in a hurry and aren't having much luck finding a shiny Pokemon, they may be willing to spend real-world currency to acquire items in the in-game shop. It's somewhat cynical to say, but this tactic assists Niantic financially, which is likely part of the reason why shinies are implemented at later dates from a Pokemon's debut.

Whatever the case, trainers will need to keep an eye on Niantic and the game's official social media channels for major announcements. It may be a while before Bounsweet and its evolutions receive their shiny forms since the creatures were just released for Sustainability Week. However, Niantic may very well have a few surprises in store for the playerbase later on in 2023.