Zorua’s Hide-and-Sneak Contest turns the familiar hide-and-sneak minigame into a limited-time race for materials in Pokopia. Every prize is tied to how quickly you reach the Pokémon Center’s PC without being spotted, so faster runs unlock more of the reward list.
Quick answer: Complete a run in under 20 seconds and you instantly earn all 14 rewards at once, including the exclusive Hide-and-Sneak Trophy. You can retry as many times as you like until you hit that time.
Event window and time travel rules
The contest is live from Sunday, July 19, 2026 at 5:00 AM local time until Monday, July 27, 2026 at 4:59 AM local time. It runs for exactly one week and ends automatically once that window closes.
After the Ver 1.1.0 update, you can no longer jump ahead with time travel to trigger events early. Skipping forward will not start the contest. Time traveling backward still works, so if you miss the window you can return to these dates later to play, as long as you first unlock the event with an internet connection.
Requirements before you can start
You need at least one rebuilt Pokémon Center in your world before Zorua will appear for the contest. That means progressing far enough to befriend Bulbasaur and finish rebuilding the first Pokémon Center in the Withered Wasteland.
You also need the camouflage ability, which Zorua teaches during the Bleak Beach questline. If you already unlocked it there, you’re ready. If not, Zorua will teach it to you when you meet outside your completed Pokémon Center.
How to win and beat your time
The goal is simple. Sneak to the PC outside the Pokémon Center without being caught by Zorua or the other Pokémon helping it search. Those seekers stay clustered near the PC, and each one shows a speech bubble above its head so you can track where they’re looking.
Camouflage is essential. It transforms you into a nearby object, and while it doesn’t make you invisible, it warns you the moment a seeker notices you through a speech bubble and a heartbeat sound. Stay completely still until that Pokémon turns away and the question mark disappears, then creep forward again. You can even touch the PC while still disguised.
Your starting position is semi-random. You might spawn in front of, beside, or behind the Pokémon Center, and spawning behind it usually means the shortest, easiest route. Turning on the controller rumble setting also helps, since the console vibrates when a seeker spots you even if your camera isn’t pointed at it. If you get caught, you’re moved to another spot for a second attempt as long as time remains.
Picking a Pokémon Center surrounded by cover makes hiding far easier. Locations with hills, buildings, or furniture near the PC give you more places to blend in, while some players force a spawn right on top of the Pokémon Center by walling off the surrounding area with lava.
All Hide-and-Sneak Contest rewards and time thresholds
There are 14 reward tiers in total, though several of them repeat the same item, so the list covers 10 distinct prizes. Each tier requires finishing the run within the listed time, and reaching a faster tier also grants everything above it.
| Finish time | Reward | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2:28 | Lumber | 3 |
| 2:11 | Leppa Berry | 3 |
| 1:56 | Honey | 3 |
| 1:39 | Large Lost Relic | 3 |
| 1:30 | Hide-and-Sneak Trophy | 1 |
| 1:20 | Rainbow Feather | 3 |
| 1:11 | Silver Feather | 3 |
| 1:00 | Star Piece | 1 |
| 0:50 | PokéMetal | 30 |
| 0:41 | Rare PokéMetal | 10 |
| 0:36 | Rare PokéMetal | 10 |
| 0:30 | Rare PokéMetal | 10 |
| 0:26 | Rare PokéMetal | 10 |
| 0:20 | Rare PokéMetal | 10 |
How the rewards stack in a single run
You collect every reward tier you qualify for at the end of a run, not just the one matching your exact time. Finish in under 50 seconds, for example, and you take home Lumber, Leppa Berries, Honey, a Large Lost Relic, the trophy, feathers, a Star Piece, and 30 PokéMetal all together.
That stacking is why a single sub-20-second run clears the whole board. You’ll see the earned items handed over right after you touch the PC, confirming the run counted. Since there’s no limit on attempts, you can keep replaying until you push your best time low enough for the tier you want.
Note: Only the Hide-and-Sneak Trophy is exclusive to this event, and it isn’t registered in your collection. Everything else, from the feathers to Rare PokéMetal, can be found elsewhere in Pokopia, but the contest is a fast way to stockpile those rarer materials while it’s live. The trophy also displays your fastest recorded time when you interact with it.
