Zorua Launches 8-Day Hide-and-Sneak Contest in Pokopia With 3-Minute Runs

Q: Is the contest's top prize designed for casual fun or only for elite, speedrunning players?

It is designed for both, but the top prize clearly leans toward high-performance play rather than simple participation. The event itself is accessible to casual players. Anyone who reaches the PC within three minutes earns rewards, and the design is forgiving: players can use camouflage, pick safer routes, rely on rumble warnings, and even get a second chance if spotted. That structure fits Pokémon Pokopia’s broader cozy, low-pressure style. But the best reward tier, including the Hide-and-Sneak Trophy, is tied to speed and performance. The faster the completion, the more tiers players unlock, and reports tied to the event indicate the trophy is awarded for a high score or fastest time. In multiplayer, only the fastest player on a Cloud Island, or the host in a hosted town, gets the trophy, which reinforces that the top prize is not simply a participation reward. So the event is broadly built for casual fun, while its headline prize is meant to give advanced or optimization-minded players something to chase. In practical terms, casual players can still come away with meaningful rewards, but the trophy is structured as a prestige item for players who can post one of the best runs rather than just finish the course.

3 articles · Updated · Eurogamer.net · Jul 19

July 19 opens Zorua’s Hide-and-Sneak Contest in Pokémon Pokopia, running until July 27 at 4:59 a.m. local time and letting players compete solo or with others.
One rebuilt Pokémon Center is required to enter: players must speak to Zorua outside it, then reach the center’s PC within 3 minutes without being spotted.
Zorua is joined by at least 2 other searching Pokémon, mostly near the PC; being seen does not end a run, but sends players to another spot to try again.
A 1:11 clear awarded Lumber, Leppa Berries, Honey, Star Piece, Large Lost Relic, Rainbow Feather, Silver Feather and the Hide-and-Sneak Trophy.
The event also reflects Pokopia’s current ruleset—time travel no longer works, so players must wait for the local start time naturally.