'Pokemon GO' event 2017 update: 3 Billion Pokemon catch progress

Niantic's "Pokemon Go" as seen on a smartphone screen.REUTERS/Sam Mircovich

Catching pocket monsters is about to become more intense, as "Pokemon GO" has tasked its player base to catch three billion Pokemon in just seven days.

Developer Niantic has now given a monumental mission for millions of its players around the world with the "Pokemon GO" event called "Pokemon GO Travel." The said event will also introduce three new unlocks, challenges, and bonuses for the players.

The event, taking place from Nov. 20 until 26, was also hailed as the first-ever "Global Catch Challenge" by the Pokemon franchise. While three billion Pokemon are not mandatory for some rewards, the developers state that more caught Pokemon means more rewards to unlock. Thus, they encourage all the players of "Pokemon GO" to participate.

Niantic has also uploaded an announcement teaser video to YouTube, showing people around the globe asking players for help in catching three billion Pokemon. The event was kicked off initially in Japan, where a select number of players were flown to four different destinations throughout the country.

So far, player progress is logged at 500 million monsters caught in just two days. Still, this is quite far from the ideal rate, as it will have to be 500 million per day in order to meet the quota set by Niantic. It is worth noting that as players catch more Pokemon, Niantic will unlock more region-exclusive Pokemon such as Farfetch'd and Kangaskhan, which were previously only available in the Oceania region.

This event may be the only chance for players to catch region-locked Pokemon, which may not be available in their area, as the rewards dry up and disappear after a period of time. Players are then advised to jump in on the action and start catching Pokemon and reaping the rewards of their labor.

"Pokemon GO" is available for Android and iOS. The event runs until Nov. 26.