Download Mew and more Pokémon legendaries starting next week

Pokémon's 20th anniversary is a major milestone for the franchise, and one of the ways The Pokémon Company is celebrating is with a year of mythical monster giveaways. Starting next Monday, Feb. 1, players can download one rare creature a month for any of their Nintendo 3DS Pokémon games.

Mew is kicking off 2016's distribution calendar. GameStop will offer up the legendary in-stores from Feb. 1 until Feb. 24. It will be available to download for Pokémon Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire, X and Y, and will come already leveled all the way to 100. Codes for the special creature — the first downloadable mythical Pokémon introduced to the series, back in Pokémon Red, Blue and Green — will be valid until May 31.

The rest of the special Pokémon you can either grab from GameStop or through the Nintendo Network this year are as follows:

• Celebi: March 1 - 24 (Nintendo Network)
• Jirachi: April 1 - 24 (Nintendo Network)
• Darkrai: May 1 - 24 (GameStop)
• Manaphy: June 1 - 24 (Nintendo Network)
• Shaymin: July 1 - 24 (Nintendo Network)
• Arceus: August 1 - 24 (GameStop)
• Victini: September 1 - 24 (Nintendo Network)
• Keldeo: October 1 - 24 (Nintendo Network)
• Genesect: November 1 - 24 (GameStop)
• Meloetta: December 1 - 24 (Nintendo Network)

Today, The Pokémon Company unveiled the extended 60-second cut of the Pokémon Super Bowl commercial as its latest effort in celebrating the 20-year-old franchise. Feb. 27 will see the release of the original Pokémon Game Boy games on the 3DS Virtual Console, as well as a special bundle including a New Nintendo 3DS and swappable Pokémon-themed faceplates.