The first tier in the Pokemon GO Global Catch Challenge has been unlocked after the total number of Pokemon caught in the game reached 500 million.

Players can now reap all the rewards of the Bronze tier, which includes double XP, six-hour lure modules, and "more Pokemon" that will appear globally. The news was announced through the official Pokemon GO Twitter account, where it was paired with a short video that summarized the achievement.

The Bronze tier is the first of three, followed by the Silver, and then Gold tier. Players can unlock these after completing certain milestones that are part of the Pokemon GO Global Catch Challenge, which began a couple days ago. The next tier will unlock after 1.5 billion Pokemon are caught and rewards players with even more Pokemon appearing globally. Finally, players will reach Gold tier rewards once 3 billion Pokemon have been caught. This will unlock Farfetch'd, who will appear worldwide for 48 hours. Kangaskhan will also be available for 48 hours, but only in East Asia.

There are also major discounts on premium items for a limited time during the Global Catch Challenge event. There are two new item boxes up for grabs in the Pokemon GO store, the Special Box and the Ultra Box. Inside, players will find Lucky Eggs, Raid Passes, and Lure Modules, plus Great or Ultra Balls. The Special Box is offering a 61% discount on items, while the Ultra Box offers 58%. And for those looking to hatch a lot of eggs this event, Super Incubators are also up for sale.

When the Global Catch Challenge launched, players noticed the event was off to a slow start. The number of caught Pokemon seemed to creep by and there wasn't a lot of optimism that the community would reach the highest tier before the event ends on November 26th. Bronze tier is now out of the way, but players will need to catch three times as many Pokemon just to reach Silver. With just five days remaining, it doesn't seem plausible players will reach Gold, unfortunately. Perhaps Niantic will take pity on the community and lower the bar just a bit.

Pokemon GO is available now in select regions on Android and iOS devices.