SH · NEWS · STARTS THURSDAY JUNE 18
THU 6-7 PM LOCAL
Spotlight Hour is back — on Thursdays now
After a 4-month hiatus, Spotlight Hour returns Thursday June 18, 2026 at 6:00 PM local. New weekday, new Daily Discoveries bonus rotation (Max Monday Rare Candy XL!), new Choose Your Path Timed Research weeks, and Mega Mewtwo Adventure Effects datamined for GO Fest 2026. Everything you need below.
TL;DR
- Spotlight Hour is back — Thursdays 6-7 PM local, starts June 18. Schedule below.
- Max Monday + Raid Wednesday now drop 1 Rare Candy XL each per in-person battle completed. Best legendary XL grind window the game has ever had.
- Choose Your Path Timed Research fills 4 dead-week gaps with 3-path optional research (Explore / Catch / Battle).
- Mega Mewtwo X & Y debut at Global GO Fest July 11-12 with Dynamic Punch+ and Future Sight+ Adventure Effects.
UPCOMING SPOTLIGHT HOURS · 6-7 PM LOCAL
Thursday return — first Spotlight Hour since Feb 2026 hiatus. Transfer Mewtwo/Zekrom/Shadow Dialga backlog for 2× legendary candy.
Thursday return — 6-7 PM local. Stack with Star Piece for 3× Stardust. Easy catches with Go Plus.
Thursday return — 6-7 PM local. Pidgey + Lucky Egg evolution stack is the all-time best XP hour.
Thursday return — 6-7 PM local. Stack with Lucky Egg + mass-evolve Pidgey/Wurmple for ~4× XP push toward L50.
Thursday return — 6-7 PM local. Eevee evolutions across all 9 types remain meta — bank candy.
Thursday return — 6-7 PM local. Stack with Friendship Friday trade prep.
DAILY DISCOVERIES — WEEKDAY BONUS REFRESH
MAX MONDAY
+1 Rare Candy XL per in-person Max battle (NEW)
- · Power Spots refresh more frequently
- · +1 additional Power Spot active on Mondays vs other days
- · Max battles rotate featured Pokémon weekly
SHOWCASE TUESDAY
Up to 5 PokéStop Showcases per day
- · More PokéStops have active Showcases
RAID WEDNESDAY
+1 Rare Candy XL per in-person raid during Raid Hour (NEW)
- · Standard Raid Hour 6-7 PM local with boosted 5★ spawns
THURSDAY · SPOTLIGHT + GO BATTLE
Spotlight Hour returns 6-7 PM local (NEW)
- · GO Battle Thursdays continues same window
- · Six rotating bonus types: 2× XP / Stardust / Candy / Transfer Candy / Evolve XP
FRIENDSHIP FRIDAY
+2 additional special trades (3 total)
- · 20% less Stardust on trades (was 50% before)
- · Increased Lucky chance from trades
- · 2× XL Candy per trade
SATURDAY
No new bonuses announced — Community Days continue to land Saturdays
- · Frigibax CD on Saturday June 20
- · Most Community Days land Saturday 2-5 PM local
SCENIC SUNDAY
More Pokémon spawn in the wild + on Routes
- · Reduced buddy candy distance while on Routes
- · Incense attracts more Pokémon on Routes
- · Encounter Mateno up to 3× per day on Routes
CHOOSE YOUR PATH · TIMED RESEARCH WEEKS
Wed June 17, 10 AM → Sun June 21
Fossil Fun
First Choose Your Path week. Fossil-themed encounters (Omanyte, Kabuto, Lileep, etc.) likely. 3-path Timed Research (Explore/Catch/Battle).
Mon June 30 → Thu July 3
Charged Embers
Fire-themed gap-filler between Frigibax CD (June 20) and Global GO Fest (July 11-12). Likely Fire-type spawns + raid boost.
Mon July 28 → Mon Aug 3
Fairy Tales
Fairy-themed week after Global GO Fest. Watch for Galarian Mr. Mime, Hatenna line, Mimikyu, etc.
Mon Aug 11 → Mon Aug 17
Venom and Vines
Grass / Poison crossover. Bulbasaur line, Roselia, Foongus likely. Aligns with the Season "Forever Forward" mid-season pulse.
Each week gives you a choice between three Timed Research paths: Exploring, Catching, or Battling. Pick the path that matches the resources you want — walking buddy rewards, catch-encounter rewards, or raid/PvP rewards.
DATAMINE
Mega Mewtwo X & Y get Adventure Effects at GO Fest 2026
Datamine confirms Mega Mewtwo X gets Dynamic Punch+ and Mega Mewtwo Y gets Future Sight+ — "plus" charged attacks similar to Apex Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire++. Adventure Effects on these moves are still TBC, but rumored to include Super Mega Raid utility (shield breaking, Mega Energy bonus). Debuts July 11-12 at Global GO Fest.
RELATED · BUILD YOUR WEEK
ARCHIVE
Spotlight Hour archive →
Every weekly Spotlight Hour since September 2020. 280+ events.
GO FEST 2026
Mega Mewtwo Adventure Effects →
Dynamic Punch+ and Future Sight+ from the 4.13.0 / 4.15.0 datamine.
JULY 11-12
Global GO Fest 2026 →
Where Mega Mewtwo X + Y debut. Raid roster + region locks.
JUNE 20
Frigibax Community Day →
Saturday between Fossil Fun and the first Friendship Friday under the new bonuses.
LIVE NOW
Candela event →
Reshiram → Zekrom 5★ rotation runs through June 15 — just before the new Daily Discoveries kick in.
ALL
Live events →
Calendar of everything live this week.
FAQ
When does Spotlight Hour return to Pokémon GO?
Thursday June 18, 2026 at 6:00 PM local time. The first featured species is Swinub with 2× Transfer Candy. Spotlight Hour was on Tuesdays from September 2020 through February 2026, then went on hiatus. It returns on a new weekday (Thursday) aligned with GO Battle Thursdays.
What is the Spotlight Hour schedule for July 2026?
July 2 — Pidgey (2× Evolve XP). July 16 — Zubat (2× Catch XP). July 23 — Eevee (2× Catch Candy). July 30 — Bidoof (2× Transfer Candy). Note: July 9 is skipped because Global GO Fest Global runs July 11-12 with its own daily research and bonuses.
What are Daily Discoveries in Pokémon GO?
Daily Discoveries are the weekday bonus rotation introduced June 15, 2026. Each weekday gets a themed bonus block: Max Monday, Showcase Tuesday, Raid Wednesday, Spotlight Thursday + GO Battle Thursdays, Friendship Friday, Scenic Sunday. They run 12:00 AM → 11:59 PM local except where noted (Spotlight Hour 6-7 PM, Raid Hour 6-7 PM).
What is Choose Your Path Timed Research?
Themed research weeks filling the gaps between major events. Each gives you a choice between three paths: Exploring (rewards from walking/buddy), Catching (rewards from catches), or Battling (rewards from raid/PvP). Four such weeks are scheduled for the Forever Forward season: Fossil Fun (June 17-21), Charged Embers (June 30 - July 3), Fairy Tales (July 28 - Aug 3), Venom and Vines (Aug 11-17).
What changed for Max Monday and Wednesday Raid Hour?
You now get 1 Rare Candy XL per in-person Max battle completed on Mondays, AND 1 Rare Candy XL per in-person raid completed during Wednesday Raid Hour. This is the easiest legendary Candy XL the game has ever offered — at 296 XL needed to max a legendary, a few weeks of Mondays + Wednesdays adds up quickly.
Why did Spotlight Hour move from Tuesday to Thursday?
Niantic didn't publish a stated reason, but the alignment with GO Battle Thursdays (already running 6-7 PM local) suggests they wanted to consolidate the weekday Activity windows. Player feedback during the February-June hiatus was vocal — Spotlight Hours were one of the most missed weekly rituals, so the format returned with a refreshed schedule.
Is Spotlight Hour permanent now or just for the Forever Forward season?
The blog post says "this season" — Forever Forward (June through September 2026). The schedule is confirmed through July 30. Beyond that, format continuation depends on player engagement metrics. Treat the announced 6 weeks (June 18 → July 30) as the current commitment.