Niantic has a lot in store for "Pokémon GO" for its 10th anniversary celebration, and one of them centers on the company bringing back its Spotlight Hour feature that has been a fan favorite.
This summer, "Pokémon GO" trainers have a lot to look forward to with the many activities and experiences planned by the developers, including the return of Spotlight Hour during the Forever Forward season.
'Pokémon GO' Brings Back Spotlight Hour Activities
According to Niantic, Spotlight Hour will return from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time as part of the updated GO Battle Thursdays and Spotlight Hour Daily Discovery. The event runs once per week on Thursdays and always comes with a double reward bonus tied to a specific in-game action, whether that is catching Pokémon, transferring them, or earning XP for evolutions.
Each featured Pokémon during Spotlight Hour also has a chance to appear as a Shiny encounter, giving collectors a dedicated window to hunt rare variants.
The format is a staple of the "Pokémon GO" seasonal calendar and gives both casual and competitive trainers a reliable weekly reason to log in and get some quick progress done.
Here Are All Spotlight Hour Activities Coming
Niantic has laid out the full Spotlight Hour schedule for the coming weeks. The new activities are as follows:
- June 18 - Swinub: 2x Candy for transferring Pokémon
- June 25 - Wingull: 2x Stardust for catching Pokémon
- July 2 - Pidgey: 2x XP for evolving Pokémon
- July 16 - Zubat: 2x XP for catching Pokémon
- July 23 - Eevee: 2x Candy for catching Pokémon.
- July 30 - Bidoof: 2x Candy for transferring Pokémon.
To reiterate, all six featured Pokémon have a chance to appear as Shiny encounters during their respective Spotlight Hours, as per Niantic.
'Pokémon GO' Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Alongside the return of Spotlight Hour, Niantic has a much bigger milestone event on the horizon. "Pokémon GO's" 10th Anniversary Party runs from Saturday, July 4, at 10:00 a.m. to Monday, July 6, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. local time.
The event brings 4x XP and 4x Stardust for catching Pokémon, increased Shiny rates for event-themed wild encounters, and the debut of Gimmighoul holding a 10th anniversary coin as a new costumed Pokémon appearing from Golden Lure Modules or Coin Bags.
Featured attacks are also part of the anniversary celebration, and evolving Ivysaur during the event gives players a Venusaur that knows Frenzy Plant. Evolving Charmeleon yields a Charizard that knows Blast Burn, and evolving Wartortle rewards a Blastoise with Hydro Cannon.
A paid Timed Research ticket is also available for $1.99, offering bonus rewards, including a Super Incubator, a Premium Battle Pass, and an encounter with the anniversary-coin Gimmighoul.
