Every Tuesday, Pokémon Go flips on a Spotlight Hour, cranking up spawns for one featured Pokémon. There’s also a rotating 2x bonus — think candy, XP, or Stardust — so it’s a neat little window to jump in, clean up some tasks, and bank rewards.
For January 2026, the calendar gives us four Tuesdays, and each one comes with its own perk.
What time is Spotlight Hour in Pokémon Go?
Spotlight Hour runs from 6 p.m. to 6:59 p.m. local time every Tuesday. It’s a low-commitment way to stack candy for a specific family you want to power up or evolve, and it doubles as an easy stretch to rack up shiny checks.
Shiny odds don’t get a direct boost during Spotlight Hour, according to community research from The Silph Road (study here). But the sheer number of spawns in that hour naturally means more clicks — and more clicks mean more chances at a random shiny.
Pokémon Go Spotlight Hour schedule for January 2026
Here’s the January lineup and their bonuses:
- Jan. 6: Barboach* (x2 catch XP)
- Jan. 13: Mareep* (x2 evolution XP)
- Jan. 20: Hatenna* (x2 transfer candy)
- Jan. 27: Foongus* (x2 catch Stardust)
*Shiny available.
How to make the most of Pokémon Go Spotlight Hours
Because each week brings a different 2x bonus, it’s worth timing your housekeeping. Players often stockpile evolutions or transfers and cash them in when the matching bonus rolls around.
For example, if you’re sitting on a pile of Pidgey (or any common with plenty of candy) for XP or still filling out your Pokédex, wait for the x2 evolution XP hour and pop a Lucky Egg to squeeze out extra gains. If you’ve got duplicate legendaries or old raid catches gathering dust, dump them during the x2 transfer candy hour to claw back a nice chunk of candy. And when it’s a catch Stardust week, every catch hits harder — a Star Piece can stretch that even further.