Comprehensive Guide to Pokémon GO Spotlight Hour

Repeated events in Pokémon GO might seem repititious to some, but for savvy trainers, recurring events like Community Days, Spotlight Hours, and even Raid Hours are golden opportunities to maximize rewards and fill out their Pokédex.

Take Spotlight Hours, for example: this weekly event offers a unique chance to catch a featured Pokémon in abundance, often with increased shiny odds, while also earning valuable bonuses like double XP or Stardust.

Scroll down to find everything about Spotlight Hour, including upcoming dates, featured Pokemon in the next event, and also essential tips to prepare and maximize your chances of catching rare and shiny variants.

Part 1: What is Pokemon Go Spotlight Hour?

Pokemon GO Spotlight Hour is a weekly one-hour event designed to put a particular Pokemon species in the spotlight, much like the popular Community Day events. So, you will find the appearance of a single species in the wild more often for a single hour.

Of course, this provides you with an opportunity to catch numerous specimens of the featured Pokemon, including potentially rare shiny variants. But the benefits extend beyond mere quantity. Given each Spotlight Hour also comes with a unique bonus, like double catch XP, double Catch Candy, or double Stardust, it becomes a prime time to level up your Trainer, evolve Pokemon, and gather valuable resources.

For example, during a Spotlight Hour featuring Hoppip, you’ll not only encounter a swarm of these Grass/Flying-types, but you might also earn double the usual XP for each catch, helping you level up faster. Similarly, a Spotlight Hour with double Catch Candy can be a boon if you’re trying to evolve a particular Pokemon, as you can candies more quickly.

Part 2: The latest Pokemon Go Spotlight Hour date and time

Spotlight Hours occur every Tuesday evening from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM local time, giving you a consistent weekly opportunity to bolster your Pokemon collection. Here’s the schedule for upcoming Spotlight Hours:

May Spotlight Hours

Date	Time (Your Local Time)	Featured Pokemon	Bonus	Shiny Available?
May 7th, 2024	6:00 PM – 7:00 PM	Hitmonchan & Hitmonle	2x Transfer Candy	Yes
May 14th, 2024	6:00 PM – 7:00 PM	Abra	2x Evolution XP	Yes
May 21st, 2024	6:00 PM – 7:00 PM	Elgyem	2x Catch Stardust	Yes
May 28th, 2024	6:00 PM – 7:00 PM	Mareanie	2x Catch XP	Yes

Each Pokemon GO Spotlight Hour will bring a new and exciting Pokemon to the forefront, along with some unique bonus. Niantic announces the upcoming week’s featured Pokemon and bonus through in-app notifications, social media posts, and official blog updates a few days before the event (on Sunday evenings generally) for you to prepare.

There’s no strict rule for which Pokemon or bonus will be featured each week, but it’s not hard to see the pattern adopted by Niantic. For instance, Niantic chooses a Pokemon that recently received a new evolution or form, or they often select a Pokemon that aligns with a particular theme or event.

The bonuses, however, can vary widely, ranging from double Catch XP to double Catch Stardust or even double Evolution XP.

As mentioned, the most enticing aspect of Spotlight Hour is the dramatically increased spawn rates of the featured Pokemon. For instance, during the designated hour: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM on Tuesday, you will find Pokemon popping up everywhere — 4 to 5 times more frequently than usual.

The boost in spawn rate also increases your chances of encountering a shiny variant of the featured Pokemon. While this does mean that the odds of encountering are slightly increased, it is still good to use Incense and Lures to get more opportunities to catch them.

Part 3: How to Prepare for Spotlight Hours

Yes, the Spotlight Hour are recurring events featured every week. But you only have one hour per week to catch the featured Pokemon variant, and you will have to make the most of it. So, here are some tips to catch, evolve, and power up your favorite Pokemon during this weekly event:

• Research the featured Pokemon: find the strength, weaknesses, and ideal moveset. This will help you select the right Pokemon to battle with in raids or prioritize those with high IVs for evolving.
• Stock up on Poke Balls and berries. Remember, having Pinap Berries allows you to earn double Candy for each catch — making it useful if the Spotlight Hour isn’t related to candy.

• Transfer or release unwanted Pokemon to make space for new catches — given, you will encounter several of the features of the Pokemon variant.
• Activate Lures and Incense to attract even more Pokemon to your location.

While these preparations set the stage for a successful Spotlight Hour, there’s one more trick up your sleeve that can significantly amplify your chances of encountering rare and shiny Pokemon. If your local area isn’t teeming with the featured Pokemon, or if you simply want to maximize your catch rate, consider taking a virtual journey to a Pokemon-rich location using a location spoofing software. In the next section, I’ll introduce you to one of the best tools for location spoofing: iWhere.

Bonus: How to Enhance Your Chances of Catching Rare Pokemons During Pokemon Go Spotlight Hours

The smartest way to enhance your chances of catching rare Pokemon in Pokemon Go is by spoofing your location.

iWhere iPhone Location Changer is a location spoofing software specifically designed for Pokemon GO trainers. Unlike regular location faking apps, iWhere boasts features that cab help you with every part of your Pokemon GO journey, including during Spotlight Hours.

With this tool, you can teleport anywhere using the Modify Location feature with a single click, instantly transporting yourself to regions with higher spawn rates of the featured Pokemon. Upon arrival, switch to Joystick Mode for precise control, allowing you to quickly catch multiple Pokemon, including the coveted shiny variants.

Also, iWhere offers other movement modes that come in handy at different phases in Pokemon Go. One-Stop Mode helps you hatch eggs efficiently by simulating a continuous walk between two points. Multi-Stop Mode allows you to plan a route with multiple stops in different cities, hitting gyms, PokeStops. You can’t go wrong with iWhere iPhone Location Changer at your fingertips.

Key Features of iWhere:

•  Multiple modes: Compatible with multiple usage scenarios, whether in dating apps or location-based software, you can change your location with 1 click.
• Joystick Mode: Control your avatar’s movement with precision using your keyboard’s WASD keys.
• GPX Import/Export: Share and import routes to maximize efficiency and collaborate with other trainers.
• Historical Records: Revisit your most successful hunting routes for consistent results.
• Customizable Speed: Simulate walking, jogging, or driving speeds within 1 m/s to 50 m/s to adapt to different in-game needs.

How to use iWhere iPhone Location Changer

Step 1: Firstly,  run the iWhere iPhone Location Changer and click “Start”  and connect your iPhone to begin the process.

Step 2: You need to select a mode to fake your location. Since you’re playing AR game, we recommend using  “Joystick Mode”.

Step 3: Select the Joystick icon from the “Map” interface at the top-right corner. Then, select a mode you’d like to use to navigate the map.

• If you’re looking to use your computer “Keyboard”, select “Free Mode”. However,  if you prefer to use the “Cursor”, choose “Mouse Mode”.

Step 4: After that, click on “Start Move” to start faking your location on Pokemon Go.

FAQs

How often do spotlight hours happen in Pokemon Go?

Spotlight Hours occur every Tuesday from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM local time.

What are the odds of getting a shiny in Spotlight Hour?

Spotlight Hours do not increase the base shiny rate of a Pokémon — which is usually 1 in 500. However, the significantly increased spawn rate means you will have more chances to encounter a shiny during the event.

Conclusion

Given the increased spawn rates, exciting bonuses, and the potential for shiny encounters, it is difficult not to participate in the Spotlight Hours. Now that you know the schedule for the upcoming Spotlight Hours, ensure to prepare in advance and get ready to catch the featured Pokemon. Of course, you can use iWhere to teleport to regions with even higher spawn rates (be it Spotlight Hours or not).