Pokemon GO Spotlight Hour Schedule (January 2026)

Spotlight Hours are weekly events in Pokemon GO that feature a specific Pokemon for players to catch and earn some special bonuses while they are at it. Every Tuesday, you’ll be able to catch featured Pokemon as much as you can, hunt down some good IVs, shinies, and stack up on plenty of candies.

January 2026 brings a lot of cool Pokemon for trainers, featuring some of the best ice-type and holiday-themed ones. Let’s go through the spotlight hours happening this month in Pokemon GO and tips to maximize the most out of them.

January 2026 Spotlight Hour Schedule

January 2026 has a total of four Spotlight Hours, which will feature unique Pokemon and bonuses. Here’s the complete schedule:

Spotlight Pokemon	Date	Time	Spotlight Bonus
Mareep*	January 13	6 PM to 7 PM local time	2x Evolution XP
Hatenna*	January 20	6 PM to 7 PM local time	2x Transfer Candy
Foongus*	January 27	6 PM to 7 PM local time	2x Catch Stardust

Note: The * sign indicates that the shiny version of a Pokemon can be encountered.

Next Pokemon GO Spotlight Hour: Mareep

The next Pokemon GO spotlight hour will feature the Electric-type Pokemon Mareep. It will be held on January 13, 2026, from 6 PM to 7 PM local time.

During the Spotlight Hour, the spawn rate for Mareep will be highly increased. Mareep will spawn near Poke Stops, Gyms, Routes, and in the wild. You can even use an Incense or a Lure Module at a Poke Stop to further increase the spawn rate. To top it off, you’ll get twice the XP for evolving Pokemon during the Spotlight Hour. Make sure to use a Lucky Egg to maximize the XP gains.

Mareep Shiny Rate in Spotlight Hour

While Spotlight Hours boosts the spawn rate of a Pokemon, it doesn’t increase its shiny rate. The shiny rate for Mareep is the standard base rate of 1 in 641. However, due to the increased spawn rate during the Spotlight Hour, you’ll have more chances to find a shiny one.

Getting a shiny is very random and depends on your luck. We recommend clicking on every Mareep you see, so that the encounter is marked on the Pokedex. That way, you won’t miss out on any Mareep, as each one can be a shiny.

Should you catch Mareep in Pokemon GO?

While Mareep itself is not a great Pokemon to use in the game, Ampharos is a very strong Electric-type attacker, especially when Mega Evolved. It can be a decent option for Ultra League and Great League PvP Trainer Battles. And sometimes be a very useful option for certain special themed PvP leagues.

Mega Ampharos is an Electric/Dragon-type Pokemon. While it is on the weaker side of Dragon attackers, you can definitely use it as an Electric attacker in Pokemon GO Raids, Team GO Rocket battles, and PvP Trainer battles. You can even try hunting for the shiny of this Pokemon as a valuable collectible for your party.

How to Prepare for Pokemon GO Spotlight Hour: Best Tips Explained

Preparing for a Pokemon GO Spotlight Hour is quite similar to preparing for any Community Day or a one-day event. To get ready for them, there are several things you should do:

• Check your item storage: Make sure that you have enough Poke Balls to catch plenty of Pokemon during the event. Regular Poke Balls work fine, but Great and Ultra Balls make catching Pokemon much easier.
• Clear out your Pokemon storage: You’ll be catching lots of Pokemon during the hour, so having enough space is essential. Consider transferring the rare ones you don’t need before the event starts. If there is a 2x Transfer Candy bonus, then you can prepare your Pokemon storage 5 minutes in advance and transfer them all right when the clock hits 6 PM. This way, you can make use of the bonus and save a lot of time.
• Save items related to bonuses: If you want to maximise the spotlight hour bonuses, then save up your Star Pieces for Stardust bonuses or Lucky Eggs for XP bonuses. To get a lot of candies during the Candy bonuses, stock up on normal Pinap and Silver Pinap Berries. Normal Razz Berries and Golden can help with difficult catches.
• Boost Spawns: Make sure to use an Incense or Lure Module on a Pokestop to attract even more Pokemon. These items work normally during the Spotlight Hour, but spawn extra of the featured Pokemon. Use Pokecoins to purchase them if you lack any.
• Complete catch-related tasks and medals: Certain field research or special research tasks require you to catch a lot of Pokemon, especially a particular type. Spotlight Hours are a great help in completing them. You can even complete your medals due to increased spawns.
• Use Mega Pokemon bonuses: While a Pokemon is Mega-Evolved, you can get additional XP and Candy when catching a Pokemon that shares a type with it, or for any raid boss caught. Similarly, high and max-level mega-evolved Pokemon also increase the chance to obtain Candy XL.

Whether you’re trying to build up resources, hunt shinies, or expand your roster, Pokemon GO Spotlight Hours provides a decent opportunity to do so. Make sure that you bookmark our article, so that you don’t miss out on January 2026 Spotlight Hours.