The Spotlight Hour returns in January 2026 to Pokémon GO. Which monsters will appear?
What is the Spotlight Hour? This event always takes place on Tuesday evenings in Pokémon GO.
- It starts at 6:00 PM.
- A specific Pokémon appears all over the wild.
- On top of that, there’s a special bonus.
- It ends again at 7:00 PM.
The event is always a great opportunity to catch a lot of candies and specimens of Pokémon that you might still be missing.
Which Pokémon will appear in January? The Spotlight Hours are scheduled as follows:
| Date | Spotlight Hour |
| January 6 | Schmerbe* & double catch XP |
| January 13 | Voltilamm* & double evolution XP |
| January 20 | Brimova* & double sent candies |
| January 27 | Tarnpignon* & double stardust bonus |
Below we will show you in detail which dates are worth it and what content you can expect.
Spotlight Hour on January 6, 2026
Which Pokémon will appear? Schmerbe is the Pokémon of the Spotlight Hour.
Which bonus is active? You will receive double XP for every catch.
Is the event worth it? Schmerbe itself is not particularly useful. Its evolution Welsar had some chances in the PvP league, but it has been overtaken by other monsters. The bonus applies to all catches, so you can also receive more XP from raids, for example.
Is there Shiny Schmerbe? Yes, Schmerbe can also be caught shiny in Pokémon GO.
Spotlight Hour on January 13, 2026
Which Pokémon will appear? Voltilamm, the Electric Pokémon, is active.
Which bonus is active? You will receive double the amount of XP for each evolution.
Is the event worth it? Voltilamm, Waaty, and Ampharos are not particularly useful regarding PvP or raids. However, Mega-Ampharos is one of the best Electric attackers. So if you have one, you can collect candies here to upgrade it.
Is there Shiny Voltilamm? Yes, the sheep is also available as shiny in Pokémon GO.
Spotlight Hour on January 20, 2026
Which Pokémon will appear? Brimova is your Pokémon of the day.
Which bonus is active? Every sent Pokémon will earn you additional candies.
Is the event worth it? Brimova, Brimano, and Silembrim are not particularly helpful attackers. Gigantamax-Silembrim, however, offers a good option as a Dynamax monster. If you have that, you can collect candies for it today. You can of course use the bonus to get double candies for Pokémon in your collection.
Is there Shiny Brimova? Yes, you can also catch Brimova shiny.
Spotlight Hour on January 27, 2026
Which Pokémon will appear? Tarnpignon is in the spotlight.
Which bonus is active? You will receive double catch stardust.
Is the event worth it? Neither Tarnpignon nor its evolution Hutsassa are particularly strong attackers. But there is double stardust, and that’s always a good bonus.
Is there Shiny? Yes, Tarnpignon can also be caught shiny.
In addition to the Spotlight Hours, there are plenty of other dates this month that you should take advantage of. These include raid hours, but also various themed events that can bring you new Pokémon or bonuses. Which ones, we show you here: All events in January 2026 in Pokémon GO.
