Explaining December’s Pokémon Go Spotlight Hour events

​Pokémon Go took the world by storm when it came out all the way back in 2016. While the game has gone through many changes since then, the developer still continues to release regular events that reward consistent players. Spotlight Hour is on the same boat, since it lets players get their hands on their favorite Pokémon, with December’s schedule already revealed.

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What are Spotlight Hour events in Pokémon Go?

The Spotlight Hour event in Pokémon Go is a weekly event that makes it easier to catch a specific Pokémon for its duration. As the name suggests, the Spotlight Hour event only lasts for an hour. The good news is that the day and time are the same every week, since it always kicks off at 6 PM on Tuesdays and lasts for an hour, concluding at 7 PM. The event starts at the player’s local time, so there’s no need to do any time-related calculations.

Some may think that this isn’t too impressive, since it only puts one Pokémon in the spotlight. What if some players don’t like that Pokémon or already have it completely evolved and at a high level? Fortunately, the event also comes with frequent bonuses in addition to increasing the spawn rates of one specific Pokémon.

These bonuses aren’t as useful as utilizingLootBar’s services, especially since they only last for an hour, but knowing what they are is good for those wanting to take advantage of the event. Some of the most frequent bonuses that are given during Spotlight Hours are:

• 2x Catch Candy

• 2x Evolve XP

• 2x Catch Stardust

It’s also important to note that these bonuses don’t just apply to the spotlight Pokémon. Instead, they apply to every Pokémon caught and battled, basically making it the best time for players to walk around and start farming candy, stardust, and XP. While this event doesn’t increase the base chances of acquiring shiny Pokémon, the higher spawn rate could mean that players are more likely to encounter a shiny during the event.

All of December’s Pokémon Go Spotlight Hour events

The official Pokémon Go account has already revealed the Spotlight Hour events for 2025. These range from fan favorites like Spheal to some surprise picks, such as Delibird. 

The table below highlights every Spotlight Hour’s date, featured Pokémon, and bonus for the month of December.

Of course, all five featured Pokémon also have a chance of spawning in their shiny variant. Because of this, it’s a good idea to ensure you’re online and ready to catch some Pokémon around the time the event rolls around so that you don’t miss out on the chance to farm candies and potential shinies.

Naturally, January will hold a completely new slew of featured Pokémon in these Spotlight Hour events. It’s a good idea to ensure you keep an eye out for any further news so that you know which Pokémon to expect next month, and whether they’ll be worth the effort of staying online in Pokémon Go for an entire hour.

What’s the best way to prepare for the Pokémon Go Spotlight Hour event?

While the event itself is fairly straightforward, there are a handful of tips that can potentially help you make the most of the short duration.

• Try to be on your mobile just before the event starts so that you can start battling and catching Pokémon straight away

• Use items like Lucky Eggs and Star Pieces to increase your XP or Stardust gain, helping you make even more from this event

• If possible, consider using an Insense or Lure Model to further increase spawn rates, both for the spotlight Pokémon and others

• Have a Mega Pokémon of the featured Pokémon, if possible, so you can maximize the number of candies you get

Ultimately, the goal during this event is to battle and catch as many Pokémon as you can. By ensuring that you don’t ignore anyone, you’ll be able to acquire more candies thanks to the featured Pokémon, increase your chances of getting a shiny thanks to the sheer number of Wild Pokémon you’ll go through, and also benefit from the event’s general bonus. It’s basically a rapid-fire event, where instead of answering questions, you’re just going through as many Wild Pokémon as you can.

Conclusion

This was everything to know about the Spotlight Hour event in Pokémon Go. While December’s offerings are a little controversial, there’s a good chance that January will hold some awesome featured Pokémon, primarily thanks to the new year. Because of this, it may be a good idea to buy a Pokémon Go top up or two to prepare for next month’s events, as you grind during this month.