The Pokémon GO Spotlight Hour schedule for July 2024 gives Trainers five opportunities to enjoy boosted spawns for specific creatures, including the rare Togedemaru and an adorable Pikachu wearing a Cake Hat. Knowing the weekly schedule gives you a chance to figure out which Pokémon you want to prioritize catching, and which ones you can skip.

Spotlight Hours take place in Pokemon GO every Tuesday from 6 PM to 7 PM local time. During that single hour, a specific Pokémon will spawn far more frequently in the wild, so it's easy to miss out if you forget to in the fun. These mini-events are very popular and offer a great opportunity to stock up on Candy for the featured Pokémon so you can evolve and power them up.

Pokémon GO Spotlight Hour schedule for July 2024

There Are Five Pokémon To Catch This Month

Throughout the month of July, Trainers will be able to enjoy Spotlight Hours featuring Pikachu wearing a Cake Hat, Spheal, Binacle, Diglett, Alolan Diglett, and Togedemaru. Diglett and Alolan Diglett will share a Spotlight Hour, meaning you can encounter both of them on the same day, but the rest of the featured Pokémon will all have their own Spotlight Hour event.

Alongside boosted wild spawns for the featured Pokémon, each Spotlight Hour in Pokémon GO includes a special bonus to enjoy. Even if you're not a fan of the Spotlight Hour star, it's always a good idea to make the most of these bonuses, as they can give you extra Stardust or XP to help you level up! July's full Spotlight Hour schedule and bonuses are listed in the table below.

As you can see from the table above, every Spotlight Hour star in July 2024 can be encountered in their shiny variant, except for Togedemaru. This means it's a great opportunity to go shiny hunting in Pokémon GO, as long as you've got the patience for it.

Which Spotlight Hours Are Best This Month?

Spheal's Final Evolution Is A PvP Champion

In of usability, the best Spotlight Hour star to focus on this month is Spheal, which can be caught on July 9, 2024. This is because its final evolution, Walrein, is a standout in Pokémon GO's Ultra League. You'll need to use an Elite Fast TM to teach it Powder Snow and an Elite Charged TM to teach it Icicle Spear to reach Walrein's full potential, but it's definitely worth it.

If it's the bonuses you're interested in, one of the best Spotlight Hour stars to prepare for is Binacle on July 16, 2024. With a Double Transfer Candy bonus for the entire hour, this is the perfect time to sort through your Pokémon Storage and transfer any you don't need. This will provide double the Candy you'd usually get, making it easier to power up or even evolve your Pokémon.

An auto-catcher like the Pokémon GO Plus+ is a great accessory during Spotlight Hours with catch bonuses, such as Double XP or Double Stardust. This way, you can go for a walk and make the most of the bonuses without even looking at your phone.

Togedemaru is also a great Spotlight Hour star to focus on this month. Not only is it quite an uncommon Pokémon, meaning some Trainers won't have caught one yet, but it comes with a Double Catch Stardust bonus. Stardust is essential for Trainers who want to excel in PvP Battles in the Pokémon GO Battle League, as it's required to learn second attacks and increase a Pokémon's level.

Do Spotlight Hours Have Boosted Shiny Rates?

No, But It's Still A Great Time To Shiny Hunt

A common question Trainers want to know is whether or not Spotlight Hours have boosted shiny rates for the featured Pokémon. Unlike the monthly Community Day events, which dramatically increase your chance of finding a shiny Pokémon, Spotlight Hours do not feature boosted shiny odds. Any Pokémon that is featured will retain its usual shiny rates for the event.

While this might be disappointing to some Trainers, there's still a higher chance of finding a shiny during a Spotlight Hour event simply because there are loads more of the featured Pokémon spawning in the wild. It will require a lot of patience, and it's never guaranteed, but if you go out exploring and tap on as many of the featured Pokémon as possible, you might be able to find one.

The average shiny rate in Pokémon GO is believed to be 1-in-500, although Niantic has never confirmed this. Some creatures have higher odds than this. These are known as "permaboosted" Shiny rates, but they're not very common.

The good news is that it's not really possible to miss a shiny encounter in Pokémon GO, as the game makes it quite clear when you've found one. As well as having a different color scheme, a small animation will appear around the Pokémon when you enter the catch screen, and a shiny symbol will appear next to its name. This is much more convenient than the mainline games like Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, where it's possible to run past a shiny and not even notice it.

How To Prepare For Spotlight Hours In Pokémon GO

Make Sure You've Got Room In Your Storage

Considering that Spotlight Hours last for a single hour, and only take place once per week, it's important to be prepared. The last thing you want to do is spend 30 minutes obtaining Poke Balls or clearing out your Pokémon Storage to make room for your new catches. Here are some tips to make the most of every Spotlight Hour event:

• Set a reminder in your calendar so you can take part in the full Spotlight Hour.
• Clear out your Pokémon Storage to make sure you have plenty of room (ideally space for at least 100 Pokémon).
• Make sure you have a lot of Poke Balls stocked up, especially Ultra Balls to make catching Pokémon easier.
• Save up your Razz Berries to make catching easier and use Pinap Berries to get some extra Candy if you need it.
• If you have an auto-catcher like the Pokémon GO Plus+, make sure it's charged.
• Save your Star Pieces for Double Stardust bonuses and your Lucky Eggs for Double XP bonuses.

With all of these tips, you should be ready for this month's Spotlight Hour schedule. As with any limited-time events, the most important thing you can do is plan ahead for which creatures you want to prioritize catching. Then, you'll be filling out your Pokémon collection and Stardust supplies in Pokémon GO in no time.