Spotlight Hour in Pokémon Go is a short, predictable window every Tuesday where one featured Pokémon floods the map and a specific bonus is doubled for all catches or transfers. December 2025 leans into fossils, fighting types, and holiday theming, with multiple chances to farm candy, XP, and Stardust in a very compressed time.
When Pokémon Go Spotlight Hour happens
Spotlight Hour runs once a week on a fixed schedule:
- Day: Every Tuesday
- Time: 6:00 p.m. to 6:59 p.m. local time
During this hour, the featured species spawns far more frequently in the wild, and a single global bonus — such as double catch XP or double transfer candy — applies to all relevant actions, not just interactions with the headliner.
Shiny odds for the featured Pokémon stay at the usual base rate. The advantage comes from volume: more encounters in a compressed time naturally mean more chances to tap into a random shiny.
Pokémon Go December 2025 Spotlight Hour schedule
December 2025 includes five Spotlight Hours. Each uses the usual one-hour Tuesday slot with a different Pokémon and double bonus.
| Date (2025) | Time (local) | Featured Pokémon | Event bonus | Shiny available? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2 | 6:00–6:59 p.m. | Cranidos | 2× transfer Candy | Yes |
| December 9 | 6:00–6:59 p.m. | Shieldon | 2× catch XP | Yes |
| December 16 | 6:00–6:59 p.m. | Mienfoo | 2× catch Candy | Yes |
| December 23 | 6:00–6:59 p.m. | Spheal | 2× evolution XP | Yes |
| December 30 | 6:00–6:59 p.m. | Delibird | 2× catch Stardust | Yes |
Every entry in December’s lineup has its shiny form enabled, so you can shiny hunt while also leaning into the week’s resource bonus.
How each December Spotlight Hour works
December 2 – Cranidos with 2× transfer Candy
Cranidos kicks off the month with a transfer-focused bonus:
- Featured Pokémon: Cranidos (Rock type, shiny possible)
- Bonus: 2× Candy for transferring any Pokémon
Because the bonus applies to every transfer, the hour is designed for storage management. Clearing backlogged Legendaries, raid bosses, or rare species you no longer need will return double the usual candy while the clock is running.
Cranidos itself is a strong Rock-type attacker when evolved into Rampardos, and it can be shiny, so it is also worth catching if you are still building a raid team or hunting for high IVs.
December 9 – Shieldon with 2× catch XP
The second Tuesday shifts the focus to experience gains:
- Featured Pokémon: Shieldon (Rock/Steel type, shiny possible)
- Bonus: 2× XP for catching Pokémon
Every successful catch during the hour earns double XP, whether or not it is a Shieldon. Stacking this with a Lucky Egg turns each catch into a substantial boost, which is especially valuable if you are still climbing towards higher trainer levels.
Because Shieldon is part of a fossil line with limited wild availability outside events, this is also a practical time to chase Bastiodon candy and hunt for good PvP IVs.
December 16 – Mienfoo with 2× catch Candy
Mid-month, the schedule highlights a Fighting-type:
- Featured Pokémon: Mienfoo (Fighting type, shiny possible)
- Bonus: 2× Candy for catching Pokémon
Every catch during the hour gives double base candy, including catches from the wild, Incense, and Lures. This affects all species, not just Mienfoo, so you can target anything you need candy for while you play.
Mienfoo candy feeds into Mienshao, making this window useful if you have been short on candy from research or sparse wild spawns.
December 23 – Spheal with 2× evolution XP
The pre-holiday Spotlight Hour is tuned for evolution grinding:
- Featured Pokémon: Spheal (Ice/Water type, shiny possible)
- Bonus: 2× XP for evolving Pokémon
Any evolution performed during the hour grants double XP, regardless of species. With a Lucky Egg running, each evolution yields four times the usual experience, making this one of the most efficient times to burn through stored low-cost evolutions.
Spheal itself evolves into Walrein, which has had competitive relevance in PvP, so catching a few high-IV candidates while you evolve other species is a reasonable side goal.
December 30 – Delibird with 2× catch Stardust
The final Spotlight Hour of the year leans into both holiday flavor and Stardust farming:
- Featured Pokémon: Delibird (Ice/Flying type, shiny possible)
- Bonus: 2× Stardust for catching Pokémon
Every catch, of any species, awards double Stardust. With a Star Piece active, the value of each catch increases further, turning this single hour into one of the most efficient Stardust grinds in the month.
Delibird’s limited seasonal availability also makes this a rare chance to stock up on candy and chase its shiny variant, which is often associated with winter events.
How Spotlight Hour bonuses actually apply
Each week’s bonus applies globally, not only to the featured Pokémon. That means:
- 2× transfer Candy: Any Pokémon transferred to the Professor yields double candy during that hour.
- 2× catch XP: All catches earn double XP, including curveball and first-throw bonuses.
- 2× catch Candy: Every caught Pokémon returns double candy, before any Pinap multipliers.
- 2× evolution XP: Every evolution, of any species, gives double XP.
- 2× catch Stardust: All catches give double Stardust, including weather-boosted values.
These bonuses do not raise shiny odds. They also do not stack multiplicatively with separate event-wide modifiers targeting the same resource unless that interaction is specifically announced. In practice, the safest assumption is that only the highest relevant modifier applies when there is overlap.
Planning around December’s other events
December is typically dense for Pokémon Go, and 2025 follows that pattern with December Community Day on December 6–7 and seasonal events like Journey to Paldea running alongside Spotlight Hours. That has a few practical implications:
- Candy and Stardust bonuses from Spotlight Hours sit on top of broader weekend bonuses such as 2× catch XP or 2× catch Stardust during Community Day hours, but only when they target different actions (for example, evolve XP versus catch XP).
- Featured Community Day Pokémon and regionals, such as Flabébé and its evolutions, can be prioritized during their windows, while Tuesday evenings can stay dedicated to the Tuesday-specific bonuses.
- Raid rotations and Max Battles on neighboring days do not interfere with Spotlight Hours, but they compete for your time and items, so planning ahead reduces last-minute resource shortages.
How to get the most out of Spotlight Hour
General preparation before any Spotlight Hour
Even though each event is only 60 minutes long, basic preparation makes a substantial difference:
- Inventory: Clear space in your Pokémon storage and item bag so you are not forced to stop and manage mid-hour.
- Balls and Berries: Stock up on Poké Balls, Great Balls, and Razz or Pinap Berries for fast, reliable catches and extra candy.
- Location: Decide in advance where you will play — ideally, an area with a high density of PokéStops and spawns.
- Connection and battery: Charge your device and, if possible, bring a power bank. Spotlight Hour is short, and downtime is a lost opportunity.
Using resource items with each weekly bonus
The value of Premium items shifts depending on the week’s focus.
- 2× transfer Candy (December 2): A Lucky Egg or Star Piece is optional. The focus is on cycling high-value transfers like Legendaries, Mythicals with duplicates, and rare species where candy is hard to get.
- 2× catch XP (December 9): Running a Lucky Egg is highly efficient. Fast Excellent or Great throws and quick catch techniques amplify the effect.
- 2× catch Candy (December 16): Pair the bonus with Pinap or Silver Pinap Berries on any species you need candy for. A Mega or Primal evolution matching the type of your target species adds even more candy per catch.
- 2× evolution XP (December 23): A Lucky Egg here is close to mandatory if you care about XP. Pre-mark or favorite the Pokémon you intend to evolve so you can move rapidly through them for the entire hour.
- 2× catch Stardust (December 30): A Star Piece is the standout item. Stack it with weather-boosted catches and evolved species (which naturally give more Stardust) for a noticeable spike in total dust.
Strategic uses for each December 2025 Spotlight Hour
- Cranidos hour: Queue up low-priority Legendaries, Shadows, and event exclusives you have been holding for candy. Transferring during the hour doubles your return and frees space for upcoming events.
- Shieldon hour: If you are chasing level milestones, combine the XP bonus with a Lucky Egg, and focus on quick, repeatable Excellent throws on easily hit targets.
- Mienfoo hour: Target candy-hungry species such as pseudo-Legendaries or starter evolutions that may appear during concurrent December events. Each catch pulls in more candy than usual.
- Spheal hour: Before the event, stockpile low-evolution-cost species like common early-route Pokémon. During the hour, evolve continuously under a Lucky Egg to maximize XP.
- Delibird hour: Focus entirely on catching volume. Use fast-throw techniques, Incense, and Star Pieces to convert this short window into a Stardust buffer for powering up raid and PvP teams in the new year.
Spotlight Hours are predictable and short, which makes them easy to ignore — but with the right preparation, a single hour each Tuesday in December can cover large chunks of your candy, XP, and Stardust goals for the month.
