Pokemon GO Got Rid of a Great Feature, But I Hope It Comes Back

Pokemon GO is officially getting rid of a popular feature for players looking to capture specific Pokemon, with no Spotlight Hours planned for the upcoming season. The massively popular mobile game spin-off of the long-running monster-catching franchise gives fans plenty of chances to pick up their favorites, with a multitude of special events. Raid Hours allow fans to challenge some of Pokemon GO‘s most powerful creatures, while Community Days put the spotlight on specific Pokemon, increasing spawn and Shiny rates and rewarding players with exclusive moves.

Spotlight Hours have been a popular Pokemon GO event since the weekly showcase events were first introduced in 2020. Spotlight Hours, much like Community Day events, put a single Pokemon in the starring role each Tuesday, with similar increased spawns, Shiny rates, and bonus Stardust for capturing. Spotlight Hours have often been tied to new events as well, with the ongoing Road to Kalos event featuring popular Gen 2 starter Pokemon Totodile as its highlighted Pokemon in the lead-up to GO Tour: Kalos Global. Now, Pokemon GO‘s next season may be putting an end to Spotlight Hours, at least for now.

Pokemon GO Players Have a Chance of Getting Four Free Unown

Pokemon GO gives players a chance to obtain four free Unown to commemorate its upcoming GO Tour: Kalos event, but fans must meet certain goals.

Pokemon GO Is Removing Spotlight Hours

Pokemon GO‘s newly released roadmap for March 2026 noticeably omits Spotlight Hours from the schedule for the start of the new season. While many popular Pokemon GO events are featured in the calendar, including new Max Battle Days, Community Days, and some mystery events, Spotlight Hours do not appear to be running during Memories in Motion. Pokemon GO is still set to run its weekly Raid Hours during the start of Memories in Motion, with special Raids running each week in March, but Totodile’s February 24 event is currently slated to be the last Spotlight Hour. Pokemon GO has not officially confirmed whether it will be fully sunsetting Spotlight Hours moving forward.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

Pokemon GO March 2026 Roadmap

Featured Pokemon: Dynamax Regice, Zacian (Hero of Many Battles), Zamazenta (Hero of Many Battles)
Max Battles
- Rookidee (March 2-8)
- Pikachu (March 9-15)
- Falinks (March 16-22)
- Regice (March 23-29)
- Woobat (March 30-5)
Five-Star Raids
- Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres (March 4-10)
- Zacian (Hero of Many Battles) (March 11-17)
- Zamazenta (Hero of Many Battles) (March 18-March 24)
- Regieleki (March 25-March 31)
Raid Hours
- Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres (March 4)
- Zacian (Hero of Many Battles) (March 11)
- Zamazenta (Hero of Many Battles) (March 18)
- Regieleki (March 25)
Mega Raids
- Mega Pinsir (March 4-10)
- Mega Steelix (March 11-17)
- Mega Slowbro (March 18-24)
- Mega Houndoom (March 25-31)
Shadow Latias will appear in Shadow Raids from March 4 to March 31

The removal of Spotlight Hours takes away a valuable way for many players to both capture specific Pokemon and farm resources. The Spotlight Hours serve as one of Pokemon GO‘s most frequent events, with weekly chances for players to get a mini-Community Day experience for an hour. Cutting Spotlight Hours will also remove a valuable source of both in-game Candy and Stardust for powering up Pokemon, with the events serving as a significant and consistent chance for fans to stack up resources. Memories in Motion will be the first time Pokemon GO has not run Spotlight Hour events since their original debut on February 4, 2020, with the first Onix Community Day.

Despite revealing its first roadmap for Memories in Motion, Pokemon GO has still left plenty up in the air about the new season. The schedule includes multiple mystery events for the first and second weeks of March, as well as the end of March and the beginning of April. Bug Out is currently the only confirmed week-long event for Pokemon GO in March, putting a variety of the mobile game’s Bug Pokemon in the spotlight. The post also confirms the dates for March’s Research Day and Max Battle Day events, scheduled for March 21 and March 28, respectively.

With Memories in Motion on the horizon, Pokemon GO has already confirmed a fan-favorite event for March. The next Community Day event is currently planned to run on March 14, with Pokemon GO welcoming increased spawns for Gen 8 Starter Pokemon Scorbunny. The Scorbunny Community Day will feature special backgrounds for some Scorbunnys caught during the event, alongside the special Blast Burn Charged Attack for players evolving their Raboot into Cinderace. Pokemon GO looks to give fans plenty of chances to catch some exciting new Pokemon during Memories in Motion, even if Spotlight Hours appear to be on the way out.