Pokemon Go July 2022 Events: Moltres Raids, Spotlight Hours and More

We're more than halfway through July, but there's still a lot happening in  Pokemon Go  this month. The mobile game is hosting a variety of events and activities over the next few weeks, including new Spotlight Hours, in-person Pokemon Go Fest gatherings, and a mystery event that'll introduce new Pokemon to catch.

Here's a look at all the biggest events happening in Pokemon Go in July 2022.

Starly Community Day

Pokemon Go's July Community Day takes place on Sunday, July 17. The star of this month's event is the bird Pokemon Starly, which will be appearing in the wild more frequently than usual from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. On top of that, a handful of in-game bonuses will also be active during the event, including increased candy and XP for catching Pokemon.

Pokemon Go Fest Live Events

Three in-person Pokemon Go Fest events are taking place in select cities in July and August. Attendees will have a chance to enjoy some exclusive content during these gatherings, including a Special Research story that culminates in a chance to catch a new Ultra Beast. You can see which Ultra Beasts will be available at each event below:

• Pokemon Go Fest Berlin (July 1-3): Pheromosa
  
• Pokemon Go Fest Seattle (July 22-24): Buzzwole
• Pokemon Go Fest Sapporo (Aug. 5-7): Xurkitree

Anniversary Event

Pokemon Go is celebrating its sixth anniversary with a special event from July 6 to July 12. Throughout the event, special Pokemon like a cake costume Pikachu and party hat Charizard will appear in the wild and raid battles. There will also be a Battle Weekend mini event that will feature increased Team Go Rocket appearances and a new Shadow legendary Pokemon to rescue: Shadow Latios.

July Research Breakthrough

Pokemon Go will offer a new Research Breakthrough reward in July. Each time you complete a Research Breakthrough this month, you'll earn a chance to catch the normal-type Pokemon Lickitung.

Research Breakthroughs are tied to the stamps you receive from Field Research tasks. You'll receive one stamp for the first Field Research you complete each day, and once you've earned seven stamps, you'll achieve a Research Breakthrough.

July raid schedule

A handful of legendary and Mega Pokemon are returning to raids this month. The legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres will appear in five-star raid battles at different points in July, with Pokemon Diamond mascot Dialga closing out the month. 

Meanwhile, Mega Charizard X and Y will return to Mega raid battles during the first half of July, with Mega Pidgeot and Mega Gengar following afterward. You can see July's full raid schedule below:

July 1-7

• Five-star raids: Articuno
• Mega raids: Mega Charizard X

July 7-14

• Five-star raids: Zapdos
• Mega raids: Mega Charizard Y

July 14-22

• Five-star raids: Moltres
• Mega raids: Mega Pidgeot
  

July 22-31

• Five-star raids: Dialga
• Mega raids: Mega Gengar

July Spotlight Hours

Pokemon Go is spotlighting a different Pokemon and bonus every Tuesday evening from 6-7 p.m. local time. You can see July's spotlight Pokemon below:

Other events

Pokemon Go has a few other activities lined up for July, including a mystery event near the end of the month that promises to introduce several new Pokemon to the game. Additional details on these will be announced at a later date.