A new series of events are coming to Pokémon Go, called bonus hours. For March 2021, they’re an experiment that Niantic is trying. This bonus hour appears to work like how the Spotlight Hour events started during the first part of 2020 when they were introduced. During the bonus hour, there will be a specific event happening for every trainer to benefit from. They’re going to work alongside whatever weekly event is happening in Pokémon Go, so you can expect them to rotate out each month to work with whatever bigger event is happening for the week. For example, the first bonus hour on March 4 increases Team Rocket balloons appearing in the world. This will be assisting players who are still attempting to hunt for Giovanni for The Higher They Fly special research that was made available on the final day of February.
The bonus hour in Pokémon Go is happening on Thursday from 6 PM to 7 PM in your time zone. It’s going to be just like the Spotlight Hours, except for a Tuesday date; it’s happening on Thursday.
These are all dates for each bonus hour happening in Pokémon Go throughout March 2021.
- March 4: Go Rocket Hour – Team Rocket balloons will be appearing more frequently.
- March 11: Mega Bonus Hour: Candy – You can earn more candy when capturing a Pokémon that has the same type as the active Mega Evolved Pokémon.
- March 18: Mega Raid Hour – Mega Raids will be happening more frequently, and you can find them around your area.
The first bonus hour, the Team Rocket bonus hour, it’s going to be great for any players who still need assistance capturing Giovanni for The Higher They Fly special research. Players might not be able to use it to encounter Giovanni, but it’ll increase the chances players can battle the several Team Rocket leaders and encounters the grunts.
The second bonus hour on March 11 is made for any players keen on increasing their mega candy reserves. It’s not the best event because the next mega Pokémon will be available starting on March 15.
However, the March 18 Mega Raid Hour is perfect for players seeking out the new Mega Pokémon. Like any other raid hour, players will want to reserve their raid tickets to go alongside this event.
Those are all of the bonus hours happening in March 2021. There won’t be a bonus hour for the final week of the month, but because this is a new test for Pokémon Go, it’ll determine if players want to do another one in April and moving forward.
