Daily Discovery is Pokémon GO’s weekly bonus system, introduced with the Memories in Motion season (March–June 2026). Instead of generic daily quests, each day of the week now carries its own themed bonus — from extended Lure durations on Sundays to 4× Stardust in GO Battle League on Thursdays. Knowing which day gives what bonus turns routine play into efficient resource farming.
This guide covers the full day-by-day schedule, the persistent daily streak bonuses that run year-round, and the best strategies for each bonus day. For the XP economy overview, see the XP guide, and for Coins, the Coins guide. The full game overview is in the complete Pokémon GO guide.
Daily Discovery Weekly Schedule
All Daily Discovery bonuses run from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM local time. These are the bonuses for the current Memories in Motion season (March–June 2026).[1]
| Day | Theme | Active Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Double-Time Sunday | Incense, Lure Modules, Glacial, Mossy, Magnetic, and Rainy Lures last up to 2× as long |
| Monday | Max Mondays | Power Spots refresh more frequently; additional Power Spots active for Max Battles |
| Tuesday | PokéStop Showcase | PokéStop Showcases active — up to 20 different categories running simultaneously |
| Wednesday | Raid Hour | Five-star and Mega Raids rotate weekly; Raid Hour runs 6:00–7:00 PM local time |
| Thursday | GO Battle Thursday | 4× Stardust from GBL win rewards; daily battle sets increased from 5 to 10 (50 battles per day) |
| Friday | Friendship Friday | Up to 2 Special Trades; increased Lucky Trade chance; up to −10% Stardust cost on trades; 2 guaranteed Candy XL from trades (Level 31+) |
| Saturday | (Reserved) | Intentionally clear — reserved for Community Days, GO Fest, and weekend events |
Note: Daily Discovery bonuses are paused during major event weeks (GO Fest, GO Wild Area, GO Tour). Saturday is intentionally kept free so Community Days don’t conflict with a daily bonus.
Thursday: The Highest-Value Day for Stardust
GO Battle Thursday is the single best regular opportunity for Stardust farming in the game. The 4× Stardust multiplier applies to GBL win rewards, and the increased battle sets let you do up to 50 battles in a day — double the normal 25.
At 500 base Stardust per win in GBL and a 4× multiplier, each win yields 2,000 Stardust. A player winning 60% of 50 battles earns approximately 60,000 Stardust from GBL alone on a single Thursday — before any other daily activities. Stack that with a Star Piece (which adds 50% more Stardust on top of all multipliers), and Thursday becomes the most efficient Stardust grinding day in the weekly cycle.
Even casual players who don’t usually do PvP should make an exception on Thursdays. You don’t need to win a high percentage of matches to benefit — the volume of battles available and the flat 4× bonus make it worthwhile at any skill level.
Friday: The Best Day to Trade
Friendship Friday consolidates every trade-related bonus into one day:
- 2 Special Trades per day instead of 1 — crucial for trading Legendaries, Shinies, or Pokémon not registered in your Pokédex
- Increased Lucky Trade chance — if either Pokémon was caught before August 2016 or you’re Best Friends, Lucky Trades become more likely
- Up to −10% Stardust cost on trades — meaningful when trading high-level Pokémon that cost 40,000–80,000 Stardust
- 2 guaranteed Candy XL per trade for Level 31+ trainers — stack up trades you’ve been saving and earn XL Candy in bulk
If you have Legendaries to trade with friends, Shinies to exchange, or Pokémon to Lucky Trade, Friday is the day to do it. The 2 Special Trade cap resets daily, so saving them for Friday doubles your weekly Special Trade budget.
Sunday: Extended Lures
Double-Time Sunday doubles the duration of all Lure Modules and Incense:
- Standard Lure: 30 min → 60 min
- Glacial, Mossy, Magnetic, Rainy Lures: 30 min → 60 min
- Incense: 60 min → 120 min
If you’re farming Lure evolutions (Glaceon, Leafeon, Magnezone, Probopass), Sunday halves your Lure consumption. Save specialty Lure Modules for Sundays to get twice the coverage from each module. Players using Incense for rare spawns also get double time for the same item cost.
Wednesday: Raid Hour
Wednesday’s Raid Hour runs from 6:00–7:00 PM local time and floods gyms with the current 5-star or Mega Raid boss. It’s the single best one-hour window to:
- Farm Candy for the current Legendary
- Hunt for Shinies among multiple raid encounters
- Complete Raid research tasks that require specific boss types
- Join remote raids efficiently — more active lobbies during the hour means faster clears
The specific boss that appears during Raid Hour changes weekly alongside the regular rotation. Check current event listings to know which boss is featured each Wednesday.
Daily Streak Bonuses (Year-Round)
Separate from Daily Discovery, these streak bonuses run every day regardless of season:[2]
| Activity | First Completion (Day 1) | 7-Day Streak Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| First Pokémon catch of the day | 500 XP + 600 Stardust | 2,500 XP + 3,000 Stardust |
| First PokéStop spin of the day | 500 XP + bonus items | 2,500 XP + larger item bundle |
The 7-day streak bonus guarantees on the 7th consecutive day. Missing a single day resets both streaks to day 1. Over a year of consistent daily play, the 7-day streak bonus delivers:
- 52 streak bonuses × 3,000 Stardust = 156,000 Stardust per year from catches alone
- 52 streak bonuses × 2,500 XP = 130,000 XP per year from catches alone
Pro tip: Use a Lucky Egg on day 7 of your streak. The 7-day XP bonus gets doubled by the Lucky Egg, turning the free 2,500 XP into 5,000 XP for one egg use. If you time a Lucky Egg to cover both the catch streak and spin streak day 7 bonuses, that’s 10,000 XP from two catches and spins.
GO Plus and Poké Ball Plus Integration
Both the GO Plus and Poké Ball Plus auto-catch Pokémon and auto-spin PokéStops while your screen is off. Crucially, they count toward daily streak progress:[3]
- Auto-catch via GO Plus/Poké Ball Plus counts as your first daily catch and starts or maintains the catch streak
- Auto-spin counts as your first daily spin and maintains the spin streak
- Only Regular Poké Balls are used for auto-catch — Great and Ultra Balls are never consumed by these devices
- GO Plus+ also tracks steps for Adventure Sync and connects to Pokémon Sleep
If you have one of these devices, you can maintain both daily streaks passively on any day you carry your phone with you — even without launching the app. That means the 7-day streak bonus becomes nearly automatic for device owners.
How to Maximise Each Week
- Sunday: Deploy specialty Lure Modules you’ve been saving. Use Incense for 2-hour rare spawn sessions
- Monday: Participate in Max Battles for Dynamax/Gigantamax Pokémon during the increased Power Spot window
- Tuesday: Check nearby PokéStops for active Showcases and submit your best Pokémon to compete in the 20+ available categories
- Wednesday evening: Clear your schedule 6–7 PM for Raid Hour; use this window for the week’s Legendary candy and Shiny hunting
- Thursday: Do all 50 GBL battles. Use a Star Piece during active battle sets. This is your highest Stardust day
- Friday: Do both Special Trades. Prioritise trading with Best Friends for Lucky Trade odds. Save any Legendary or Shiny trades for this day
- Saturday: Community Day if active; otherwise use it as flex time for catching up on goals from earlier in the week
Conclusion
Daily Discovery turns every day of the week into a specific opportunity. Thursday is the most impactful single day for most players — the 4× GBL Stardust and doubled battle sets are hard to beat. Friday is essential if you’re working on Lucky Friends or need to move Legendaries between accounts. Sunday’s Lure extension is the sleeper pick that saves real resources over time.
On top of the weekly schedule, keeping the daily catch and spin streaks alive is worth more than almost any single event bonus over a full year of play. Both habits together — maximising Thursday and maintaining streaks — are the backbone of sustainable Stardust income in Pokémon GO.