Pokémon GO Ultra Beast Five-Star Raids

Pokémon GO’s next five-star raid rotation is not a general Ultra Beast free-for-all. It’s a regional split. Starting Wednesday, May 13, 2026, Niantic rotates in Buzzwole, Pheromosa, and Xurkitree, but each one appears only in specific parts of the world. For players in Sunnyvale and the rest of the Bay Area, that means one thing very clearly — your local boss this week is Buzzwole, not the full trio. (pokemongohub.net) ### Which Ultra Beast do U.S. players actually get? Buzzwole is the Americas raid boss for this rotation, and Leek Duck’s event listing breaks that out even more specifically by saying the Americas and Greenland. (pokemongohub.net) Pheromosa is assigned to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India. Xurkitree is assigned to Asia-Pacific. So if you are raiding in California, the local pool is Buzzwole. ### When does the rotation start and end? The switch happens on Wednesday, May 13. Pokémon GO Hub lists the five-star changeover as May 13 to May 19, while Leek Duck gives the more precise local-time window: it starts at 6:00 a.m. local time on May 13 and ends at 10:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, May 19. (pokemongohub.net) That matters if you are planning remote invites, because the bosses do not all appear globally at the same moment. ### What happens on Raid Hour? Raid Hour lands the same day the rotation begins. On Wednesday, May 13, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time, the featured Ultra Beasts appear in their respective regions. (pokemongohub.net) In the Bay Area, that again means Buzzwole. The hour is useful because gyms turn over fast and raid density jumps, which makes it much easier to chain multiple clears with a local group. ### So can Bay Area players catch all three? Not locally. That’s the big misunderstanding in the rough summary you started from. The trio is active worldwide in the sense that the event is live globally, but the actual encounters are region-locked. (pokemongohub.net) Sunnyvale players can raid Buzzwole in person this week, but Pheromosa and Xurkitree require remote invitations from friends in the right regions. ### Are shinies on the table? Yes. Leek Duck notes that if you’re lucky, you may encounter shiny Buzzwole, shiny Pheromosa, or shiny Xurkitree. That raises the value of doing repeated raids even for players who already have the species registered, because the chase is not just candy or XL candy — it’s also the shiny roll. (pokemongohub.net) ### What changed from this week’s previous boss? Nihilego was the five-star boss through May 12. On May 13, the game swaps Nihilego out and replaces it with this regional Ultra Beast split. Mega raids also change that day, with Mega Glalie taking over from Mega Camerupt. So the midweek turnover is bigger than just one legendary slot changing. (pokemongohub.net) ### What should local players actually do? If you are in Sunnyvale or elsewhere in the Bay Area, the practical move is simple — plan for Buzzwole raids on the evening of May 13, and line up remote friends if you want the other two Ultra Beasts before May 19. Basically, this is a good local raid week, but not a complete local collection week. (leekduck.com) ### Bottom line? The headline is not “three Ultra Beasts hit Bay Area gyms.” It’s “Ultra Beasts rotate back in, but U.S. gyms get Buzzwole only.” If you want the full set, local raiding is only half the job this time. (pokemongohub.net)