Pokémon GO: Mega Camerupt in Raids

Mega Camerupt is the next big raid target in Pokémon GO, and the timing matters if you’ve been saving passes. It takes over Mega Raids on Wednesday, May 6, and stays in the pool until the morning of Wednesday, May 13. That gives players one clean week to farm Camerupt encounters, chase a shiny, and build the Mega Energy needed to actually use Mega Camerupt later. ### What exactly is changing? The Mega slot flips from Mega Banette to Mega Camerupt for the May 6–12 raid rotation. In practical terms, that means gyms showing Mega eggs during that stretch can hatch into Mega Camerupt instead of Banette, and the change happens on a local-time schedule rather than all at once worldwide. When does Mega Camerupt start? The cleanest date to use is Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 6:00 a.m. local time. The run ends Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at 6:00 a.m. local time. Some monthly calendars summarize that as “May 6–12” because those are the full playable dates, but the actual handoff starts and ends at 6 a.m. local. ? You do not catch Mega Camerupt itself after winning. You catch regular Camerupt, and the raid awards Mega Energy so you can Mega Evolve your own Camerupt later. The amount of Mega Energy depends on how quickly your group finishes the boss, so faster clears mean better returns. If you’re lucky, the Camerupt encounter can also be shiny. ### Why does the one-week window matter? Because Mega rotations move fast. If you skip this week, you’re waiting for Niantic to bring Mega Camerupt back around, and there’s no guarantee that happens soon. Basically, this is not like a wild spawn you can clean up later. Mega Energy is tied to that specific boss being live in raids, so the active week is the useful week. ### What else is competing for raid passes? Weekend Shadow Cresselia raids are the main distraction. May’s schedule has Shadow Cresselia appearing in weekend Shadow Raids during this broader period, while the regular five-star raid boss from May 6–12 is Nihilego. So if you’re deciding where your in-person group goes, the real tradeoff is Mega Camerupt for Mega Energy, Nihilego for legendary farming, or Shadow Cresselia on the weekend. ### Is there a best time to raid? If you want the easiest coordination, Wednesday evening is usually the obvious play because Raid Hour brings extra traffic to gyms — but note that Raid Hour on May 6 is for Nihilego, not Mega Camerupt. Mega raids can still appear throughout the normal daily raid window, which runs from 10:00 a.m. where “hit active gyms with a local group during the week.” ### So what should players actually do? If Mega Camerupt matters to you, plan around May 6 through May 12 and don’t wait for the weekend by default. Weekend attention may drift toward Shadow Cresselia, and that can split lobbies. Early-week local groups are often the smoother way to stack a few Camerupt clears, lock in enough Mega Energy, and move on. ### Bottom line? Mega Camerupt is a short, straightforward raid window — one week, local-time start, shiny chance, and Mega Energy as the real prize. If you want the form, this is the week that counts.