Minior made its Pokémon GO debut on Monday, October 19, at 5:00 p.m. local time, with the Orionids Minior Shower, which runs through Saturday, October 24. It appears in the wild in its Meteor Form, the first core to debut is Green, and Pokémon GO Hub reports 1,000 Stardust for each Minior you catch. A free Timed Research also pays out Stardust for using Star Pieces.
Minior isn’t a one-week event. It returns during six meteor showers every year, and each shower debuts one of its seven core colors. The best time to look is 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. local time, when shooting stars fill the in-game sky and Minior is more likely to appear.
Minior also brings a new battle mechanic. It changes form mid-battle when its HP drops below half, swapping Defense for Attack, but for now only in a few battle modes.
Minior Pokémon GO: Confirmed Details
All of the following is from the official Minior Showers announcement.
Minior Showers schedule
All times are local. Each shower starts at 5:00 p.m. on its first day and ends at 11:59 p.m. on its last day.
| Shower | Dates |
|---|---|
| Orionids | October 19 to October 24 |
| Leonids | November 14 to November 19 |
| Geminids | December 11 to December 16 |
| Eta Aquariids | May 3 to May 8 |
| Southern Delta Aquariids | July 28 to August 2 |
| Perseids | August 10 to August 15 |
The announcement lists the showers in this order and says they happen each year. It doesn’t print a year next to each date, so read May to August as 2027.
Core colors
- Minior has seven core colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.
- One core color debuts during each shower.
- Geminids: one core color debuts in the Northern Hemisphere and a different one in the Southern Hemisphere. That’s how seven colors fit into six showers.
Shower bonuses
- Wild Minior: appears in its Meteor Form during each shower.
- Increased Stardust for catching Minior.
- Explore by Starlight, 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. every day of a shower: shooting stars light up the in-game sky, and you have an increased chance of encountering Minior in the wild.
Form change in battle
- Minior battles in Meteor Form until its HP drops below 50%, then changes form and exposes its core.
- Meteor Form: higher Defense, lower Attack.
- Core exposed: higher Attack, lower Defense.
- Initially, the form change only happens when battling Team GO Rocket, team leaders, or in GO Battle League.
- Minior is not eligible for the 2027 Latin America International Championships.
What isn’t stated
- Which core color debuts in which shower. (Green for the Orionids has since been reported, see below.)
- Whether Minior can be Shiny.
- How much extra Stardust you get.
- Whether Minior can appear outside the 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. window. The post only says your chance is higher during it.
- Whether Minior’s form change works in raids, Gyms, Max Battles, or battles with friends. Those modes aren’t listed.
- Whether you can see a Minior’s core color before you catch it or battle with it.
- Whether the hemisphere-specific Geminids cores can be traded.
- Any Field Research, Timed Research, or ticket tied to the showers. (Timed Research appeared in-game for the Orionids, see below.)
What the Community Has Documented
- Orionids core is Green: Pokémon GO Hub reports that Green Core Minior is the first core to debut, during the Orionids. The cores for the later showers still haven’t been revealed (Leek Duck).
- 1,000 Stardust per catch: Pokémon GO Hub lists 1,000 Stardust for catching Minior, which puts a number on the “increased Stardust” in the official post.
- Cores are fixed: Bulbapedia describes the seven cores as non-interchangeable, matching the main series games, where a Minior’s core color never changes.
- Type and weather: based on long-standing in-game values, Minior is Rock / Flying. Rock is boosted in Partly Cloudy weather and Flying in Windy weather, so either gives a higher-level catch. See our weather boost guide.
- No evolution: Minior doesn’t evolve in the main series games, and no evolution is listed for it in Pokémon GO.
Orionids Timed Research
Pokémon GO Hub lists the following Timed Research for the Orionids. The official announcement doesn’t mention it.
Deadline: complete every task and claim every reward before Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. local time. That is earlier than the 11:59 p.m. end of the shower itself.
Minior Shower Timed Research (free)
| Task | Reward |
|---|---|
| Claim reward | 1 Star Piece |
| Use a Star Piece (×5 tasks) | 7,740 Stardust each |
| Completion | 77,400 Stardust |
Bonus Timed Research (rare)
A very small number of players report receiving an extra Bonus Timed Research. Not everyone gets it.
| Task | Reward |
|---|---|
| Claim reward | 1 Star Piece |
| Use a Star Piece | 7,740 Stardust |
| Completion | 1,000,000 Stardust |
Tip: the free Star Piece covers your first task, so you need extra Star Pieces for the rest. Start each one when you have a catching session ready, like the 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Minior window, so the 30-minute Stardust boost isn’t wasted.
Practical Application: Plan Around the Evening Window
Example: you work days and usually play at lunch. During the Orionids, a lunchtime walk only gets the base Minior chance, if Minior appears then at all. Move that walk to 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. and you get the increased encounter chance plus the shooting stars, every day from October 19 to 24. In Partly Cloudy or Windy weather, those catches are also weather boosted.
A few rules follow from this:
- Finish the Timed Research by Saturday at 5:00 p.m. The Orionids run until 11:59 p.m. on October 24, but the research rewards must be claimed six hours earlier.
- Catch every Minior you see. Each one pays increased Stardust, and the post doesn’t say you can identify a core from the map.
- Check the core after each catch. Seven cores arrive across six showers, so knowing which ones you already have tells you whether a later shower is worth extra time.
- Test the form change in the right modes. Use Minior against Team GO Rocket, in team leader battles, or in GO Battle League. In raids or Gyms, don’t count on the Attack boost happening.
- Watch the Leonids overlap. The Leonids start Saturday, November 14, at 5:00 p.m., the same weekend the Into the Wild 2026 GO Pass wraps up on November 15. Evening play that weekend also puts you in the Minior window.
- Expect a hemisphere gap. If the Geminids split works as described and trading turns out to be blocked, a player who stays in one hemisphere could collect six of the seven cores in the first year.
- Don’t build a 2027 LAIC team around it. Minior isn’t eligible for the 2027 Latin America International Championships.
Tracking Your Minior Cores
Seven cores, six showers, two hemispheres, and a full year between the first and last shower. By next summer it’s easy to forget which cores you caught in which shower, and whether you still need the Leonids core.
A tracker like GoDex helps keep it straight. Scan catch screenshots after each shower, tag each Minior by core color, and see which cores are still missing before the next shower starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Minior come to Pokémon GO? Monday, October 19, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. local time, during the Orionids Minior Shower.
What time is Minior most common? From 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. local time on every day of a Minior Shower.
What are the Minior Showers dates? Orionids: October 19 to 24. Leonids: November 14 to 19. Geminids: December 11 to 16. Eta Aquariids: May 3 to 8. Southern Delta Aquariids: July 28 to August 2. Perseids: August 10 to 15.
Which Minior core debuts in the Orionids? Green Core Minior, according to Pokémon GO Hub. The other showers have not been confirmed yet.
Is there Timed Research for the Minior Shower? Yes. A free Minior Shower Timed Research gives a Star Piece and Stardust for using Star Pieces, with 77,400 Stardust on completion. A few players also report a Bonus Timed Research that rewards 1,000,000 Stardust. Claim everything before 5:00 p.m. local on Saturday, October 24.
How many Minior core colors are there? Seven: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. One debuts per shower, and the Geminids debut two, one per hemisphere.
How does Minior’s form change work? It starts in Meteor Form with higher Defense. Below 50% HP, it exposes its core and gains Attack while losing Defense. For now, this only happens against Team GO Rocket, team leaders, and in GO Battle League.
Can Minior be Shiny? The announcement doesn’t say.
Key Takeaways
- Hunt Minior from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. local, every day of each shower.
- Green Core Minior is the Orionids debut, October 19 to 24.
- Claim the Star Piece Timed Research before 5:00 p.m. on October 24.
- Log each core you catch, since the set takes six showers and a year to complete.
- Use Minior’s form change in Rocket, leader, and GO Battle League battles only.
We do our best to keep these guides accurate, but Pokémon GO mechanics change often. If you spot a mistake or something that's out of date, please send us feedback — we'll fix it.
About GoDex
A free companion app for tracking your collection, scanning IVs from screenshots, and checking PVP rankings. Available on iOS and Android.
