Pokémon GO: Difference between revisions

If you were looking for the song, see Pokémon Go! (song).

Pokémon GO Pokémon GO
Pokémon GO logo
Basic info
Platform:	iOS, Android
Category:	Real-world adventure Location-based game
Players:	1+
Connectivity:	N/A
Developer:	Niantic, Inc. The Pokémon Company Nintendo
Publisher:	Niantic, Inc.
Part of:	Generation VI miscellaneous
Ratings
CERO:	N/A
ESRB:	E10+
ACB:	PG
OFLC:	N/A
PEGI:	3
GRAC:	N/A
GSRR:	N/A
Release dates
Japan:	March 29, 2016 (field test) 2016 (public release)
North America:	May 25, 2016 (field test) July 6, 2016 (public release)
Australia:	April 25, 2016 (field test) July 6, 2016 (public release)
Europe:	July 13, 2016 (Germany)
South Korea:	N/A
Hong Kong:	N/A
Taiwan:	N/A
Websites
Japanese:	Pokémon.co.jp
English:	Official site (TPCi) Official site (Niantic) Pokémon.com

Bulbanews has multiple articles related to this subject:

Articles relating to Pokémon GO

Pokémon GO (Japanese: Pokémon GO) is a multiplayer, location-based, augmented reality Pokémon game for iOS and Android. The game is a collaboration between The Pokémon Company, Nintendo, and Niantic, Inc., and is free to download with in-app purchases. It was released in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States on July 6, 2016, in Germany on July 13, 2016, and is scheduled to be released in Japan,^[1] Latin America^[2] and South America,^[3] Canada,^[3] and Europe^[3] soon.

The game was announced at a press conference in Japan on September 10, 2015. Field tests for Pokémon GO were held from March 29, 2016 through June 30, 2016.

Blurb

Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Pikachu, and many other Pokémon have been discovered on planet Earth!

Now’s your chance to discover and capture the Pokémon all around you—so get your shoes on, step outside, and explore the world. You’ll join one of three teams and battle for the prestige and ownership of Gyms with your Pokémon at your side.

Pokémon are out there, and you need to find them. As you walk around a neighborhood, your smartphone will vibrate when there’s a Pokémon nearby. Take aim and throw a Poké Ball… You’ll have to stay alert, or it might get away!

Search far and wide for Pokémon and items

Certain Pokémon appear near their native environment—look for Water-type Pokémon by lakes and oceans. Visit PokéStops, found at interesting places like museums, art installations, historical markers, and monuments, to stock up on Poké Balls and helpful items.

Catching, hatching, evolving, and more

As you level up, you’ll be able to catch more-powerful Pokémon to complete your Pokédex. You can add to your collection by hatching Pokémon Eggs based on the distances you walk. Help your Pokémon evolve by catching many of the same kind.

Take on Gym battles and defend your Gym

As your Charmander evolves to Charmeleon and then Charizard, you can battle together to defeat a Gym and assign your Pokémon to defend it against all comers.

It’s time to get moving—your real-life adventures await!

Note: This app is free-to-play and is optimized for smartphones, not tablets.

Gameplay

In the game, wild Pokémon appear depending on the player's real-world location, such as some Water-type Pokémon, which can only be found near water, in their native environment. When encountering a Pokémon, the player's phone vibrates, and the player can catch them in Poké Balls before the Pokémon runs away. Pokémon can be evolved by catching multiple Pokémon of the same species. At least 100 species are available in the game. If a player catches multiple Pokémon of the same species, the player can obtain Candy which can allow one of them to evolve. Like in the core series, players may obtain Eggs that will hatch after traveling a certain distance. Eggs, Poké Balls, and other items can be obtained at PokéStops (Japanese: ポケストップ). PokéStops are located at real-world locations such as museums, monuments, and historical markers. The player is assisted by Professor Willow.

Players can customize their appearance, such as clothing and accessories, which can be shown to other players. Players have a Pokémon Trainer level that, when raised by catching many Pokémon, allows them to find more kinds of Pokémon to complete the Pokédex. Upon leveling up, players may join one of three teams. These teams control Gyms which are located at real-world locations. Each player on a team that controls a Gym can deposit a single Pokémon each in the Gym. A player can also deposit a Pokémon in an unclaimed, empty Gym to claim it for their team. Players from the other two teams can challenge the Pokémon in a Gym to a battle, and potentially gain control of the Gym. In a battle, a Trainer's Pokémon can use two attacks on the defending Pokémon. Winning against an opposing Gym lowers its Prestige, while losing against one raises it. Once a Gym's Prestige reaches zero, the defending team gives up control of that Gym. A Gym's Prestige and level can be raised by training its Pokémon.

The game has challenges that award medals upon completion. Medals can be viewed from a player's profile.

Some items and features can be obtained as in-app purchases, including PokéCoins, which can be traded for power-ups, extra items, and other enhancements.

Available Pokémon

Only Pokémon introduced in Generation I are currently available in the game. Evolved Pokémon can be caught in the wild, but currently Ditto, Legendary and Mythical Pokémon have not been found in the wild. Pokémon from other regions may be made available in the future.^[4]

The player may choose from the three Kanto starter Pokémon at the beginning of the game: Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle. If the player walks away from the starter Pokémon four times, Pikachu will also appear as a possible starter Pokémon. These Pokémon may also be found in the wild later on.

Which Pokémon Eevee evolves into is out of the player's control once the player has chosen to evolve, appearing to be randomly determined.

Teams

Spark, Blanche, and Candela

After the player reaches level 5, they can choose a team by tapping a Gym. There are three teams: Team Instinct (yellow) whose leader is Spark, Team Mystic (blue) whose leader is Blanche, and Team Valor (red) whose leader is Candela. A Gym can only be controlled by one team at a time. If a Gym is controlled by the player's team, they can train at it and add one of their own Pokémon to defend it. If a Gym is controlled by a rival team, the player can battle it to decrease its Prestige; when a Gym's Prestige reaches zero, the player can claim it for their own team.

Emblem	Team	Color	Legendary bird	Leader	Description
	Instinct	Yellow	Zapdos	Spark	Hey! The name's Spark — the leader of Team Instinct. Pokemon are creatures with excellent intuition. I bet the secret to their intuition is related to how they're hatched. Come and join my team! You never lose when you trust your instincts!
	Mystic	Blue	Articuno	Blanche	I am Blanche, leader of Team Mystic. The wisdom of Pokemon is immeasurably deep. I am researching why it is that they evolve. With our calm analysis of every situation, we can't lose!
	Valor	Red	Moltres	Candela	I'm Candela — Team Valor's leader! Pokemon are stronger than humans, and they're warmhearted, too! I'm researching ways to enhance Pokemon's natural power in the pursuit of true strength. There's no doubt that the Pokemon our team have trained at the strongest in battle! Are you ready?

PokéCoins

A PokéCoin

PokéCoins are the in-app currency used in Pokémon GO. There are two ways of obtaining PokéCoins: by defending a Gym or by purchasing them with real money.

To obtain PokéCoins from defending a Gym, the player must open the Poké Ball menu and tap the shield icon after defeating the previous Gym Leader and depositing a Pokémon.

Items

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Images of items, Japanese names

Key Items

The following items are in the player's Bag by default. They have no quantity and cannot be tossed.

Image	English name	Japanese name	Description
	Camera		When you encounter Pokémon in the wild, you can use your camera to photograph them.
	Egg Incubator ∞		A device that incubates an Egg as you walk until it is ready to hatch. Unlimited use!

Standard items

These items can be obtained at PokéStops, by leveling up, or by purchasing them from the shop (which methods are possible varies between items). The player also starts with several standard items in their Bag.

Image	English name	Japanese name	Unlock requirements	Description
	Potion		None	A spray-type medicine for treating wounds. It restores the HP of one Pokémon by 20 points.
	Super Potion		Level 10	A spray-type medicine for treating wounds. It restores the HP of one Pokémon by 50 points.
	Hyper Potion		Level 12	A spray-type medicine for treating wounds. It restores the HP of one Pokémon by 200 points.
	Max Potion		Level 25
	Revive		None	A medicine that can revive fainted Pokémon. It also restores half of a fainted Pokémon's maximum HP.
	Max Revive		Unknown	A medicine that can revive fainted Pokémon. It also fully restores a fainted Pokémon's maximum HP.
	Incense	おこう Incense	None	Incense with a mysterious fragrance that lures wild Pokémon to your locations for 30 minutes.
	Poké Ball	モンスターボール Monster Ball	None	A device for caching wild Pokémon. It's thrown like a ball at a Pokémon, comfortably encapsulating its target.
	Great Ball		Level 12	A good, high-performance Poké Ball that provides a higher catch rate than a standard Poké Ball.
	Ultra Ball		Level 20	An ultra-high performance Poké Ball that provides a higher catch rate than a Great Ball.
	Razz Berry		Level 8	Feed this to a Pokémon, and it will be easier to catch on your next throw.
	Lucky Egg	しあわせタマゴ Lucky Egg	None	A Lucky Egg that's filled with happiness! Earns double XP for 30 minutes.
	Lure Module	ルアーモジュール Lure Module	None	A module that attracts Pokémon to a PokéStop for 30 minutes. Other people around the PokéStop can also benefit from the effect.
File:GO Incubator.png	Egg Incubator	ふかそうち Incubator	None	A device that incubates an Egg as you walk until it is ready to hatch. Breaks after 3 uses.

Upgrades

These are upgrades that increase the storage capacity of certain aspects of the game. They can be purchased with PokéCoins.

Image	English name	Japanese name	Description
	Bag Upgrade	パックアップグレード Pack Upgrade	Increases the max number of items you can carry by 50.
	Pokémon Storage Upgrade	ポケモンボックスアップグレード Pokémon Box Upgrade	Increases the max number of Pokémon you can carry by 50.

Limitations

Currently, PokéStops and Gyms only exist at pre-defined real world locations. Depending on where a player lives, these features may be outside of a convenient distance, which may limit their gameplay options. The player can still find Pokémon in the wild, but if Poké Balls cannot be found at PokéSpots, the player will need to purchase them with PokéCoins, and if there are no Gyms nearby, the player will have to purchase PokéCoins with real currency.

PokéStops and Gyms are based on a selection of portals from the Niantic game Ingress. Until 2015, Ingress players could submit proposals for portals which subsequently had to be approved by Niantic.

Experience

The player can earn experience (abbreviated XP) in the following ways:

Player levels

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Find out whether it's possible to get more or less of any of the rewards currently listed below

Eggs

Medals

Main article: Medal → Pokémon GO

Shop

PokéCoins

PokéCoins can be purchased with real money at the following rates.

Items

PokéCoins can be exchanged for in-game items at the following rates:

Image	Item	Purchase	Cost	Effect
	Poké Ball	20 Poké Balls	100 PokéCoins	Allows the player to catch Pokémon.
		100 Poké Balls	460 PokéCoins
		200 Poké Balls	800 PokéCoins
	Incense	1 Incense	80 PokéCoins	Attracts Pokémon to the player's location for 30 minutes.
		8 Incense	500 PokéCoins
		25 Incense	1250 PokéCoins
	Lucky Egg	1 Lucky Egg	80 PokéCoins	Increase the XP earned by the player for 30 minutes.
		8 Lucky Eggs	500 PokéCoins
		25 Lucky Eggs	1250 PokéCoins
	Lure Module	1 Lure Module	100 PokéCoins	Attracts Pokémon to a PokéSpot for 30 minutes.
		8 Lure Modules	680 PokéCoins
File:GO Incubator.png	Egg Incubator	1 Egg Incubator	150 PokéCoins	Stores a Pokémon Egg prior to hatching.
	Bag Upgrade	1 Bag Upgrade	200 PokéCoins	Increases Bag capacity by 50.
	Pokémon Storage Upgrade	1 Pokémon Storage Upgrade	200 PokéCoins	Increases Pokémon Storage capacity by 50.

Pokémon GO Plus

Pokémon GO Plus is a peripheral associated with the game, developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It will be released in late July 2016 for US$34.99/€39.99. In Europe it can be bought at the official online Nintendo store. It notifies the player about in-game events, such as the appearance of wild Pokémon, via multicolor LED and vibration. It communicates with the player's phone via Bluetooth. It is possible to catch wild Pokémon and carry out other actions by using the button on the device.

Pokémon GO Plus can be worn either by clipping it to clothing, or on a wristband.

• 

  Pokémon GO Plus logo

• 

  Pokémon GO Plus accessory

• 

  Pokémon GO Plus wrist strap

Music

Some of the music in Pokémon GO was composed by Junichi Masuda. The music as well as the sound effects can be turned off in the settings of the app.

Version history

iOS

Android

Compatibility

Pokémon GO requires an internet connection (Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G) and GPS/location services. According to the official support site, the game can be played on:^[6]

• Android devices: Android 4.4 to Android 6.0.1, excluding devices with Intel CPUs, preferred resolution of 720×1280 pixels (not optimized for tablet)
  • Android N will not supported until the official Android release
• iOS devices: iPhone 5 and newer, iOS 8 and newer, excluding jailbroken devices

Connectivity

Pokémon GO currently has no connectivity with other games. However, Junichi Masuda has stated that he is looking at ways for the game to connect with the next entry in the core series Pokémon games.

Development

An Ingress Report released on September 10, 2015, the day of the game's announcement, stated that a closed beta would occur during Northern Hemisphere winter 2015 and that the game would be released in early 2016.^[7] However, no beta testing occurred during 2015.^[8][9]

Field tests were held in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States prior to the game's public release. Selected applicants were given the opportunity to test the game.

• Japan: held from March 29 to June 30, 2016, announced on March 3, 2016^[10][11]
• Australia and New Zealand: held from April 25 to June 30, 2016, announced on April 7, 2016^[12]
• United States: held from May 25 to June 30, 2016, announced on May 16, 2016^[13]

A session at the Game Developers Conference featuring the game was intended to be held by Niantic CEO John Hanke on March 14, 2016, but was later cancelled due to Niantic preparing the game for beta testing and launch.^[14]

Gallery

• 

  In-game screenshot on an iPhone

• 

  Zoomed-in map

• 

  A Squirtle appearing

• 

  Encountering a Squirtle

• 

  Icon

• 

  Single-player battle

• 

  Player level up

• 

  Multiplayer battle

• 

  During the night

• 

  Map during the day

• 

  In-app purchases

• 

  Owning a Gym

• 

  A Charmeleon evolving

• 

  Evolution into Charizard

• 

  Encounter in a field

• 

  Encounter near a bridge

• 

  Egg hatching

• 

  Capture

• 

  Avatar customization

• 

  AR Magikarp

• 

  AR battle

Trivia

• This is the only Pokémon game to have the word "Pokémon" spelled in Latin letters in its Japanese name.

In other languages

Language Title Japanese Pokémon GO French Pokémon GO German Pokémon GO Italian Pokémon GO Spanish Pokémon GO

See also

• List of moves in Pokémon GO
• Google Maps: Pokémon Challenge
• Pokémon GO Player's Guide

External links

• Offical website
• Offical Facebook page
• Offical Twitter account
• Offical YouTube channel
• Offical Google+ page

• Official teaser
• Official trailer
• Pokémon GO announcement press conference

References

This article is part of Project Sidegames, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon Sidegames.