Pokémon GO

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

If you were looking for the TCG expansion, see Pokémon GO (TCG).

This article is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Details on Pokémon GO for Apple Watch

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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.
Publisher:	Niantic, Inc.
Part of:	Generation VI - IX spin off
Ratings
CERO:	A
ESRB:	E
ACB:	PG
OFLC:	N/A
PEGI:	3
GRAC:	3
GSRR:	N/A
Release dates
Japan:	March 29, 2016 (field test) July 22, 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
South Korea:	January 24, 2017
Hong Kong:	July 25, 2016
Taiwan:	August 6, 2016
Websites
Japanese:	Official site (TPC) Official site (Niantic)
English:	Official site (TPCi) Official site (Niantic) Pokémon.com

Pokémon GO (Japanese: Pokémon GO) is a multiplayer, location-based, augmented reality Pokémon game for iOS and Android. The game results from a collaboration between The Pokémon Company, Nintendo, and Niantic, Inc., and is free to download with in-app purchases. It was released in most markets with access to the iOS App Store or Google Play Store on a staggered schedule starting on July 6, 2016. The game became available on the Samsung Galaxy Store for Samsung devices running on Android on May 11, 2019.

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

The game is compatible with the Pokémon GO Plus and the Poké Ball Plus, Bluetooth devices that allow players to enjoy elements of the game without looking at their phone. Compatibility with the Apple Watch was added in an update on December 22, 2016, but was later dropped on July 1, 2019 with the addition of Adventure Sync.

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

Encountering a wild Rattata, with AR mode disabled (Prior to 0.55.0 version)

Pokémon GO has mechanics much different from those of the core series games. The player is assisted by Professor Willow throughout the game. Players can login using a Pokémon Trainer Club, Google, or Facebook account, which can be linked together for logging in.

The game can be played as an augmented reality (AR) game, so that in wild encounters and battles the Pokémon appear to be in the real world when looking at the smart device's screen. However, it is also possible to disable this functionality, which saves battery power and is necessary on some devices which do not support AR.

Candy and Stardust are two forms of currency central to Pokémon GO. Each Pokémon's evolutionary family uses a specific type of Candy to Power Up or evolve. Stardust is required in addition to Candy to Power Up; unlike Candy, Stardust is not specific to any species of Pokémon. Candy and Stardust are most commonly earned by catching and hatching Pokémon. If a player transfers a Pokémon to Professor Willow, then one Candy for that Pokémon will be awarded.

Players can also challenge each other in Trainer Battles or challenge the Team leaders Candela, Spark, and Blanche in Battle Training.

Players can customize their appearance, such as clothing and accessories, which can be shown to other players. Pokémon Trainers collect XP from performing various actions, such as catching Pokémon, which allows them to increase their Trainer level. Leveling up rewards the player with items, and some levels unlock features of the game. Wild Pokémon encountered by Trainers at higher levels are more likely to have higher CP. The maximum number of times an individual Pokémon can be Powered Up increases with the Trainer's level.

Capturing

See also: Catch rate (GO)

In the game, wild Pokémon appear on a map of the real world (based on the crowdsourced OpenStreetMap project), with the player moving in the game by traveling in the real world. When a Pokémon is nearby, the player's phone vibrates. The player can encounter a nearby Pokémon by tapping it in the Map View. Different kinds of Pokémon will appear in different environments; for example, Water-type Pokémon are more common near water. Weather also affects which Pokémon are common.

In a wild encounter, the player attempts to capture a wild Pokémon in a Poké Ball before it runs away. Unlike in the core series games, these encounters do not involve battle. At higher levels, the player can use various Berries to make wild Pokémon easier to catch or use more powerful Poké Balls like Great Balls and Ultra Balls. While holding a press on a Poké Ball, a ring will appear around the Pokémon. This ring shrinks over time; once it reaches its smallest size it immediately returns to full size and the cycle repeats. If the Poké Ball thrown strikes the Pokémon after passing through the ring, it will grant a bonus to catch rate depending on the size of the ring, denoted as Nice/Great/Excellent throws. Throwing a curve ball by spinning the ball before throwing it also increases your chances of catching the Pokémon.

Locations

There are two main types of locations in Pokémon GO: PokéStops and Gyms. PokéStops and Gyms exist at are pre-defined real-world locations that the player must be within range of to interact with them (although they can be inspected as long as they have shown up in the Map.)

A PokéStop allows players to obtain items and Eggs by tapping on it then spinning the blue Photo Disc (swiping left / right across it). The Photo Disc then changes color to purple, and has a cooldown time of 5 minutes before it can be spun again. Pokémon often spawn close to PokéStops, sometimes in large clusters known as a Nest. Lures can be attached to PokéStops to attract certain Pokémon to them.

Gyms appear much larger on the map, with its color matching the team currently in control of it. Players can battle to weaken those belonging to opposing teams. Players from any team can claim items from a gym's Photo Disc, the same as with a PokéStop. The player will be given a Gym Badge for each Gym the first time they interact with it: Badges can be leveled up to bronze, silver, and gold, with each level causing the Gym to give out a higher number of items when spun.

A Gym can only be controlled by one team at a time, with its color matching the team currently in possession.

• If a Gym is controlled by the player's team, they can add one of their own Pokémon to defend it (if there are not already six Pokémon in the Gym), which will earn the player 1 PokéCoin every 10 minutes, up to a maximum of 50 coins. A player can also feed Berries to any Pokémon in the Gym, which will increase the Pokémon's motivation and earn the player Stardust (and possibly Candy).
• If a Gym is controlled by a rival team, the player can battle it to decrease each defending Pokémon's motivation; when a Pokémon's motivation reaches zero, it will be knocked out of the Gym. When all defending Pokémon have been defeated, the team loses control of the Gym, allowing the player to reclaim it as their own.

Raid Battles may sometimes take place at a Gym, where several players can work together to battle against a wild Pokémon much stronger than normal. The Pokémon currently in the Raid is highlighted above the Gym, as well as its level. Winning a Raid Battle allows the involved players to attempt to catch the raid Pokémon, now with much reduced CP and possibly different attacks.

PokéStops are much more common than Gyms, but depending on where a player lives, they may be very common or very sparse. Locations tend to be more common in urban areas due to a higher population density, resulting in more players in those areas. If there are no nearby PokéStops, the player can only obtain Poké Balls by leveling up or purchasing them with PokéCoins; if there are no nearby Gyms, the player can only obtain PokéCoins by purchasing them with real currency.

The locations of PokéStops and Gyms are based on a selection of portals from the Niantic game Ingress. Until 2015, Ingress players (agents) could submit proposals for portals which subsequently had to be approved by Niantic. From 2017 onward, Ingress agents can submit new portals through Operation Portal Recon (OPR) that would be reviewed and approved by their OPR peers. Starting in September 2017, a PokéStop submission system started beta test for level 40 trainers located in Brazil and South Korea. As of September 2017 the portal or PokéStop submissions are still reviewed by agents participating in OPR for final approval, although Niantic has announced that the system will be expanded to Pokémon GO trainers.

With Pokémon Go's update, you can now scan PokéStops to level them up and get bonus items from them. Eventually, the time runs out and the PokéStop no longer gives extra items, however it still retains it's level. PokéStops have a max level of fifty and the length of the bonus and the amount of extra items you get increases with each level.

Battles

Battles in Pokémon GO, in contrast to the core series games, are not turn based and instead rely participants to continuously cast attacks to deal damage. While Pokémon GO uses the same type effectiveness chart as the core series since Generation VI, it uses different multipliers and a different formula to calculate damage. There are two types of battle mechanics in Pokémon GO: one for Gyms and Raid Battles (against an AI) and the other for Trainer Battles (against another player or Team GO Rocket). The two modes have different stats for each move and use different sets of damage modifiers. For Trainer Battles, the player can battle the Team Leaders Blanche, Spark, or Candela to practice against an AI. For unspecified reasons, Ditto and Shedinja are unusable in Trainer Battles.

Moves

See also: List of moves (GO)

Unlike in the core series, Pokémon normally only have two moves: one Fast Attack and one Charged Attack. In both types of battles, Fast Attacks can be cast at any time, and the user gains energy each cast. Charged Attacks are generally much stronger moves that cost energy to use. A Pokémon's moves are randomly assigned and can only be changed by using a TM to learn a new Fast Attack or Charged Attack, replacing the old move. Since December 2018, players could have a Pokémon learn a second Charged Attack, at random, by spending a large amount of Stardust and Candy. Evolving a Pokémon randomly resets all of its moves (there are some exceptions).

Trainer level

Main article: Trainer level

In Pokémon GO, the player earns experience (abbreviated XP), rather than the Pokémon. As the player gains experience they gain levels. Leveling up awards the player with items, and certain levels unlock particular items. After reaching level 5, the player can choose a team, which allows them to use Gyms. As the player's level increases, their Pokémon are able to achieve a higher Combat Power as the player powers them up.

Teams

The team leaders Candela, Blanche and Spark.

Main article: Team (GO)

After the player reaches level 5, they can choose a team by tapping a Gym. There are three teams: the yellow Team Instinct led by Spark, the blue Team Mystic led by Blanche, and the red Team Valor led by Candela.

Pokémon Appraisal, added in version 0.35.0 (labelled version 1.5.0 on the iOS App Store), has the chosen team's leader detail a Pokémon's IVs much like a stats judge in the core series. They describe which of its three stats has the highest IVs, and how good its IVs are overall. They will also note if the Pokémon's height or weight is particularly far from the average listed in the Pokédex.

Players may change their team by purchasing a Team Medallion in the Shop. After purchasing it, the player must wait 365 days before they may buy another one.

Emblem	Team	Color	Mascot	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?

Items

Main article: List of items (GO)

Pokémon GO has a variety of items that are stored in the player's Bag. These items have many purposes, including capturing, evolving and restoring Pokémon. Items are primarily obtained through spinning Photo Disks at PokéStops and Gyms. Upon reaching a new Trainer level, the player will also receive a large amount of items. In later updates, players could also earn other rarer items from winning Raid Battles or by completing Field Research and Special Research tasks.

A Bag may hold up to 350 items, but players can purchase more space for 200, allowing for 50 more items, up to a maximum of 5,150. If the player tries to spin a PokéStop or open a Gift with a full Bag, the game will not allow them to do so unless there is at least one empty slot. Before participating in a Trainer Battle, players will be warned if their Bag is full, notifying them that prizes will not be rewarded afterwards. However, receiving items through other means, such as leveling up or winning raids, can bypass this limit and allow players to store more items past the capacity.

Shop

Main article: PokéCoin

In the Shop, the player can make two kinds of purchases. They can purchase PokéCoins using real money or they can purchase in-game items using PokéCoins. PokéCoins are the in-app currency used in Pokémon GO. There are two ways of obtaining PokéCoins: the Gym Defender bonus or by purchasing them with real money.

A number of the in-game items in the Shop can also be obtained by playing the game, but a few items are exclusive to the Shop: the Bag Upgrade, the Pokémon Storage Upgrade, and the Premium Raid Pass. The Shop also occasionally features limited-time "Box" deals (e.g., a Special Box) that include more than one kind of item.

To obtain the Defender bonus, the player must assign a Pokémon to defend a Gym that currently has less than six defenders. Upon their Pokémon being knocked out, the player will receive a number of coins based on how long their Pokémon defended a Gym, one coin for every ten minutes, up to a maximum of 50 for a collective eight hours and twenty minutes.

Eggs

A 2 km egg in Pokémon GO

Main article: List of Eggs (GO)

The player can obtain Eggs at PokéStops, Gyms, or as a possible Adventure Sync reward. An Egg will hatch after traveling a certain distance while the Egg is in an Egg Incubator. Five Egg distances are possible: 2 km, 5 km, 7 km, 10 km, and 12 km. 7 km Eggs are exclusively obtained by opening Gifts, and 12 km Eggs are obtained by beating Team GO Rocket Leaders. 2 km, 5 km, and 10 km eggs are obtained from Pokéstops and Gyms, but if a trainer walks enough in a week, they'll get an egg from Adventure Sync. This includes walking 25 km for a 5 km egg, or walking 50 km for a 10 km egg. The eggs from Adventure Sync have different Pokémon that can hatch from them. Each species has a set Egg distance and can only hatch from Eggs with this distance, but Egg distances have occasionally been changed.

Buddy

A Buddy Pokémon

Main article: Buddy Pokémon

By assigning a Buddy Pokémon, the player can receive additional Candies for that species of Pokémon as they walk. Depending on the species, the Buddy Pokémon will find 1 Candy every 1 km, 3 km, 5 km, or 20 km walked. The player can only have a single Buddy Pokémon at one time.

Some Pokémon require being walked a certain distance before it can evolve. For example, Feebas must be a Buddy Pokémon for 20 km before it can be evolved into Milotic.

Some Pokémon also require you to do certain things (other than walking) while they are your buddy to evolve.

You can take pictures of your buddy and feed it to level it up to gain certain perks.

Research tasks

There are four types of Research tasks in Pokémon GO: Field Research, Special Research, Timed Research, and Collection Challenges. Players can complete Research tasks to receive a variety of rewards, including items or encounters with a wild Pokémon. Wild Pokémon encountered from completing Research tasks will never flee and have a minimum of 10 IVs (out of a maximum 15) per stat.

Trainers can unlock Field Research tasks by spinning PokéStops and can hold a maximum of three tasks at once. Each PokéStop has a specific Field Research task assigned to it once a day. Players can choose to discard a Field Research task to free up a slot. Completing a Field Research tasks earns the player a Stamp up to once a day. Once the player collects seven Stamps, a Research Breakthrough will be unlocked, which includes item rewards and an encounter with a rare, special Pokémon. AR Mapping Tasks can also be obtained as Field Research, and do not take up one of the three Field Research slots. Sponsored Field Research are obtained by spinning Sponsored PokéStops.

Special Research tasks generally take longer to complete than Field Research. Unlike Field Research, Special Research tasks are finite and unlocked through specific events. A Special Research is usually several sets of three Research tasks that must be completed sequentially before unlocking the next set. Upon completing all Special Research sets, the player will have the chance to encounter a rare, special Pokémon. So far, Special Research is the only way to obtain Mew (and its Shiny variant), Celebi (and its Shiny variant), Jirachi, Shaymin (in its Land and Sky form), Victini, Aria Form Meloetta, Hoopa Confined, Zarude, Cosmog, and other rare or exclusive Pokémon.

Timed Research tasks are only available during events. Unlike Field and Special research, these tasks expire if they are not completed or claimed. Much like Special Research, they often have pages and multiple tasks per page. They recently have come with new seasons of GO Battle League, and often Pokémon GO has partnerships with companies, and Timed Research is available with codes for customers of the company.

Collection Challenges. Like Timed Research, these tasks expire if they are not completed or claimed. When a Collection Challenge is completed, it adds to the "Elite Collector" Medal. Collection Challenges sometimes comes in the form of redeemable codes. They involve catching, evolving, or trading specific Pokémon. Usually, the objective is to just catch the normal Pokémon specified, but sometimes they also require trading, or evolving Pokémon, or catching the Pokémon in their Shadow or Costume form.

Team GO Rocket

A PokéStop invaded by Team GO Rocket

Main article: Team GO Rocket

Team GO Rocket is a villainous team whose goal is to take over PokéStops for their items and resources. Team GO Rocket Grunts are occasionally stationed to invade a PokéStop, and they come to you in a hot air balloon, where they will challenge players to battle if they interact with the PokéStop. Team GO Rocket Grunts battle using Shadow Pokémon and will abandon one of their Pokémon upon being defeated. Players will have a chance to capture the abandoned Shadow Pokémon, which can then be purified using Candy and Stardust.

Mega Evolution

Main article: Mega Evolution (GO)

Mega Evolutions also exist in Pokémon Go, currently 25 Mega Evolutions are available in GO.

Medals

Main article: List of medals (GO)

The game has challenges that award medals upon completion. Medals can be viewed from a player's profile. Some medals unlock clothing items, allowing players to purchase them using PokéCoins. Medals awarded for catching Pokémon of a specific type slightly increase the capture rate of Pokémon of that type.

Daily bonuses

Daily bonuses give the player extra rewards the first time they perform certain actions each day (local time). They were added to Pokémon GO in version 0.45.0 (labelled 1.15.0 on the iOS App Store), which was released on November 7, 2016.

The first Pokémon the player catches each day earns the player a bonus 1500 XP and 600 Stardust. If the player catches a Pokémon every day for 7 days in a row, they will earn a bonus of 6000 XP and 3000 Stardust.

The first PokéStop or Gym the player searches each day earns the player a bonus 1500 XP and extra items. If the player searches PokéStops or Gyms every day for 7 days in a row, they will earn a bonus of 6000 XP and even more items. The 7-day streak bonus is guaranteed to give the player an Evolution item (such as a King's Rock).

Available Pokémon

Main article: List of Pokémon by availability (GO)

For a list of Pokémon available in Pokémon GO, see List of Pokémon by availability (GO).

Events

Main article: List of events (GO)

Pokémon GO features a variety of both local and global events throughout the year, which often feature increased wild spawns of thematic Pokémon, bonuses for certain in-game activities, and new releases of Shiny Pokémon.

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

Main article: Pokémon GO/Version history

For a full history of all content released in Pokémon GO, please see Pokémon GO/Version history.

Compatibility

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

• Android devices: Android 7 (2016) and newer (rooted devices are not supported), preferred resolution of 720×1280 pixels (not optimized for tablet)
  • Android 4.4 (2013) support was available until July 1, 2019.
  • Android 5 (2014) support was available until October 14, 2020.
  • Android 6 (2015) support was available until June 13, 2022.

• iOS devices: iPhone 6S (2015) and newer, iOS 14 (2020) and newer (jailbroken devices are not supported)
  • iPad 2 (2011), iPad (3rd generation) (2012), iPhone 5 (2012), iPad (4th generation) (2012), iPad Mini (2012), and iPhone 5C (2013) support was available until February 28, 2018.
  • iPhone 5S (2013) and iPhone 6 (2014) support was available until October 14, 2020.
  • iOS 10 (2016) support was available from September 13, 2016 to October 14, 2020.
  • Apple Watch (2015) support was available from December 22, 2016 to July 1, 2019.
  • iOS 11 (2017) support was available from September 19, 2017 to October 14, 2020.
  • iOS 12 (2018) support was available from September 17, 2018 to November 30, 2021.
  • iOS 13 (2019) support was available from September 19, 2019 to July 12, 2022.

However, the game is also playable on some iOS and Android devices that are not officially supported.

Connectivity

Pokémon GO originally had no connectivity with other Pokémon games. However, Junichi Masuda has stated that the developers planned to add connectivity with the next entry in the core series Pokémon games.

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! is the first game to allow the player to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon GO to a core series title. Only the first 151 Pokémon (including Alolan forms), Meltan, and its evolved form, Melmetal, can be transferred. Upon transferring Pokémon to a Let's Go! game or Pokémon HOME for the first time, the player will receive the Mystery Box in Pokémon GO, which is used to spawn wild Meltan.

On November 10, 2020, the GO Transporter was made available to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon GO to Pokémon HOME. Each Pokémon costs a certain amount of GO Transporter Energy to transfer to HOME, depending on its CP and whether it is Shiny, Legendary, or Mythical. The GO Transporter passively recharges Energy, but the player can spend PokéCoins to fully recharge the GO Transporter instantly. Pokémon transferred to HOME via the GO Transporter can be sent to Pokémon Sword and Shield but not Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. After the first transfer, the player will receive a Melmetal that can Gigantamax in Pokémon HOME.

Any Shiny Pokémon originating from GO, when transferred to Pokémon Sword and Shield, will have square sparkles instead of star sparkles, regardless of its personality value.

Partnerships

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Partnerships in Japan, Big Heritage partnership, Baskin Robins

Due to the popularity of Pokémon GO, the game has partnered with several other companies to offer special promotions. These partnerships often involve sponsored locations, wherein stores affiliated with the partner company become PokéStops and Gyms; sponsored locations do not appear in the game for players under the age of 13.

Pokémon GO partnered with Globe in the Philippines. Starting on October 28, 2016, Globe retail locations and charging stations became PokéStops and Gyms. Globe also worked with Ayala Malls, Puregold, Robinsons Malls, and SM Supermalls. The partnership ended on midnight of March 15, 2018 (local time).

Pokémon GO partnered with Sprint in the United States. Starting December 7, 2016, 10,500 Sprint, Boost Mobile, and Sprint at RadioShack stores in the United States became PokéStops and Gyms. Sprint locations also feature in-store charging stations to allow Pokémon GO players to charge their devices. Players could also find small Level 10, 20, 30, or 40 iron-on patches at Sprint store Gyms. During the fourth year, the partnership ended.

The day after the Sprint partnership began, a Starbucks partnership in the United States began as well. 7,800 company-operated Starbucks stores in the United States have been made into PokéStops and Gyms. Additionally, Starbucks sold a special-edition Pokémon GO Frappuccino as part of this partnership; the Pokémon GO Frappuccino starts with a Vanilla Bean Frappuccino blended beverage and raspberry syrup blended with freeze-dried whole blackberries and topped with whipped cream.

Pokémon GO partnered with Reliance Jio Infocomm (which operates under the name Jio) in India. Starting December 13, 2016, nearly 3,000 Jio stores (thousands of Reliance Digital stores according to Jio's press release) and select partner premises in India became PokéStops or Gyms in the Pokémon GO, as well as offering charging stations for players. On Jio's social messaging app, JioChat, Pokémon players have access to an exclusive Pokémon GO channel to allow them to collaborate and be part of a community of players with daily tips, contests, clues, and special events. During Jio's "Happy New Year" offer, Jio SIM customers were able to download and play Pokémon GO without incurring data charges, like any other apps and content, until March 31, 2017.

Pokémon GO partnered with Unibail-Rodamco shopping malls across Europe. Starting on February 18, 2017, new PokéStops and Gyms across 58 shopping and destination centers in ten European countries were added. An average of a dozen new PokéStops and Gyms were added to public spaces, social hubs, and public art at each of the destination centers.

Development

The game was conceived by John Hanke after the development of Niantic's Ingress. It was decided that a game based on Pokémon would be a good choice, due to its focus on collecting the titular creatures. Hanke brought the idea to the Pokémon Company and talked with Mr. Isihara. Development began. Junichi Masuda worked with Niantic on the game's 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. However, no beta testing occurred during 2015.

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
• Australia and New Zealand: held from April 25 to June 30, 2016, announced on April 7, 2016
• United States: held from May 25 to June 30, 2016, announced on May 16, 2016

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.

Release

Unlike previous Pokémon games for mobile devices, Pokémon GO was released on a staggered schedule, releasing initially to only to a few select countries. After its initial release on July 6, 2016, additional releases were put on hold due to server issues, but resumed on July 13, 2016, with the app's release in Germany. France was supposed to receive the app alongside other European countries, but the official release in the country was postponed due to the 2016 Nice truck attack. The release in Brazil was only a couple of days prior to the beginning of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

So far, Pokémon GO has been released in all countries with access to the iOS App Store, Google Play Store or Samsung Galaxy Store, except for Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Myanmar, mainland China, Tunisia, Algeria, Mali, Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, Angola, and Zimbabwe.

On March 10, 2022, the game was removed and deactivated in Russia and Belarus due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Date	Locations
July 6, 2016	Australia, New Zealand
	United States
July 13, 2016	Germany
July 14, 2016	United Kingdom
July 15, 2016	Italy, Portugal, Spain
July 16, 2016	Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland
July 17, 2016	Canada
July 19, 2016	Puerto Rico
July 22, 2016	Japan
July 24, 2016	France
July 25, 2016	Hong Kong
August 3, 2016	Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela
August 5, 2016 August 6, 2016	Aruba, Brunei, Cambodia, Curaçao, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sint Maarten, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Thailand, Turks and Caicos Islands, Vietnam
September 30, 2016	Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macau, North Macedonia, Serbia
October 1, 2016	Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
October 4, 2016 October 5, 2016	Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Eswatini, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia
November 18, 2016	Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates
December 14, 2016	Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
January 24, 2017	South Korea
September 11, 2018	Russia
June 3, 2021	Turkey

Gallery

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  Icon

• Pokémon GO Beyond icon.png

  GO Beyond Icon

Load screen

Image	Dates	Theme
	July 6 - October 26, 2016	Original
	October 26 - December 12, 2016	Halloween 2016
	December 12 - 30, 2016	Christmas 2016
	December 30, 2016 - April 7, 2017	New Year 2017
	April 7 - June 21, 2017	Summer (Johto) 2017
	June 21 - October 20, 2017	Raid Battle 2017
	October 20 - November 2017	Halloween 2017
	December 7, 2017 - January 2018	Christmas 2017
	January - March 28, 2018	New Year 2018
	March 28 - June 19, 2018	Research & Mew Screen 2018
	June 19 - December 7, 2018	Summer 2018
	December 7, 2018 - January 2, 2019 February 14 - 23, 2019	Trainer Battle League
	January 2 - February 14, 2019	New Year 2019
	February 23 - June 21, 2019	GO Snapshot 2019
	June 21 - October 2, 2019	Summer 2019
	October 2 - December 16, 2019	Team GO Rocket
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 17.png	December 16, 2019 - January 2020 February 3 - March 25, 2020	Christmas 2019
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 18.png	January - February 3, 2020	New Year 2020
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 19.png	March 25, 2020 - July 10, 2020	Spring 2020
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 20.png	July 10, 2020 - October 29, 2020	GO Fest 2020
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 21.png	October 29, 2020 - December 1, 2020	Halloween 2020
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 22.png	December 1, 2020 - March 1, 2021	Christmas 2020
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 23.png	January 1, 2021 - February 1, 2021	New Year 2021
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 24.png	March 1, 2021 - June 11, 2021	Spring 2021
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 25.png	June 11, 2021 - July 17, 2021	GO Fest 2021
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 26.png	July 17, 2021 - September 1, 2021	GO Fest 2021 Hoopa
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 27.png	September 1, 2021 - December 1, 2021	Autumn 2021
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 28.png	December 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021 February 2, 2022 - March 1, 2022	Winter 2021
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 29.png	December 31, 2021 - February 2, 2022	New Year 2022
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 30.png	March 1, 2022 - May 31, 2022	Spring 2022
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 31.png	June 1, 2022 - September 1, 2022	GO Fest 2022
File:Pokémon GO Safety Screen 32.png	September 1, 2022 - present	Autumn 2022

Trivia

• Pokémon GO has been banned in Iran and mainland China due to security concerns. However, some Iranians are still playing the game publicly regardless.
• On April 1, 2014, over two years before the release of Pokémon GO, Google released a minigame inside of Google Maps to catch Pokémon in celebration of April Fools' Day. On the same day, Google also released a companion YouTube video advertising the position of Pokémon Master at the company.
• In Pokémon Sword and Shield, starting from v1.1.0, Shiny Pokémon transferred from Pokémon GO will always use square sparkles, regardless of personality value.
• This is the first Pokémon game to use the Unity engine.

In other languages

Language Title Japanese Pokémon GO Chinese Cantonese Pokémon GO Mandarin Pokémon GO French Pokémon GO German Pokémon GO Italian Pokémon GO Korean Pokémon GO Portuguese Brazil Pokémon GO Portugal Pokémon GO Russian Pokémon GO Spanish Latin America Pokémon GO Spain Pokémon GO Thai โปเกมอนโก Pokémon GO Turkish Pokémon GO

See also

• List of Pokémon by availability (GO)
• List of Pokémon by base stats (GO)
• List of moves (GO)
• List of Pokémon by catch rate (GO)
• Google Maps: Pokémon Challenge
• Pokémon GO Player's Guide

External links

Official Websites

• Offical website
  • Offical website (JP)
• Niantic Pokemon GO Live website

Social Media

• Offical Facebook page
• Offical Twitter account
• Offical Instagram account
• Offical YouTube channel

Videos

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

References

Other spin-off Pokémon games Nintendo DS: Learn with Pokémon: Typing Adventure Pokémon Conquest • PokéPark: Fishing Rally DS Nintendo 3DS: Pokédex 3D (Pro) • HarmoKnight • Pokémon Art Academy The Thieves and the 1000 Pokémon • Pokémon Shuffle Nintendo Badge Arcade Wii U: Pokkén Tournament Nintendo Switch: Pokkén Tournament DX • Pokémon Quest • Pokémon Café ReMix • Pokémon UNITE • Pokémon TV PC: Pokémon Project Studio Red and Blue • PokéROMs • Pokémon the Movie 2000 Adventure Pokémon Masters Arena • Pokémon PC Master • Pokémon Team Turbo Pokémon Team Rocket Blast Off • Pokémon Poké Ball Launcher • Pokémon Seek & Find Pokémon Garden • Pokémon Medallion Battle • Pokémon Tower Battle Pokémon Scoop Disc (2004 Winter, 2004 Summer, 2006 Spring) Mobile: Pokémate • Pokémon Say Tap? • Pokédex for iOS • Pokémon TV • Camp Pokémon • Pokémon Jukebox Learn Real English Through Pokémon: XY Translation Scope • Pokémon Shuffle Mobile Dancing? Pokémon Band • Pokémon Photo Booth • Pokémon GO • Pokémon Duel Pokémon: Magikarp Jump • Pokémon Playhouse • Pokémon Quest • Pokémon Pass • Pokémon Masters EX Pokémon Wave Hello • Pokémon Smile • Pokémon Café ReMix • Pokémon UNITE • Pokémon Sleep Smart speakers: Pikachu Talk Arcade: Print Club Pokémon B • Dance! Pikachu • Pikachu's Great Surfing Adventure • Pokémon: Crayon Kids Pokémon: Wobbuffet Fell Down! • Pokémon Get Round and Round Pokémon Tug of War Tournament: Absolutely Get Medal! • Pokémon Medal World Pokémon Card Game Gacha • Pokémon: Battle Nine • Pokkén Tournament • Pokémon Corogarena Sega Pico: Pokémon: Catch the Numbers! Pokémon Advanced Generation: I've Begun Hiragana and Katakana! Pokémon Advanced Generation: Pico for Everyone Pokémon Loud Battle! CoCoPad: Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation: Pokémon Super Drill Let's Learn Numbers from 1 to 20!! Advanced Pico Beena: Pokémon Advanced Generation: Pokémon Number Battle! Intellectual Training Drill Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Letter and Number Intelligence Game Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Search for Pokémon! Adventure in the Maze! Pokémon Best Wishes: Intelligence Training Pokémon Big Sports Meet! Tech demos: Pikachu: DS Tech Demo Self-contained: Pokémon Pikachu • Pokémon Pikachu 2 GS • Pokémon Poké Ball • Cyber Poké Ball Cyber Pokédex • Cyclone 2 • Digital Poké Ball D & P • Electronic Hand-Held Yahtzee Eevee × Tamagotchi Pokémon game templates Core series • Side series • Spin-off series • Pokémon mini • Individual spin-offs • Betas • Demos

This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.