From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia.

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

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.

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[1].

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.[2]

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

In the game, wild Pokémon appear on a map of the real world (based on the crowdsourced OpenStreetMap project)[3][4], 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 is thrown while the ring is very small, the capture is more likely to be successful. Capturing while the ring is as far out as it can be, or halfway in the outer circle also provides small bonuses.

Locations

There are two main types of locations in Pokémon GO: PokéStops and Gym. 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.)

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. The PokéStops allow players to obtain items and Eggs by spinning the Photo Disc. At Gyms, players can battle to weaken those belonging to opposing teams or strengthen those belonging to their own team; a player can earn PokéCoins by holding onto their own Gyms, while also obtaining items from its Photo Disc. 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. If a Gym is controlled by the player's team, they can add one of their own Pokémon to defend it and feed Berries to any Pokémon in the Gym. Doing so will earn the player Stardust, possible Candy, and an increase in the Pokémon's motivation. If a Gym is controlled by a rival team, the player can battle it to decrease each 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, several players can work together to battle against a wild Pokémon much stronger than normal. 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.

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 in Pokémon 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.

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.

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 a full year 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 in Pokémon 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 2,500. 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 in Pokémon 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. Four Egg distances are possible: 2 km, 5 km, 7 km, and 10 km. 7 km Eggs are exclusively obtained by opening Gifts. 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 or 5 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.

Research tasks

There are two types of Research tasks in Pokémon GO: Field Research and Special Research. 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.

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, Celebi, Jirachi, and Spiritomb.

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, 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.

Medals

Main article: List of Medals in Pokémon 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 500 XP and 600 Stardust. If the player catches a Pokémon every day for 7 days in a row, they will earn a bonus of 2500 XP and 3000 Stardust.

The first PokéStop or Gym the player searches each day earns the player a bonus 500 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 2500 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

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

Events

Main article: List of events in Pokémon 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.

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

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/location services. According to the official support site, the game can be played on:[5]

Android devices: Android 5+ (rooted devices are not supported), preferred resolution of 720×1280 pixels (not optimized for tablet)

iOS devices: iPhone 5 and newer, iOS 10 and newer (jailbroken devices are not supported) Apple Watch support was added on December 22, 2016. Discontinued support for certain Apple devices from 2013 and older as of February 28, 2018. [6]



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 plan to add connectivity with the next entry in the core series Pokémon games.[7][8]

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 for the first time, the player will receive the Mystery Box in Pokémon GO, which is used to spawn wild Meltan.

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.

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.[9] The partnership ended on midnight of March 15, 2018 (local time).[10]

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.[11]

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.[12] However, no beta testing occurred during 2015.[13][14]

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 [15] [16]

Australia and New Zealand: held from April 25 to June 30, 2016, announced on April 7, 2016 [17]

United States: held from May 25 to June 30, 2016, announced on May 16, 2016[18]

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.[19]

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 attack.[20] 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, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Myanmar, mainland China, Tunisia, Algeria, Mali, Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, Angola, and Zimbabwe.

Gallery

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 60px December 16, 2019 - January 2020

February 3 - March 25, 2020 Christmas 2019 60px January - February 3, 2020 New Year 2020 60px March 25, 2020 - July 10, 2020 Spring 2020 60px July 10, 2020 - present GO Fest 2020

Trivia

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

Pokémon GO has been banned in Iran [21] and mainland China [22] due to security concerns. However, some Iranians are still playing the game publicly regardless. [23]

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 [24] advertising the position of Pokémon Master at the company.

advertising the position of Pokémon Master at the company. Pokémon GO and Pokémon Masters are the only two spin-off games that uses the same in-game 3D models of Pokémon used in the core series since Generation VI.

In other languages

See also

Offical Websites

Social Media

Videos

References









