Pokemon Go is bringing everyone back to the first generation of Pokemon–where collecting a Charizard card was more important than your allowance. At this point, Pokemon Go is pretty much live everywhere across the world which means everyone can walk the streets with their phone and collect Pokemon without having to worry about geo-restrictions.

However, just because Pokemon Go is active everywhere–doesn’t mean that you can play it anywhere. Take Iran for instance.

The Story Behind the Ban

Iran’s High Council of Virtual Spaces has now officially banned Pokemon Go–making it the very first country to do so. While no specific details have been given out, the High Council has claimed that the game is causing security concerns.

At its core, Pokemon Go is a game that forces users to leave their houses and peruse the streets–often in large numbers. Sometimes this can cause disruptions and trespassing issues for residents in Pokemon hot spots. Besides that, there aren’t any obvious reasons for the app to be banned besides preventing large groups of people from formulating.

According to the BBC, Iran has been contemplating this prohibition for awhile–attempting to work something out with the game’s creator, Niantic Labs. It’s not clear what type of restrictions the Council had in mind. Some limitations could prevent users from using the app at certain times of night or from using the app in certain areas.

While Iran is the first country to ban Pokemon Go, this is hardly the beginning. I am almost certain that we will see countries like China, Turkey, Russia, and other Eastern countries censor the use of the app.

Now while this is good to know, it’s not super helpful if YOU DO want to play Pokemon Go in Iran. That’s why were are here to help!

How to Play Pokemon Go in Iran

Step #1

Find a VPN that has good servers close to Iran (as well as good security). For now, I would simply recommend our top-rated VPN TorGuard. ExpressVPN is also good. I recommend these VPNs since they have great mobile apps for Pokemon Go (both Android + iPhone).

Visit TorGuardVisit ExpressVPN

NOTE: If you want to use TorGuard, use our code “best10VPN” to get an exclusive 25% lifetime discount!

Step #2

Login to your VPN and connect to a server OUTSIDE of Iran. If you want the best speeds, pick a server nearby.

Step #3

Once your VPN is fired up on your mobile device, you should see a VPN icon on the top bar of your phone. Once you do this, you will bypass Iranian restrictions put on the app, and you will be free to catch them all!

Thanks for reading our article on how to play Pokemon Go in Iran. Let us know if you need any help in the comments below!