Pokémon GO

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.
Publisher:	Niantic, Inc.
Part of:	Generation VI miscellaneous
Ratings
CERO:	N/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:	N/A
Hong Kong:	July 25, 2016
Taiwan:	N/A
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 Australia, New Zealand, the United States, most of Europe, Canada, Japan, and Hong Kong on a staggered schedule starting on July 6, 2016, and is scheduled to be released in Latin America, South America, and Russia 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.

The game is compatible with the Pokémon GO Plus, an upcoming Bluetooth device that allows players to enjoy the game without looking at their phone.

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

In the game, wild Pokémon appear on a map of the real world, with the player moving in the game by travelling 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. The player is assisted by Professor Willow throughout the game. Players can login using a Pokémon Trainer Club account or a Google account.

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 Razz Berries to make wild Pokémon easier to catch or use more powerful Poké Balls like Great Balls and Ultra Ball. 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.

The game can be played as an augmented reality (AR) game, so that in wild encounters and Gym 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.

Catching and hatching Pokémon earns the player Candy, which can be spent to evolve or Power Up Pokémon. Each evolutionary family has its own type of Candy (Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan have separate Candy), so in order to evolve a Pokémon the player needs to catch a number of Pokémon from that same evolutionary family. If a player wants to get rid of a Pokémon, they can transfer it to Professor Willow, who will permanently keep the Pokémon but give 1 Candy in return.

There are two main types of locations in Pokémon GO: PokéStops and Gyms. PokéStops and Gyms exist at pre-defined real world locations, and the player must be within range of them in order to interact with them (although they can be inspected as long as they shown up in the Map View). Players can obtain items and Eggs by visiting PokéStops, whereas players fight for control of Gyms.

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.

PokéCoins can be obtained in-game or via in-app purchases with real money. They can be traded for 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 generations may be made available in the future.

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 normally random. However, if Eevee is nicknamed after one of the Eevee brothers before evolving, it will evolve into their respective evolution: Sparky for Jolteon, Rainer for Vaporeon, and Pyro for Flareon.

Farfetch'd appears to be region-exclusive, currently only being found in Asia.

Locations

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

The locations of 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.

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 Stardust and PokéCoins by holding onto Gyms. PokéStops are much more common than Gyms.

Depending on where a player lives, PokéStops and Gyms may be very common or very sparse, tending to be more common in urban areas due to a higher population density resulting in more Ingress players in those areas. If there are no nearby PokéStops, the player will 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.

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: 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

Main article: PokéCoin

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.

To obtain the Defender bonus, the player must open the Shop menu and tap the shield icon while they have a Pokémon in at least one Gym. They will earn Stardust and 10 PokéCoins for each Gym they currently hold, being able to obtain this bonus once every 21 hours.

Items

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: 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	カメラ Camera	When you encounter Pokémon in the wild, you can use your camera to photograph them.
	Egg Incubator ∞	ムゲンふかそうち Infinite 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	キズぐすり Wound Medicine	Level 5	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	A spray-type medicine for treating wounds. It will completely restore the max HP of a single Pokémon.
	Revive	げんきのかけら Vitality Fragment	Level 5	A medicine that can revive fainted Pokémon. It also restores half of a fainted Pokémon's maximum HP.
	Max Revive		Level 30	A medicine that can revive fainted Pokémon. It also fully restores a fainted Pokémon's maximum HP.
	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.
	Incense	おこう Incense	None	Incense with a mysterious fragrance that lures wild Pokémon to your location 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	スーパーボール Super 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.
	Lure Module	ルアーモジュール Lure Module	None	A module that attracts Pokémon to a PokéStop for 30 min. The effect benefits other people nearby.
	Razz Berry	ズリのみ Zuri Fruit	Level 8	Feed this to a Pokémon, and it will be easier to catch on your next throw.
	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.

Experience

Main article: Experience → Pokémon GO

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.

Eggs

File:GO Egg.png

An Egg in Pokémon GO

Main article: Pokémon Egg → Pokémon GO

The player can obtain Eggs at PokéStops. An Egg will hatch after traveling a certain distance while the Egg is in an incubator. Three Egg distances are possible: 2 km, 5 km, and 10 km. There is a minimum Egg distance for each species, but a species can also hatch from Eggs with longer distances than this minimum.

Medals

Main article: Medal → Pokémon GO

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

Shop

PokéCoins

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

Image	PokéCoins	United States	Canada	Eurozone	United Kingdom	Australia	New Zealand	Japan	Hong Kong
	100	$0.99	$1.39	€0.99	£0.79	$1.49	$1.49	¥120	$8.00
	550	$4.99	$6.99	€4.99	£3.99	$7.99	$7.49	¥600	$38.00
	1,200	$9.99	$13.99	€9.99	£7.99	$14.99	$14.99	¥1200	$78.00
	2,500	$19.99	$27.99	€19.99	£14.99	$30.99	$29.99	¥2400	$158.00
	5,200	$39.99	$54.99	€39.99	£29.99	$62.99	$59.99	¥4800	$318.00
	14,500	$99.99	$139.99	€99.99	£79.99	$159.99	$149.99	¥11,800	$788.00

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	Standard Poké Balls to catch wild Pokémon!
		100 Poké Balls	460 PokéCoins
		200 Poké Balls	800 PokéCoins
	Incense	1 Incense	80 PokéCoins	Incense with a mysterious fragrance that lures wild Pokémon to your location for 30 minutes.
		8 Incense	500 PokéCoins
		25 Incense	1250 PokéCoins
	Lucky Egg	1 Lucky Egg	80 PokéCoins	A Lucky Egg that's filled with happiness! Earns double XP for 30 minutes.
		8 Lucky Eggs	500 PokéCoins
		25 Lucky Eggs	1250 PokéCoins
	Lure Module	1 Lure Module	100 PokéCoins	Modules that attracts Pokémon to a PokéStop for 30 min. The effect benefits other people nearby.
		8 Lure Modules	680 PokéCoins
	Egg Incubator	1 Egg Incubator	150 PokéCoins	A device that incubates an Egg as you walk until it is ready to hatch. Breaks after 3 uses.
	Bag Upgrade	1 Bag Upgrade	200 PokéCoins	Increases the max number of items you can carry by 50.
	Pokémon Storage Upgrade	1 Pokémon Storage Upgrade	200 PokéCoins	Increases the max number of Pokémon you can carry by 50.

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

In-game version	App Store version	Release date	Changes
0.29.0	1.0	July 6, 2016	Initial release
0.29.1	1.0.1	July 12, 2016	Trainers do not to have to enter their username and password repeatedly after a force log out Added stability to Pokémon Trainer Club account log-in process Resolved issues causing crashes Fixed Google account scope
0.29.2	1.0.2	July 13, 2016	Fixes for Pokemon Trainer Club login
0.29.3	1.0.3	July 20, 2016	Minor text fixes.

Android

Version	Release date	Changes
0.29.0	July 6, 2016	Initial release
0.29.2	July 13, 2016	Support added for Intel CPUs Works on devices running Android N (7.0) Trainers do not to have to enter their username and password repeatedly after a force log out Increased server stability Resolved many issues causing crashes Pokémon Trainer Club login issues resolved
0.29.3	July 20, 2016	Minor text fixes.

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:

• 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 be 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 Pokémon games. However, Junichi Masuda has stated that the developers plan to add connectivity 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. 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 attack.

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, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland
July 17, 2016	Canada
July 22, 2016	Japan
July 24, 2016	France
July 25, 2016	Hong Kong
2016	Russia
Soon	Latin America, South America

Gallery

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  Icon

Trivia

• This is the only Pokémon game to have the word "Pokémon" spelled in Latin letters in its Japanese name.
• Because the game currently only features Pokémon introduced in Generation I, it is possible to hatch Pikachu, Clefairy, Jigglypuff, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Chansey, Mr. Mime, Jynx, Electabuzz, Magmar, and Snorlax from eggs despite them being evolved Pokémon, since their pre-evolutions were introduced in later generations.

In other languages

Language Title Japanese Pokémon GO Cantonese Chinese 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

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