Pokémon GO – The Location-Based Game of Catching Pokémon on Foot
The origins of Niantic's Pokémon GO, how it uses GPS and AR, why it's considered a classic, its social impact, and how to enjoy it today.
Pokémon GO is a mobile game that uses your smartphone's GPS to find and catch Pokémon as you actually walk around. Right after its release in the summer of 2016, it created scenes of people gathering with their phones in parks and streets all over the world, and it's regarded as the game that introduced location-based gaming and augmented reality (AR) to the general public.
In this post, we cover how Pokémon GO began as an April Fools' prank on Google Maps, how its basic structure of PokéStops, Gyms, and Raids works, why it's talked about as a classic, and what impact and controversy it left behind. We also include the story of how Sokcho became a hot topic in Korea before the game's official launch there.
At a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Release | July 6, 2016 (Australia, New Zealand, US); official Korean launch January 2017 |
| Developer | Niantic (Scopely since 2025), in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company |
| Platforms | iOS, Android |
| Genre | Location-based augmented reality game, free-to-play |
Origins
Pokémon GO's starting point was "Pokémon Challenge," an April Fools' event released on Google Maps on April 1, 2014. It was created by Google engineer Tatsuo Nomura, using a program that let employees spend part of their work time on free projects. John Hanke, founder of Niantic, which was then an internal Google organization, saw it and contacted Nomura, proposing to build a Pokémon game played in the real world in the style of Niantic's location-based game Ingress.
Nomura introduced Ingress to Tsunekazu Ishihara of The Pokémon Company, and Ishihara also felt the collaboration was a good fit for the Pokémon series. Niantic became an independent company when Google restructured into Alphabet in 2015, and the game was officially announced on September 10, 2015. Nomura served as director, and longtime Pokémon series composer Junichi Masuda created the music.
The locations of PokéStops and Gyms used place data collected by Ingress players. Beta testing, which began in Japan in March 2016, expanded to Australia, New Zealand, and the US, and ended in late June.
Gameplay
The player's avatar moves across the map following their real-world location. When you encounter a Pokémon while walking around, you swipe up on the screen to throw a Poké Ball and catch it. Unlike the original games, there's no step of battling wild Pokémon to weaken them.
- PokéStops: Usually located at monuments or notable places; visiting them gives you items like Poké Balls. Attaching a Lure Module draws Pokémon to the area.
- Gyms and Raids: Gyms are places the three teams (Valor, Mystic, and Instinct) compete to control. In Raids, multiple players join forces to fight a powerful Pokémon.
- Candy and Stardust: The Candy and Stardust you receive for catching Pokémon are used to evolve them or make them stronger.
- Buddy Pokémon: You earn Candy based on the distance you walk together.
- AR mode: You can see Pokémon overlaid on the real scenery shown by your camera.
At launch there were about 150 Pokémon species, and Pokémon from new regions have been added continuously, starting with the second generation in February 2017. Since 2018, a monthly "Community Day" has been held where a specific Pokémon appears in large numbers. The maximum trainer level was originally 40, was raised to 50 in November 2020, and to 80 in October 2025.
Why It's a Classic
The biggest significance of Pokémon GO is that it pulled games off the screen. To catch Pokémon you have to actually walk, and to hatch eggs you have to travel a set distance. As a result, it was praised for getting people to exercise and to talk with strangers in the same places.
It also let people actually experience the fantasy of "Pokémon living in my neighborhood" with familiar characters. There was also the fun of real places connecting to the game, such as Water-type Pokémon appearing often near water.
At launch, critic scores were "average," and there were many technical problems like unstable servers. Even so, it became one of the most popular and highest-grossing mobile apps of 2016. At the same time, criticism and regulatory discussions arose over issues like accidents caused by people staring at their screens while walking and crowds gathering in places they shouldn't enter.
Korea and the Sokcho Story
In Korea, the game was initially not officially launched due to restrictions on exporting map data. However, when word spread that the area around Sokcho in Gangwon Province was treated as a different region on the game map and was therefore playable, people flocked there, to the point that bus tickets from Seoul to Sokcho sold out. The official launch took place in January 2017.
Series and Influence
Pokémon GO also connected with the main series. "Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!", released for Nintendo Switch in 2018, used Pokémon GO-style catching and could be linked with Pokémon GO, and the new Pokémon Meltan first appeared in Pokémon GO. The wearable device "Pokémon GO Plus," which lets you catch Pokémon without looking at your phone, came out in 2016, and a successor device was released in 2023.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, changes like remote battles and indoor step tracking were made to suit a situation where it was hard to go outside. In 2025, US mobile game company Scopely acquired Niantic's games business for $3.5 billion, and operation of Pokémon GO passed to it as well. "Pikmin Bloom" and "Monster Hunter Now," which were transferred at the same time, are also games that use walking and real places, carrying on the approach Pokémon GO established.
How to Play It Today
Pokémon GO can still be downloaded for free on iOS and Android. If you're just starting, it's a good idea to take a stroll through a park or busy area near your home with lots of PokéStops, and heading out on event days like Community Day or Raid Day makes it easier to meet other players. Basic etiquette is not to stare only at your screen while walking, and not to play on roads, in dangerous places, or in restricted areas.