Pokémon Go: the world's first augmented reality app to become a household name. Niantic's mobile AR game is still going strong four years after it first released, with a constant drip of events and updates keeping budding trainers glued to their phones and pounding the streets.
And while it hasn't managed to top the peak of its popularity in 2016, it's still going strong and finding plenty of new ways to improve its player experience. Including making it easier for its players to catch 'em all from inside their own homes during coronavirus quarantines.
So what's the latest news for Pokémon Go? As you'd expect, brand new features are being added all the time and themed events are still going strong.
But without further ado, here's our guide to all the latest Pokémon Go news and updates.
- Pokémon Go tips and tricks: how to get better at the game
- How to fix the biggest problems with Pokémon Go
- Pokémon Gone: how Pokémon Go can bring back lapsed trainers
- How to catch a Ditto in Pokémon Go
- How to play Pokémon Go from home
Pokémon Go news and Pokémon Go updates
- What's new? Pokémon Go Fest will be taking place in July 2020 and support for some 32-bit Android devices will be dropped at a date still to be determined
Dropping support for 32-bit Android devices...eventually
Niantic has announced plans to end support for 32-bit Android devices. The hope is that doing so will allow the development team to streamline processes and focus on supporting newer operating systems and technologies. Some of the phones that will be affected by this decision include Samsung Galaxy S4, S5, Note 3, J3, Sony Xperia Z2, Z3, Motorola Moto G's 1st generation and many Android phones that were released before 2015.
When the update takes place, those on these devices won't be able to access their Pokémon Go accounts using them and will have to upgrade their device before they can play again. Niantic hasn't confirmed when this update will happen—originally planned for August 2020 it has since been delayed and deemed "TBD" so that Niantic can "investigate player concerns" over the decision.
Coronavirus play-at-home changes: a new way to battle Team Rocket
Given Pokémon Go is a game which attempts to draw its players outside, Niantic is having to react to the Coronavirus pandemic and make some temporary changes which will make it easier for players to continue to catch 'em all without stepping over the door.
In a statement to Polygon, the developer has said that it's “prioritizing updates to Pokémon Go features and experiences that can be enjoyed in individual settings.”
The latest changes, announced June 18, are going to be going into testing and are expected to roll out over the coming months.
The first is daily guaranteed Pokémon encountersDaily guaranteed Pokémon encounters. Trainers chosen to test this feature will receive a special kind of Incense from Professor Willow which will attract a Pokémon once per day to you and only you.
A further help will be daily free boxes in the in-game shop. Trainers chosen to test this will receive a free box of items in the shop every day containing different items each time.
Niantic also made it possible to battle Team Rocket at home in July. The bad guys are invading the in-game map in hot air balloons and only have to be tapped to be battled, which makes things easier for players who are quarantined and can't get out and about to Pokéstops.
Team Leaders and Giovanni will be in these balloons too, as long as you have your Rocket Radar and Super Rocket Radar equipped to see them.
Check out our guide on how to play Pokémon Go at home to see all the changes Niantic has made and how they'll help you stay safe and catch 'em all.
Pokémon Go Battle League
Its first season now finished up, the second season of Pokémon Go's competitive Battle League began on May 11. Trainers who took part in the first season and achieved a rank of 7 or higher will have received an Elite Charged TM.
Trainer Battles within the GO Battle League will rotate between three leagues and players will be able to rank against fellow Trainers, earning rewards for ranking.
The GO Battle League is beginning with the Great League until June 1, which will be followed by the Ultra League until June 22, then the Master League until July 6, after which all three Leagues will be available until July 13. Season 3 is expected to begin on July 13, when each of these Leagues has been cycled through.
Players can earn Stardust depending on rank and number of battles won as well as items like Rare Candies and TMS as well as the chance to get exclusive Pokémon encounters.
Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, Niantic is continuing to waive the walk and pay entry requirements for Battle League. Players who are not in-game close friends will no longer need to be close to one another to Battle and will be able to send Battle requests to Good Friends and above. Trainers can now also initiate battles through QR codes which can be used regardless of friendship levels and distance.
Other things remaining the same are that Metagross and Pikachu Libre are still reward encounters when you reach rank 1 and rank 10 respectively and the Steven Stone avatar items remain rank 10 rewards.
Some changes are being made to Battle League based on learnings from the first season, most notably the reward system which will now allow players to earn a reward encounter after their third win on basic rewards track or their first win on the premium reward tracks.
The ranking system has also been altered so that more wins are needed to achieve ranks 4, 5, 6 and 7.
While some guaranteed reward encounters have remained the some, some will be different for Season 2. Now players will encounter Stunfisk at rank 4, Rufflet at rank 8 and Scraggy at rank 9. Rank 10 will bring a new avatar pose.
Those who finish Season 2 at rank 7 or higher will receive an Elite Fast TM this time around while the other end-of-season rewards will stay the same as in Season 1.
Live Leaderboards
As of April 10, you can see who's doing well in the Pokémon Battle League thanks to the launch of the GO Battle League leaderboard on PokemonGOLive.com. The leaderboard has come as the GO Battle League changes from Ultra League to Master League.
The leaderboards show the top five hundred Trainers in the world as well as their Trainer nicknames, teams, ranks, ratings, and total matches.
Rankings are based on the previous day’s in-game ratings for Trainers rank 7 and up but it'll update between 8pm UTC and 10pm UTC every day unless maintenance issues cause a delay.
What's the next Pokémon Go Event?
Pokémon Go Fest 2020
Niantic is going ahead with Pokémon Go Fest for 2020 but it'll be a little different from 2019's experience. Taking place on July 25 and 26, this global virtual event will allow players to take part from their own homes, with all ticket holders able to attend both days.
Niantic has said "While we’ll miss the traditional congregation of Pokémon GO fans, we’re thrilled to bring a special Pokémon GO Fest experience to Trainers. Not only are you in for an exciting weekend of bonuses, Pokémon encounters, and Special Research, there will also be exciting ways to connect with other Trainers and experience other fun surprises throughout the entire summer."
Niantic has revealed more on what will take place over the two-day event.
On day one, between 10am and 8pm local time, players will get access to a Special Research Story that's only for this day. They'll also be able to enjoy five rotating habitats that will change hourly and feature Pokémon tied to the themes of fire, water, grass, battle and friendship.
The Global Challenge Arena, exclusive to Go-Fest, will invite trainers to work together to complete a collaborative challenge each hour. Each challenge completed will earn players bonuses.
Finally, Trainers will be able to encounter over 75 species of Pokémon in the wild, in raids, and by completing Special Research tasks.
Day two is more of a mystery and Niantic has said in order to keep it a surprise, ticket holders won't find out what the day has in store until July 26 itself.
Players can buy tickets to the event in the in-game shop for $14.99/£14.99.
Weekly challenges
To get players excited for Pokémon Go Fest and celebrate the game's fourth anniversary, Niantic is running weekly Timed Research challenges. Players can take part in these whether they have a ticket to Go Fest or not and completing challenges will unlock additional Pokémon to appear in Go Fest.
At time of writing we're just going into week 2 of 3 which is the battle-based challenge.
From July 10 to July 15 players will be asked to test their battle skills across three tasks, each giving the chance to earn encounters with Hitmonlee, Absol and more.
If the following numbers of Trainers from the same team complete their Timed Research in week 2, the corresponding Pokémon will be available to catch in Go Fest later this month.
- 1 million Team Instinct Trainers: Ferroseed
- 1 million Team Mystic Trainers: Alolan Grimer
- 1 million Team Valor Trainers: Alolan Marowak
Week 3 will run from July 17 to July 22, just before Go Fest begins. The challenges for this week, based around the theme friendship, will give teams the chance to unlock Togetic, Dratini and Litwick for Go Fest.
When's the next Pokémon Go Community Day?
- What date is the next Community Day? July 19
- Who's the starring Pokémon? Gastly
Niantic has announced that the next Pokémon Go Community Day will take place on July 19 and the starring Pokémon will be ghost-type Gastly.
Between 11am and 5pm local time on this date, Gastly will appear in the wild more often. Those who evolve a Haunter into Gengar during the event or two hours after it will get the special move Shadow Punch.
To make things easier for players unable to travel a great distance, there'll be a one-time-purchase Community Day Box in the store with 30 Ultra Balls, an Elite Fast TM, two Incense, and two Super Incubators.
Players will also be able to purchase a Community Day-exclusive Special Research story for $1/£1 called The Great Gastly.
As far as bonuses during the event, Eggs will have a 1/4 hatch distance when in incubators and incense will last for three hours.
Pokémon Go update: what's next?
Now that Go Battle League has arrived in Pokémon Go, Niantic has ticked another big promised feature off its list. At the moment, we're not sure what's next for the game aside from, naturally, new Pokémon being added. We'll update here when the roadmap becomes more clear.
- Check out the best and weirdest Pokémon Go stories so far
Pokémon Go Plus deals
Want to buy yourself a Pokémon Go Plus wearable? Check some of today's best deals down below.
(Image credits: Niantic/Pokémon Company)
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