Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

After more than two years, ‘Pokémon Go’ will finally get trainer battles

By
Pokemon Go Plus
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Pokémon Go launched back in 2016, but it was missing a few features that many fans consider core to the Pokémon experience. Trading was eventually added to the game, letting players swap monsters between each other, and soon we’ll finally be able to actually fight — yes, trainer battles are finally coming to Pokémon Go.

Developer Niantic revealed the news on Twitter on November 30, teasing it with a GIF of an opposing trainer ready to throw a Poké Ball into battle.

Recommended Videos

Get prepared… Trainer Battles are coming soon to Pokémon GO❗ #GOBattle pic.twitter.com/AUWyhNGlT7

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) November 30, 2018

Related

The announcement did not mention a specific release date or even a window for when trainer battles would be coming to the game, but with players already having to wait two years with little information on this front, they’ll probably just be glad to know that battles are on their way.

In the lead-up to the announcement, the Pokémon Go Twitter feed posted cryptic videos and images showing a battlefield, which appears to have room for one trainer on each side. It’s unclear if this will be the only way to battle against another trainer, or if team battles will also be available.

If you’ve stopped playing of Pokémon Go, trainer battles aren’t the only reason to jump back on board. The game will have its next Community Days event from 4 p.m. ET on November 3  to 2 a.m. ET on December 3. During this event, you’ll find Pokémon like Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Pikachu, Eevee, and Cyndaquill more often while walking in the wild, and you’ll also get double experience points, Stardust, and incubator effectiveness during this time.

Even for those who aren’t interested in playing Pokémon Go again, you can still make use of your account with the Nintendo Switch games Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! A section of the map is available to transfer your monsters from the mobile game, and if you then catch them again on Switch, they are yours to keep. You can’t return them to Pokémon Go after they’ve been transferred to the Switch, however, so only do it with the ones you aren’t particularly attached to.

Pokémon Go is available for free on iOS and Android. The Pokémon: Let’s Go games are available exclusively on Nintendo Switch.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
NBA All-World aims to replicate Pokémon Go’s success starting today
A player walks around their neighborhood's map in NBA All-World.

Niantic launched NBA All-World, its basketball-themed, location-based mobile game, on iOS and Android today. Ahead of this release, Digital Trends attended a presentation to learn more about how the sports AR title works.
If you've played any of Niantic's games before, many elements of NBA All-World will feel quite familiar. The mobile game tracks players' location and encourages them to explore. While doing so, players will find Drop Zones that grant them new gear. Niantic says Drop Zones will often be placed near real-world counterparts, so players can find money near a bank or shoes near a shoe store. 
There will also be Player Encounters, where they can face off against current NBA athletes. Niantic tells Digital Trends that classic athletes aren't currently in the game, but feels that idea "is a good one." 

In Player Encounters, users face off against athletes in one of four minigames: 3-Point Shootout, Beat the Clock, Around the World, and First-to-Five. While they feature some impressive and realistic animation for a mobile game, Niantic says these minigames only use simple swipe controls because the studio wanted to make something that is easy to play while someone is walking around their neighborhood. If a user wins a Player Encounter, they can recruit that athlete to their team, customize them with items found at Drop Zones, and upgrade them by playing with them. Players can also challenge players they already recruited again to earn more currency. 
The title also includes "Rule the Court" neighborhood leaderboards, many of which are placed at real-world basketball courts, where players can compete for the highest score. Currently, there are no player-versus-player elements in NBA All-World, although Niantic understands players like competitive modes in their sports games and may add them in the future. In fact, many features are still in the pipeline for post-launch updates, including Niantic's trademark AR support. Early in the second quarter of 2023, Niantic plans on adding AR support to NBA All-World to enhance the loot drops from Drop Zones to make it look like they're happening in the real world.
One thing that will be in the game at launch is microtransactions, which Niantic says will be similar to the ones available in its other games and allow players to increase their athletes' stats with Offense, Defense, and Fitness boosts. 
Despite the undeniable success of Pokémon Go, Niantic has never been able to completely replicate its success with games like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite or Pikmin Bloom. However, the studio seems confident that basketball has the global mass appeal to make NBA All-World another massive hit for the company. The early footage we saw of the game does leave us optimistic for NBA All-World's prospects, but we'll ultimately have to wait and see if the game will make it past its rookie season. 
NBA All-World is available now for iOS and Android.

Read more
After 25 seasons, Ash Ketchum is retiring from Pokémon
Ash holds a Pokeball while a lot of iconic Pokemon stand behind him.

The Pokémon Company confirmed that Ash Ketchum will no longer be the main protagonist of the series' anime starting in 2023.
Ever since Pokémon! I Choose You! first aired in Japan on April 1, 1997, the Pokémon anime has followed the exploits of 10-year-old Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum on his quest to become Pokémon Master. After trying and failing many times across 25 seasons, Ash finally managed to become the world's greatest Pokémon trainer in Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series after winning the Pokémon World Coronation Series.
The Pokémon Company is deciding to leave Ash's journey on a high note and will retire his character as the protagonist of the Pokémon anime after the current season. Thankfully, he is getting a proper send-off across the final 11 episodes of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series, with classic anime characters like Misty and Brock returning to help tell "the final chapter in Ash and Pikachu's story." These final 11 episodes will start airing in Japan on January 13, 2023.
This won't be the end of Pokémon anime adaptions, though; The Pokémon Company will start a new series later next year, following two new characters named Liko and Roy. Details on this new series are still scarce, but we know it will also feature Sprigatito, Fuecoco, Quaxly, and a Shiny Rayquaza in significant roles. We're likely to see them venture through Paldea, the region Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are set in.
While the announcement that Ash Ketchum will no longer be the protagonist of the Pokémon series is bittersweet for those of us who grew up with the Pokémon anime, we can hope that the series will give him a beautiful farewell, and that Liko and Roy's series can successfully capture the hearts of a whole new generation of Pokémon fans. 

Read more
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: 8 tips and tricks to get started
Pokemon trainer and team in Scarlet and Violet.

Calling all Pokémon trainers, new and old! The next generation of the most popular IP in the world is here and is breaking new ground for the series. While every entry in the Pokémon franchise introduces at least a few new features or mechanics here and there, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have made arguably the biggest leap in the series to date by giving trainers access to an entirely open world in the Paldea region. This one change means a ton of the things that longtime fans have always known about the series have changed.

Even though you begin your journey, as always, as a brand new trainer in the world of Pokémon, there are plenty of things you're better off learning ahead of time to make your quest to catch 'em all that much easier. We've gone ahead and filled out our Pokédex, acquired all the gym badges, and thwarted Team Star's plans to bring you these essential tips and tricks for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Read more