Skip to main content

Pokémon will be where you'd expect in Pokémon GO

pokemon go water lake google
Image used with permission by copyright holder
For all you pocket monster fanatics, Pokémon GO is now visible on the horizon. Niantic, Google’s pioneer in augmented reality applications, is still hard at work with its next project, but has finally given us some eye candy. In a recent blog post, the San Francisco software company provided three teaser screenshots, along with some juicy information on what the game is going to play like.

For those unfamiliar with the Pokémon GO phenomenon, it’s an augmented reality game where players across the globe can travel outside in the real world to capture Pokémon and battle it out with one another. So it’s basically what every kid who ever played the game has been dreaming of.

Recommended Videos

In the spirit of enslaving cute animals, those hunting for creatures to battle with will have to travel to areas where they might find them first. Amphibious Pokémon, like the awkward Magikarp and its twinkling neighbor Staryu, can normally be found and captured near lakes and seashores. Sandshrew and Rhydon may show up around the Sahara desert, but no official word on non-amphibious types has been released so far.

Pokemon GO Capture Transp
From the left: Zoomed out map, zoomed in map, and an encounter. Image used with permission by copyright holder

While the lid has barely been lifted, there’s now a little more information for us to go on regarding player vs. player encounters. “Players will be encouraged to join one of three teams in order to compete over the ownership and prestige of Gyms. They will do this by placing their captured Pokémon in a friendly Gym or by battling with an opponent’s Pokémon in another team’s Gym. Gyms — just like PokéStops – are also found at real world locations.”

Please enable Javascript to view this content

So before you head out to massacre your local rival’s gym, you can always attend your local PokéStop to get some well needed potions and other handy items before the battle ensues. Aside from healing items and the like, you’ll also be able to acquire eggs there, and you’ll find them in real world locations like museums, historical markers, and the like.

Though the game was first announced in September last year, there’s still no word on how actual battles will play out. It’s one of the most crucial aspects of the game and it’s what will keep people coming back, so the company is likely holding back on information until they’ve got some feedback from the initial tests in Japan. No doubt we’ll be seeing footage from the imminent field testing. Niantic said it wouldn’t be too long until Japan got to taste what it’s like to throw digital Poké Balls, and the company states that field testing will begin soon while the game is still in development. There’s also a kind reminder that nothing’s final yet, so just keep that in mind as you go about daydreaming about how fantastic all of this could become.

Dan Isacsson
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Being a gamer since the age of three, Dan took an interest in mobile gaming back in 2009. Since then he's been digging ever…
Pokémon Presents August 2023: how to watch and what to expect
Pikachu drinks coffee in Detective Pikachu Returns.

The Pokémon Company will hold yet another Pokémon Presents today. This presentation will likely feature games like Detective Pikachu Returns and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's upcoming expansions. If you want to watch this Pokémon Presents as it airs live today, we've outlined where and how to do that, as well as what you should expect from the livestream.

When is the August 2023 Pokémon Presents
The August 2023 Pokémon Presents airs at 6 a.m. PT today According to The Pokémon Company, the presentation will last about 35 minutes. This makes it the longest Pokémon Presents yet, as these livestreams usually hue closer to around the 20-minute mark.
How to watch the August 2023 Pokémon Presents
Like the Pokémon Presents that came before it, today's showcase will air on The Official Pokémon YouTube channel. You can watch the livestream below.
Pokémon Presents | 8.8.2023
What to expect from the August 2023 Pokémon Presents
The description for the event states that this Pokémon Presents will feature "Pokémon news and a spotlight on the latest happenings across the brand it comes to games." When it comes to upcoming games, there are multiple things that are almost guaranteed to show up here. Detective Pikachu Returns launches on October 6, and our only real look at it so far was in the June Nintendo Direct. As such, this would be an excellent place for a deep dive into its gameplay and story, showing how this game evolves on what the 2018 3DS game established.

Read more
I’m buying a new Samsung folding phone, but not the one you’d expect
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Fold 4, and Galaxy Z Flip 5 resting on a table.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 (left) Galaxy Z Fold 5 (right), and Galaxy Z Flip 5 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I bought the original Samsung Galaxy Fold, which I still have today, and I absolutely loved its futuristic design, multimedia ability, and feeling like I was right on the cutting edge of consumer mobile tech. I purchased the Galaxy Z Fold 3 in 2021 and upgraded to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in 2022 — so surely I’ve already pre-ordered the Galaxy Z Fold 5, right?

Read more
Pokémon Sleep: everything we know so far
An illustration of a Snorlax and other Pokémon napping from the Pokémon Sleep trailer.

Just when you thought you had all the Pokémon you needed in your life, here comes a way to interact with the world of Pokémon while you sleep. First announced in 2019 and quietly in development since, the mobile app Pokémon Sleep is set to launch in 2023, the Pokémon Company recently announced.

You may have caught all the Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet or Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but have you studied their sleeping habits? Here's everything you need to know about this new Pokémon experience.
What is Pokémon Sleep?
Rest your very best! | Pokémon Sleep

Read more