Skip to main content

4 years after its reveal, Pokémon Sleep is finally coming this year

Four years after its original reveal, The Pokémon Company has finally revealed new details on Pokémon Sleep. The mobile sleep tracking app will launch in 2023 on iOS and mobile and be compatible with a new accessory dubbed the Pokémon Go+ Plus.

[UK] Pokémon Presents | 27.2.2023

Pokémon Sleep was first announced at the Pokémon 2019 Press Conference event. While it was initially targeted for a 2020 release date, information on the app went silent after its announcement. It reemerged during today’s Pokémon Presents stream and it looks like it’ll actually release this year, though it doesn’t have an exact date yet.

Recommended Videos

The stream gave some concrete details on what the app is and how it works. It’s a gamified sleep-tracking app that tosses players on a new island built around a sleeping Snorlax. Professor Neroli tasks players with helping him research Pokémon sleeping habits. That’s simply accomplished by leaving your phone next to your pillow while you sleep. The app will record and analyze sleep like any tracker.

The Pokémon aspect of that comes in how it categorizes sleep. Rest will be placed into one of three categories: dozing, snoozing, or slumbering. Pokémon with the same sleeping habits will appear around Snorlax in the app, which is how players ultimately conduct research. While players won’t “catch” Pokémon, they can collect different creatures and their sleeping styles.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

For those who don’t want to keep their phone on their bed, The Pokémon Company is launching a new peripheral this year. The Pokémon Go+ Plus (yes, that’s “plus plus”) is a Pokéball shaped button that can record sleep data. Pressing the center button once will activate the device and send data to a phone. It’s also a bit of a game in itself, as players can increase their friendship with a digital Pikachu voice housed inside it and unlock different alarm sounds.

The device is compatible with Pokémon Go as well, as it’ll let players spin Pokéstops or throw Pokéballs without picking up their phone. Linking the device with Pokémon Go will give players a research mission that’ll let them catch a Snorlax with a sleeping hat on.

Pokémon Sleep does not have a release date yet, but Pokémon Go+ Plus is set to launch in July 2023.

Giovanni Colantonio
As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…
The best Space-Time Smackdown cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket
Space-Time Smackdown packs in Pokemon TCG Pocket.

The third major card set has been released for Pokémon TCG Pocket, featuring Pokémon from Gen 4 in 207 unique cards. Space-Time Smackdown has a ton of new cards to shake up the meta, whether they're from the Dialga or Palkia pack.

If the 200+ cards are overwhelming for you, don't worry. Just like with the Mythical Island cards, some are okay while others are extraordinary. To make the best new decks possible, here are the greatest Space-Time Smackdown cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket.
Best cards from Space-Time Smackdown in Pokémon TCG Pocket
Dialga ex

Read more
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket adds trading next week, but there’s a catch
pokemon trading card game pocket announced lucario

Pokémon TCG Pocket: Space-Time Smackdown | Coming Soon!

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is getting two major updates next week. Trading will finally come to the mobile card game on January 29, while new cards are coming on January 30 via the Space-Time Smackdown booster set. Those hoping that trading will let them quickly fill out their collection might be disappointed by how it works, though.

Read more
Trading comes to Pokémon TCG Pocket later this month, but there’s a catch
Moltres and Zapdos cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket.

Pokémon TCG Pocket is finally bringing the trading function to the game later this month. One of the hottest titles on the market, TCG Pocket is a more simplified, streamlined version of the regular trading card game with a heavier focus on card collecting than battling. Trading is a big part of that, but the feature has been unavailable since launch.

In what should come as no surprise, there are restrictions on how trade works. You will only be able to trade cards with a diamond rarity of one through four or cards with a one-star rarity, and alternate art cards won't be tradeable. You need to be friends with the person you're trading with, too. Cards must also be the same rarity to be eligible for trade, so you won't be able to swap a one-diamond Heatmor for a three-diamond Serperior, no matter how many of them you might have. (At last count, I have 17 Heatmor. Send help.)

Read more