What makes Pokemon Go still so popular today? 

While the Pokemon Go hype has calmed a little, the mobile game is still very popular today due to constant updates and a dedicated community.

Whether they’re designed to help your lifestyle or simply provide entertainment, every smartphone application we download on our iOS and Android devices is hoping to become successful. In what has become a hugely saturated space, it isn’t always achievable. Niantic, the developers of Pokemon Go, have clearly nailed its particular gaming app, though. 

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Pokemon Go’s rise to prominence has been impossible to ignore. The game came out of nowhere, eclipsing giants, such as Candy Crush and Angry Birds, and even popular casino titles like Mega Moolah and go-to social media services like Twitter. In the space of a few weeks, the first-ever augmented reality game on a mobile phone was a global favourite that was being enjoyed by smartphone users practically everywhere. Since the game’s release on 6 July 2016, its community of Pokemon Go gamers is still going incredibly strong today in 2022, too. 

The free-to-play mobile game app offers a truly immersive mobile gaming experience. Although the game’s initial success has waned somewhat, it still manages to pull in around 80 million players a month and is most definitely one of the most popular mobile games ever created. The game appears to be here to stay for a while longer yet, too. But why? What makes Pokemon Go still so popular today? Let’s assess some reasons behind its longevity below. 

An innovative augmented reality concept

First and foremost, what separates Pokemon Go out from the saturated mobile gaming sphere is undoubtedly its augmented reality concept that enables players to explore an outdoor environment as they hunt down Pokemon, hatch eggs, take down gyms, and a whole lot more.

Its augmented reality and geolocation pairing lets the app know exactly where you are, then, from there, your surrounding area will be populated with Pokemon that you can catch. Popular with dog walkers and outdoor enthusiasts, the game provides trainers with the perfect excuse to immerse themselves in an outdoor setting and essentially enjoy some tech-related fishing. In the same way fishermen have a favourite spot, a Pokemon trainer knows specific areas to locate certain species of Pokemon. No other smartphone game provides players with the same type of freedom, that’s for sure.

A world-famous franchise already

Although the game’s innovative augmented reality feature initially tempted people in, the fact that it was a key feature in an already massive franchise certainly helped. People adore Pokemon, from the old-school Game Boy games to the popular cartoons and movies. As such, there was always going to be an appetite for a mobile game, although many people problem didn’t anticipate Pokemon Go to have the success that it has.

dults who used to watch the show are now back in love with it after playing the mobile game, kids are discovering Pokemon’s all-round appeal, and overall its logical concept fits perfectly into the brand. Players want to do what Ash does in the cartoons and explore a vast landscape and battle against any rivals. In Pokemon Go, you can do exactly that. 

A wave of updates 

One of the main ingredients behind Pokemon Go’s undoubted success has been its continued updates. Niantic has produced notable updates and tweaked the game since its birth, helping to keep it fresh and exciting for its large community of players.

One of the main updates comes when new Pokemon are added to the game, with new and exciting creatures and evolutions coming to the fore on an impressively regular basis. While people are mainly striving to fill up their Pokédex, it also gives them an opportunity to battle with new Pokemon, trade with friends, and a whole lot more.