What is Pokémon Go? 6 things you NEED to know about the app taking the world by storm

Curtis Moldrich Read more July 11, 2016

Are you starting to notice the horde of Pokémon Go stories spreading through the internet? Are you starting to realise your social media feeds are pretty much full of small, electrical mice? If you’re not entirely sure what Pokémon Go is, or why it’s now bigger than Tinder, you’ve come to the right place. For those of you that don’t actually want to become a real-life Pokémon trainer, we’ve put together a list of everything you need to know about Pokémon Go.

What is Pokémon Go? 6 things you NEED to know about the app taking the world by storm

6 facts about Pokémon Go

1. Pokémon Go uses tech to shake up an old franchise

Pokémon isn’t new. It’s actually a long-running series of games and cartoons from Nintendo where players catch monsters and fight them against each other.

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2. Pokémon Go brings Pokemon to life

Pokémon Go brings the concept into the 21st century by utilising two technologies ubiquitous in modern tech: GPS tracking and augmented reality. That means you can use the app to track them down in the streets, parks and buildings near your house. Once you find one, you catch it by firing Pokéballs at them, and if you’re using your smartphone’s camera, they appear in your surroundings using augmented reality (AR).

3. How do you fight other players in Pokémon Go?

You can’t fight against wild Pokémon, but you can fight other players’ Pokémon at Pokémon Gyms – which are buildings of note highlighted by the game. In short, you have to do a lot of walking around to catch and fight your team of battle monsters.

4. Pokémon Go is bigger than Tinder

Pokémon Go is far more popular than we could have ever imagined, and it’s already been downloaded more than some very well-known apps. New reports have shown that Pokémon Go has been downloaded on more Android phones than Tinder, and the game is also quickly approaching more daily users than Twitter.

5. In fact, Pokémon Go is bigger than sex

In fact, Pokémon Go is now so popular in the UK, that searches for the game have overtaken the UK searches for sex. However, if you broaden the location to the entire world, you’ll soon see that it’s much lower in comparison. We’re not sure why either.

6. Pokémon Go is out now the UK

It’s fair to say the developers were somewhat taken aback by the runaway success of Pokémon Go, and staggered the release while they get their servers in order. Initially, Pokémon Go was only available on app stores in America, Australia and New Zealand. The Wall Street Journal said sources close to the game expected a release in Europe “within days”.

The app was released in Germany earlier this week, and, as of 14 July, is officially available in the UK for iOS and Android.