Highlights

  • Niantic has updated the Pokemon GO beach biome.
  • The visual makeover includes several new non-AR catch screens, featuring different rock and seashell formations.
  • The change appears to be limited to a select few countries for now.

Niantic has given the beach biome in Pokemon GO a visual makeover. The change was seemingly introduced in the latest Pokemon GO update, although the developer has yet to officially announce it.

Real-world biomes have been an inherent feature of Niantic's hit mobile game from day one. In addition to affecting the appearance of its (non-AR) catch screen, biomes also determine the type of Pokemon GO spawns that players can encounter in any given habitat. Aside from some minor revisions, their appearances have been largely unchanged since 2016.

new-pokemon-go-event-will-feature-debut-of-3-new-shiny-pokemon-1
Related
New Pokemon GO Event Will Feature Debut of 3 New Shiny Pokemon

Pokemon GO reveals a new event featuring three new shiny Pokemon, along with the bonuses, challenges, and Raids that will be available.

New Pokemon GO Beach Biome Now Live in Select Territories

Nearly eight years later, Niantic decided to treat the game's beach biomes to a major makeover. The change was first spotted by Reddit user DrexiteUK, who recently shared an image of a new Pokemon GO catch screen featuring the Generation 5 Pokemon Tirtouga on a colorful beach. Subsequent user reports on social media have revealed a few more variants of this interface, which feature slightly different rock and seashell formations. This beach biome makeover currently appears to be unavailable stateside. The full list of countries that have access to the new catch screens remains unclear, but the UK is confirmed to be among them.

The change itself was seemingly introduced in the newest Pokemon GO update, identified by version number 0.305.1. The patch notes that the developer has attached to this release do not mention anything in the way of the beach biome visual makeover that some players have now started noticing, describing it as a welcome surprise. In fact, they hardly mention anything at all, with Niantic's support pages merely listing "minor bug fixes and performance improvements" as being introduced in the latest version of the game.

Accurately gauging when this beach biome makeover might become available globally is essentially impossible to do right now. Niantic has historically tested new Pokemon GO features for periods ranging from a few weeks to half a year. Moreover, the sole fact that a change of this sort made its way to a limited open beta test doesn't necessarily guarantee it will ever be rolled out globally. That still seems like a plausible scenario this time around, as scrapping a minor visual update after it has already rolled out to some users would be a near-unprecedented move on Niantic's part.

The beach biome makeover coincided with the announcement of the next Community Day Classic, which will feature Bagon and take place on April 7. The next two Pokemon GO CDs are scheduled to take place on April 20 and May 19.