Pokemon GO was released nearly eight years ago, in July 2016, and quickly became a global phenomenon, encouraging millions of players to get outside and catch these loveable critters. Fans might remember the first few weeks following the release of Pokemon GO when it seemed like everyone was playing the game, even those who had never been interested in the franchise before. While the game doesn't have the same level of hype around it today as it did back then, there are still many reasons to play Pokemon GO in 2024.

The player count for Pokemon GO peaked at 232 million in its release year and has slowly declined over time, though it has seen a slight bump in players in the past year. Despite this declining player base, the game is still active with over half a million concurrent players and new content for Pokemon GO players to experience is still being introduced on a regular basis. As such, this year is a great time to jump into Pokemon GO, whether it's for the first time or returning after having taken a break from the game following its initial hype.

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What to Expect From Pokemon in 2024

The Pokemon franchise is likely to have quite a big year in 2024, and fans have a lot to expect with the bulk of news and updates already on the way.

Pokemon GO is Still a Great Way to Get Active in 2024

New Features Pokemon GO Introduced Last Year

Even in 2023, Pokemon GO introduced new ways to experience the game that players who haven't played in a while should check out in 2024. Recent features like Routes allowed players to follow curated paths created by users with the possibility of finding Zygarde Cells along the way, and the introduction of Party Play finally gave players the chance to group up in-game to complete more challenges than just Raids together. Pokemon GO even introduced the iconic Master Ball in 2023, guaranteeing players catch the critter they use it on.

In addition to these new features, Pokemon GO added a handful of new monsters to the game as well, giving players even more creatures to collect. Several Gen 9 mons made their debut in Pokemon GO in 2023, including the starters from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly. Gen 9 mons continued to roll out in Pokemon GO during events like the game's Halloween Event, which featured Greavard and Houndstone, as well as Cetoddle and Cetitan during the Winter Holiday Event and Tadbulb and Bellibolt during November's Festival of Lights Event.

Pokemon GO Events to Look Forward to in 2024

Pokemon GO is currently in its Timeless Travels season, which features critters from Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Hisui Region as its main focus. As a part of this season, players can look forward to the Pokemon GO Tour: Sinnoh event, which is set to feature Origin Forme Dialga and Palkia for players participating in the event. This event comes to Los Angeles first for in-person attendees on February 17-18, followed by a global digital event beginning on February 24-25, giving players around the world a great reason to check out all the new additions the game has to offer, including a chance of obtaining a shiny Origin Forme Dialga or Palkia.

Players can also expect Pokemon GO to continue its monthly Community Day events throughout 2024 as well, with January already having finished its first event featuring Rowlet, and this month's Community Day Classic coming up on January 20 featuring Porygon in the spotlight. Pokemon GO also recently confirmed that Chansey would be the critter in the spotlight for the February 2024 Community Day, so players looking to add a shiny Chansey to their collection should check this event out. These events show that Niantic is committed to supporting Pokemon GO even eight years after its initial launch, making it a game worth playing in 2024.

Pokémon GO

Franchise

Pokemon

Platform(s)

iOS , Android

Released

July 6, 2016

Developer(s)

Niantic , The Pokemon Company

Publisher(s)

Niantic

Genre(s)

Augmented Reality

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Engine

Unity

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