On what date did Pokémon Go first launch publicly in 2016?

Pokémon Go first launched publicly on July 6, 2016.

Niantic developed the location-based mobile game with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. The first release was limited to Australia and New Zealand, followed by the United States on July 7 and additional countries later that month.

Pokémon Go uses GPS, a phone camera, and an internet connection to place Pokémon in real-world surroundings. Players walk through physical locations to find creatures, visit PokéStops, and battle at Gyms.

The game was built on Niantic’s earlier augmented-reality title Ingress, which supplied much of the location-based framework. Its staggered rollout is why launch dates can differ by country. July 6 is the widely cited first public release date, not the date the game became available worldwide.