Pokémon Go first brought the Pokémon franchise to augmented-reality mobile play.
Niantic developed and published Pokémon Go in partnership with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. The game launched in 2016 for iOS and Android, using GPS, mapping data, and a phone’s camera to place Pokémon in a player’s real-world surroundings.
Players walk through real locations to find creatures, visit PokéStops, and challenge Gyms. The game’s augmented-reality mode overlays Pokémon on the camera view, while the core game can also be played without the camera feature.
Pokémon Go was not the first Pokémon mobile game overall, but it was the breakout title that combined location-based exploration with the franchise’s collecting system. Pokémon Quest, Pokémon Masters EX, and Pokémon Sleep arrived later with different mobile formats and goals.