Pokémon Go launched in 2016 with GPS-based exploration and augmented-reality Pokémon catching. Niantic developed the mobile game in collaboration with The Pokémon Company and Nintendo.
The game first launched on July 6, 2016, in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. It later expanded to additional countries, including Japan on July 22 and the United Kingdom on July 14.
Pokémon Go uses a player's real-world location to place PokéStops, Gyms, and wild Pokémon on a map. Its augmented-reality mode can display a Pokémon through a phone camera, although the camera feature is optional.
The release became a worldwide cultural event. In its first month, it set Guinness World Records for mobile-game revenue and downloads, and it surpassed 500 million downloads worldwide by September 2016.