Pokémon Go launched Pokémon’s augmented-reality collecting phenomenon in 2016.
Developed by Niantic in collaboration with The Pokémon Company and Nintendo, Pokémon Go uses mobile location data and a phone’s camera to place Pokémon-themed encounters in the real world. Players explore physical surroundings, visit PokéStops, collect items, and catch Pokémon by throwing Poké Balls on a map or through augmented-reality presentation.
The game first launched on July 6, 2016, in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. It expanded to other countries in stages, including Japan on July 22 and the United Kingdom on July 14. Its staggered rollout is why different players remember different launch dates.
Pokémon Go was not the first Pokémon mobile title, but it became the franchise’s most influential location-based game. Its success encouraged outdoor exploration, social meetups, raids, and later additions such as trading and player battles. The game’s 2016 debut also gave the franchise a major anniversary-era presence, arriving two decades after the original Game Boy games.