Pokémon Go launched in July 2016 and uses augmented reality.
The mobile game was developed by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. It uses a smartphone’s location services and map data to place Pokémon in the real world, encouraging players to explore physical locations to find and catch them.
Its augmented-reality feature can display a Pokémon through the phone’s camera as though it were appearing in the player’s surroundings. Players can also use the game without the camera view, so the core experience is not limited to augmented reality.
Pokémon Go became one of the most prominent location-based mobile games ever released. Its launch introduced large numbers of people to walking, collecting, PokéStops, Gyms, and real-time community events. The game is separate from the main Pokémon role-playing games, although it connects to the wider franchise through its creatures, names, types, and collecting theme.