Nearly 10 years after launch, Pokémon GO still needs to fix these major bugs to keep fans happy in 2025

0
Nearly 10 years after launch, Pokémon GO still needs to fix these major bugs to keep fans happy in 2025

Pokemon GO was released in 2016 to great fanfare and rode a wave of momentum as players around the world seized the first opportunity to catch their favorite Pokémon in real life. This successful start continued with large groups of players taking control of many famous real-life locations. This included during the pandemic with events such as Pokemon GO Fest 2020, where players continued to capture Pokémon without ever leaving home.

Despite this initial success and new features added consistently since its launch, Pokemon GO It's still a game full of problems. Although never able to sustain the initial player base, many left with no plans to return as various issues became the last straw for frustrated coaches. Nearly a decade after launch, developer Niantic can fix these bugs to maintain control Pokemon GOAre you reducing players?

Let all players make the most of remote attacks

Reduce the cost of remote attack passes

The initial addition of attacks on Pokemon GO It was a big change with a lot of promise. After an incredible trailer, players were eager to see what the attacks would add. After initially providing entertainment for some, remote attack passes were added allowing even more players to participate in raids regardless of location. This huge success allowed those in remote areas, or without a large number of players, to still participate and catch the most powerful Pokémon available.

However, after the end of the pandemic, Niantic reversed this much to the anger of trainers. The game is now at a stage where 3 remote attack passes cost 525 in-game coins, more than double what it previously cost. It's part of an effort to limit how much players can use remote attacks without investing money into the game.

This has been one of the biggest concerns for many players, especially those who rely on remote attacks due to location or accessibility. It's a simple solution that can be done by reducing the cost of remote attacks for earlier levels and removing the daily limit, thus allowing all players access to one of the main content areas.

Fixing Dynamax Battles

A disappointing introduction so far

The introduction of Dynamax battles for Pokemon GO has been a big thing in 2024. Dynamax battles were carried over from the main series of games and were an obvious way to expand the tired raid format. However, it was immediately met with criticism. Aside from the more basic one-star battles, they were difficult, with the hardest ones requiring up to 40 players to complete, making them nearly impossible for most.

The maximum particle currency required to compete in them also received attention, as it is a store-bought item. This meant that if players wanted to make more than a handful a day, there was no other option than to spend real money.

Although the difficulty of Dynamax Battles has been reduced since launch, the system should provide a fun new aspect for players. It's still full of problems. The particle maximum is currently 150 coins in the store or 425 for three packs.

Dynamax Battle rewards remain another issue. The ability to double your rewards was included from the start, but it costs a large amount of coins. A better solution to keep players participating in Dynamax Battles would be to simply increase the rewards in the first place. Dynamax Battles have the potential to be a huge asset to Pokemon GObut unless its purpose and rewards are improved, players will likely lose interest quickly.

Improving the constant flow of events

Better content needed

Events are a fundamental part Pokemon GO and this year we saw the introduction of The Wild Area event, which was a success. However, many of the almost weekly events are just filler content. Without a wave of new players, it's unclear who the targets of these events are. They offer small rewards for experienced trainers and often come with paid elements. Many of them simply offer nothing new to players and are most often repeats of previous events.

In-person events and major online event series continue to be the biggest attraction for players, with many willing to pay to play. However, these remain very rare and still have problems, which for paid events need to be fixed. While the beginning Pokemon GO Problems connecting to festivals are a thing of the past, events remain hit or miss with their content and opportunities to play together.

Pokemon GO it still has a core player base, even if its popularity is waning nearly ten years after its release. However, Niantic developers need to fix several major issues to keep trainers happy in 2025.

Released

July 6, 2016

Developer(s)

Niantic, the Pokémon company