{"id":89633,"date":"2016-07-26T04:50:57","date_gmt":"2016-07-26T04:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=89633"},"modified":"2025-07-01T23:56:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T06:56:52","slug":"pokemon-go-a-beginners-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/pokemon-go-a-beginners-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How to play Pok\u00e9mon Go with the best tips and tricks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Pok\u00e9mon Go<\/a><\/strong> is a wildly successful game from Niantic, which features the well-known universe of Pok\u00e9mon characters superimposed upon the real world through augmented reality. It is the breakaway hit of the Summer, and rocketed to the top position on the App Store charts within hours of release. Chances are you\u2019ve already installed the game yourself or at least seen throngs of people playing it outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide is written for the beginning player and will introduce you to the basic concepts of how to play Pok\u00e9mon Go<\/strong>. If you\u2019re new to the game, or even if you\u2019ve installed it but have had trouble understanding how to play, read on to learn everything you need to know to find, capture and do battle with your Pok\u00e9mon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Pok\u00e9mon Go?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pok\u00e9mon Go is an augmented reality game<\/strong> that uses your phone\u2019s GPS and clock to determine where you are and what time you\u2019re playing. The game will generate \u2018wild pokemon\u2019 in your area, which you can battle and attempt to capture. There will also be pokeshops and clinics in the area where you can get more items such as pokeballs, and you can even battle bosses for big rewards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game\u2019s goal was to get users up and moving <\/strong>while hunting for Pok\u00e9mon and new gyms to battle. The game has become so popular that it outranks Twitter in the number of active daily users on Android.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pok\u00e9mon Go platform <\/strong>gives users the chance to experience what the series is all about in a closest-to-real way. Throughout the series and Nintendo games, the objective was to collect Pok\u00e9mon and train them to become stronger. You can do exactly this in Pok\u00e9mon Go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Download the Pok\u00e9mon Go App<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pok\u00e9mon Go is available for both iOS<\/a> and Android<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you have the app loaded on your device, you need to create a Pok\u00e9mon Go account. You can do this either with an existing Google account or by creating an account with the Pok\u00e9mon Trainer Club<\/strong>. Due to the popularity of the game, the publishers are restricting the number of new Pok\u00e9mon Trainer Club accounts that can be made \u2014 so you might have more success using a Google account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first thing you\u2019ll do is customize your character. This is purely for personal aesthetics \u2014 the choices you make on how your character looks don\u2019t have an impact on the game or your ability to catch the various Pok\u00e9mon characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selecting Your First Pok\u00e9mon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After you log in for the first time and customize your avatar, you\u2019ll get your first peek at the main map screen. This shows a stylized version of your actual real-world location (powered by Google Maps). You\u2019ll see three Pok\u00e9mon characters next to your avatar. They are the Bulbasaur<\/strong>, Charmander<\/strong> and Squirtle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
You three starting choices in Pok\u00e9mon Go.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tap on any one of the three to capture it. This will be your first Pok\u00e9mon. Don\u2019t fret too much about your choice here. There will be plenty more Pok\u00e9mon to capture, as this is the main part of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: there is a secret<\/em> way to capture Pikachu as your starting Pok\u00e9mon<\/a> instead of one of the default three choices. To learn more, read our guide on How to get Pikachu as your starting Pok\u00e9mon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Catch Pok\u00e9mon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After you tap on one of the Pok\u00e9mon characters you see on the map screen, you\u2019ll go to the main capture screen. If you\u2019ve enabled AR (Augmented Reality) mode and given Pok\u00e9mon Go access to your camera, you\u2019ll see the character you chose appear in the real world in front of you. If not, it will appear against a simple cartoon backdrop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pok\u00e9mon
Pikachu in the Wild.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The main activity here is to tap on the Pok\u00e9 Ball at the bottom of your screen and to \u201cflick\u201d (drag) it up quickly towards the Pok\u00e9mon. Try aiming for its head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to give it enough power\/speed for the ball to hit the Pok\u00e9mon. You may need a lot of practice to get this right, but after a while it becomes second-nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you venture out into the world to find and catch more Pok\u00e9mon, you\u2019ll discover that some are more difficult to catch than others. Here\u2019s a few basic concepts around catching Pok\u00e9mon that everyone should know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some Pok\u00e9mon are More Difficult to Catch than Others<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are three colors of rings for Pok\u00e9mon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n