Pokemon GO Still Does What the Main Series Can’t 10 Years Later

It’s hard to believe that Pokemon GO is already 10 years old, and it still remains one of the most immersive Pokemon experiences that the franchise has ever seen. I was a sophomore in college when Pokemon GO first launched, and it immediately took over my and my friends’ lives. Exploring the local parks, various corners of campus, and places in town that we had never even thought about going to quickly made it one of the most exciting games we had experienced at the time, and it’s still keeping players hooked after a decade.

July 6 marked a full decade of Pokemon GO, and there haven’t been signs of the mobile spin-off slowing down any time soon. It hasn’t always been a perfect game by any means. Pokemon GO‘s microtransactions can often be frustrating, and it can really put a burden on one’s phone battery. Despite the downsides, though, this game has managed to do what the Pokemon franchise has always been trying to achieve; fully immerse players in the life of a Pokemon Trainer.

Pokemon Has Tried to Give Players the Full Pokemon Trainer Experience, But Pokemon GO Continues to Beat the Main Games to the Punch

It’s not like the main Pokemon games aren’t fun. There’s a reason that the Pokemon name has remained one of the most popular game brands in the industry. However, none of them have managed to hit the special mark that Pokemon GO has managed to. The first Pokemon games I ever got my hands on were Ruby and Sapphire for my trusty Game Boy Advance, and I was immediately hooked. As my gaming taste expanded, and I got more into single-player narrative-driven games like Uncharted and Red Dead Redemption, Pokemon took a bit of a backseat in my life. That all changed, though, when Pokemon GO kicked that love back into motion.

For the first time in the franchise’s history, players were actually able to experience being a Pokemon Trainer first-hand. The augmented reality made it feel like the world of Pokemon had finally bled over into reality. Not only that, but it also opened up players to a whole new community. The friends made along the way was a reminder that gaming didn’t always have to be a solitary hobby.

Pokemon GO Turned Gaming Into a Far More Social Experience

Unless it’s a multiplayer game, video games can sometimes be isolating. When it comes to the mainline Pokemon games, it’s easy to just lose oneself in playing and exploring for hours on end. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, but Pokmon GO demonstrated that there is a way to play for hours while also going out in the world and meeting new people and finding an interesting community. Pokemon GO Raids and community events bring a fun extra social layer to playing that makes it that much more unique.

Exploring through one’s town or city and stumbling upon another fellow player is one special feature of Pokemon GO‘s gameplay that has made it into an entire pop culture phenomenon. Such a large community is what has helped the game hit the 10-year mark, and Pokemon GO‘s future could be just as promising. The game may not be as viral as it was back in 2016, but the player base is still incredibly strong and deeply dedicated to feeling like the Pokemon Trainer they have always wished they could be in the other games.

Pokemon GO Isn’t the Only Exciting Thing About the Franchise’s Future

Pokemon fans across the board are going to have a lot to look forward to in the future. It’s already been confirmed that the Pokemon GO August event is going to be adding Gen 8’s Arrokuda, Barraskewda, and Cramorant to the game, and there are going to be even more events in the coming months. Only time will tell if Pokemon GO has another 10 years left in it, but each new Pokemon generation gives the mobile game plenty of fresh material to work with.

The Next Mainline Pokemon Game Hopefully Gets Close to Hitting Pokemon GO’s Mark

Since the next Pokemon game is going to be another RPG title, it’s obvious that it won’t necessarily offer the first-hand immersive gameplay that Pokemon GO is able to. However, it can still bring fans a fresh and satisfying take on the series that makes playing it just as fun as the mobile spin-off. Frankly, it’s going to be hard for any other Pokemon game to replicate what Pokemon GO is able to do, but that doesn’t mean the future mainline games are going to be lacking in fun.

One of the main aspects that continues to make Pokemon GO shine brighter than some of the mainline titles is the performance issues that have plagued the current era. Switch Pokemon game performance issues have kept the series in a strange and frustrating state, but Winds and Waves can hopefully be the game that rights those wrongs. The Switch 2 is a much stronger console than its predecessor, and that could potentially be the trick to making Winds and Waves a Pokemon game that is just as enjoyable as Pokemon GO.

As the year continues, it’s going to be especially exciting to see what Pokemon Winds and Waves‘ gameplay has to offer that potentially can’t be experienced in any other game. Between Pokemon GO and Winds and Waves and Pokemon GO, both could be great games to jump back and forth between with friends. Regardless of how Winds and Waves turns out, Pokemon GO is obviously scratching the Pokemon Trainer fantasy itch that so many longtime fans have had since the franchise’s early days. It’s able to do what no other Pokemon game can, and it’s going to be fascinating to see what the next decade has in store.

Systems

Released

July 6, 2016

Engine

Unity

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op