Pokémon GO Celebrating Fifth Anniversary of Launch With Special In-App Events

Today marks the fifth anniversary of Pokémon GO launching on iPhone, allowing people to get out in the world and catch Pokémon using augmented reality, and developer Niantic is celebrating with several in-app events over the next week and a bit.

pokemon go five
Between Tuesday, July 6 at 10:00 a.m. and Thursday, July 15 at 8:00 p.m. local time, players will have the chance to capture a Flying Pikachu with a 5-shaped balloon in the wild, and Darumaka will also be appearing more frequently. Fireworks will also be returning to the Pokémon GO map in celebration of the fifth anniversary of the game.

Niantic outlined the complete in-game events and bonuses that will be available during the celebration week in a blog post. Players are advised to be aware of their surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO.

Pokémon GO has received several major updates over the last five years, including an improved AR+ experience, Raid Battles, Field Research, and more. The game can be downloaded for free on the App Store, with PokéCoins and other in-app purchases available.

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...

Top Rated Comments

rjp1 Avatar
60 months ago

Do people still play this?
Over 150 million users and $1 billion in revenue last year - take a guess.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iBungie Avatar
60 months ago

Do people still play this?
Yes, I do. Nearing Level 42 and don't make in app purchases. Gets me out walking.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
60 months ago

Registered users are not active users and the billion comes from the same 10 people still playing this game.
A billion dollars is still a billion dollars, no?

:p
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JGIGS Avatar
60 months ago

Registered users are not active users and the billion comes from the same 10 people still playing this game.
A billion is coming from 10 people? I guess Gates, Cook, Zuck and Bezos are among them?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
marty1980 Avatar
60 months ago
i am in multiple chats for Pokémon Go players, locally. Tons of players have been there since day 1, including me. My primary group is about 700 active players.

Changing jobs (before the pandemic) reduced my time greatly because my new job was not anywhere near anything useful in PoGo. Remote raids helped me a lot when they were introduced.

I play a little each day to complete tasks and get my daily sticker. I don’t spend a lot of money, but I will spend $10 here or there. Mostly to get incubators.

I’ve missed out on more recent legendary and unique Pokémon and I’ve never done Go Fest. I enjoy the game. Lots of people were playing went I went downtown on Saturday with my kids. We were doing other stuff, but I still got my shiny tepig and evolved it before community day was over.

They aren’t charging for the 5-year event. It’s just a flying pikachu, a Darumaka, and some other stuff that everybody can get.

People have always been haters towards this game. I don’t care. I enjoy it and so do many people in my community.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Am3r1ca16 Avatar
60 months ago

Do people still play this?
pEoPle sTiLL pLAy tHiS?

I live in NYC and there are huge discord community where people can connect with other pogo players. If you ever head to Byrant park/central park you'd be lying if you couldn't spot a pogo player.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)