Pokemon Go Map to get a MAJOR overhaul; Know what’s changing

Pokemon Go Map is set to get its biggest update in years. Know how it will affect the game and the Pokemon you catch.

Pokemon Go Map will get one of the biggest updates in its history. (iMore )

Pokemon Go is one of the earliest Augmented Reality games and it is still going strong years after its initial release. With a global user base and focus on AR, the game had to create a huge database of maps that contained every street in every major city. This was important because a major part of the game was to walk around the streets to find new Pokemon in the game. But because of this, the map has not been updated on a regular basis. But that is now about to change as Niantic, the developer and publisher of the game, has announced that the Pokemon Go Map will get one of the biggest updates ever. You should know what's going to change after the update so you can take advantage of it.

This does not mean that the game itself has not been updated. Niantic remains one of the most active developers in the mobile game ecosystem and the game gets monthly and weekly new additions to keep the game feeling fresh and fun even after years. But these updates were largely around various events, new gameplay and mechanics and graphic-based changes. This is the first time that such an important infrastructure of the game is going to be upgraded since 2019.

Pokemon Go Map to get a major update

Announcing the update in its community blog post, the company said, “It's been three years since our last map update. Since then, both Pokémon Go and the world around us have changed. To continue bringing you an experience that connects your exploration of the world around you with what you see in Pokémon Go, you may notice some changes to the in-game map over the next few weeks. The map will more accurately reflect the environment, and different Pokémon will appear in a greater variety of places”.

But that's not all that is changing. Niantic has revealed that after the update, different Pokémon will appear in even more places than before. While this may not be noticeable in densely populated areas, rural areas will see an influx of new Pokemon. Similarly, the urban locations will have a more even distribution of Pokemon.

At the moment, the date for the update has not been revealed but Niantic has stated that this will happen over the next few weeks, indicating that the update might be rolled out in a phased manner.