Still Playing Pokémon GO, Ten Years Later

What started as a game became a reason to walk, explore, and connect with people around the world.

Ten years ago, Pokémon GO turned the Pokémon that had once lived inside a Nintendo game into something we could encounter in the real world.

Pokémon began appearing around us, and suddenly people everywhere were walking around with their phones in hand, looking for them.

It became a global phenomenon.

But I sometimes wonder: How many of the people who were completely hooked when Pokémon GO first launched are still playing today?

Here in Japan, the home of Pokémon, there are still plenty of Pokémon GO players. The frenzy of those early days has certainly calmed down, but the community is still very much alive.

And I am one of them.

Pokémon GO celebrated its tenth anniversary this year, with events taking place in cities around the world. Even after all these years, when there is a big event, I still find myself heading out early in the morning to places where lots of Pokémon — and lots of other Trainers — are gathering.

My favorite Pokémon is Gengar.

I love that mischievous, slightly wicked-looking face. Somehow, that grumpy little expression is adorable.

There are plenty of others I like, too.

Some Pokémon are surprisingly demanding. You have to walk a lot and collect special items before you can evolve them. Zygarde, for example, is still sitting at its second form for me. I need another 50 cells to take it further, and honestly, I've almost given up.😅

I also have a soft spot for the powerful ones — Zacian, Zamazenta, Rayquaza, Kyogre, Dialga... I could keep going.

One of the things I particularly enjoy is joining raids taking place in other countries.

The United States. France. Germany. Brazil.

With a few taps, I can join a raid happening thousands of miles away.

That is one of the strange and wonderful things about an online game: people all over the world can gather around the same thing at the same time, even when they are nowhere near one another.

Sometimes, those connections last much longer than you might expect.

I have a friend in the UK whom I've been connected with for about four years. We've never met, and I don't know much about each other's lives. We simply send gifts back and forth and occasionally share a few moments in the game.

There is something wonderfully strange about staying connected to a complete stranger on the other side of the world for four years.

And since I started playing again, I've found myself going out more often, too.

Armored Mewtwo Returns

On September 5 and 6, 2026, Armored Mewtwo returned to Pokémon GO for the first time in about six years.

Of course, I was there.

This is what it looked like at one of my usual Pokémon GO spots.

As you can see, there were a lot of people there.

And, well...

Most of them were grown men. 😂

I suppose Pokémon never really left them behind.

And yes — I caught my Armored Mewtwo.

This particular return was officially part of Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Mega Finale, with Armored Mewtwo appearing in five-star raids on both days. It had last appeared in Pokémon GO in 2020.

My Pokémon at Home

And these are some of the Pokémon that live at my house.

For the record, the real Pokémon are still inside my phone.

The plush ones just happen to be much easier to photograph.

Ten Years Is a Long Time

I haven't played continuously for the entire ten years.

There were periods when I stopped playing altogether — probably about half of that time, if I'm being honest.

But somehow, I always came back.

These days, Pokémon GO has become less of a game I feel I have to play and more of a hobby I simply enjoy.

My mother is a Pokémon fan, too.

In fact, her Trainer Level is higher than mine now, and she somehow seems to hear about Pokémon news before I do.

She goes out to catch Pokémon, meets other Trainers along the way, plays with them for a while, and comes home.

And I sometimes wonder if there is more to this game than simply catching Pokémon.

It gets us outside.

It makes us walk.

It gives us a reason to go somewhere we might otherwise never visit.

And perhaps, without us even noticing, all that walking and all that remembering — where to go, what to collect, what to do next — is giving our bodies and minds a little exercise, too.

For me, at least, Pokémon GO is a rather good alternative to paying for a gym membership.

I get to walk for free.

And I get to catch Pokémon along the way.

Thank you, Pokémon GO.

Ten years on, I'm still playing.

And I have a feeling I'm not the only one.

↓　A little Pokémon card fun, without going all in — this three-pack set is an easy way to try the MEGA Dream EX.