Pokémon GO turns 10 with giant New York City battle

For the first time 10 years ago, people across the UK started heading outside with their mobile phones, hoping to catch Pokémon.

A Pikachu might appear in a park. A Magikarp could pop up near a pond. A Pidgey might be in your back garden and there could be a Charmander at a local landmark.

The game first launched in summer 2016 and arrived in the UK on 14 July that year.

A decade later and Pokémon GO is still being played around the world.

Scopely Explore (formelry Niantic games) the company behind the game, says more than 800 million players have played across more than 150 countries and regions.

It says Trainers have caught more than 1 trillion Pokémon and explored more than 100 billion kilometres while playing - That's about the same as 334 round trips between Earth and the Sun.

Unlike many games, Pokémon GO is designed to be played while moving around outside.

The game uses GPS (Global Positioning System), the same technology that helps satellite navigation systems know where you are, to show Pokémon near real places, such as parks, landmarks and streets.

Sometimes, the game also uses augmented reality, or AR. That means digital characters can appear on your screen, as if they are standing in the world in front of you.

The game was huge hit when it first came out with adults and children playing.

But there were concerns from children's charities and the NSPCC gave advice to children about looking where they were walking, staying safe near roads, only playing in places where they were allowed to be and with people they knew.

App data site Business of Apps says Pokémon GO reached a peak of 232 million active players in 2016.

Now Udonis, a company that studies mobile games, says Pokémon GO had 40.4 million monthly active users in April 2026, using data from AppMagic.

That means tens of millions of people were still playing it each month, even though it is not as popular as it was ten years ago.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary, Pokémon GO held a surprise event in Times Square, New York, one of the busiest parts of the famous American city.

The giant screens in Times Square were used as part of a giant live game event. More than 1,000 players joined together, in person, to battle Mega Mewtwo Y, a powerful version of one of Pokémon's best-known creatures.

This kind of team challenge is called a raid. In a raid, players work together to defeat a strong Pokémon.

Michael Steranka, Vice President of Product for Pokémon GO at Scopely, said: "When we first dreamt what Pokémon GO might become a decade ago, hosting more than a thousand people in a single, local raid battle was just a pipe dream. We never stopped asking ourselves, 'What if?' and 'How could we do it?' Seeing that vision become a reality in Times Square was the perfect way to celebrate 10 years of playing together with our community."

The celebrations are not only happening in New York. Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Global takes place on 11 and 12 July, with players around the world able to join in-game activities.

In the UK, an official Community Celebration is listed for Edinburgh on Sunday 12 July.

Ed Wu, President, Games, Scopely, said: "What started as an invitation to explore the world around you has become something that brings players together across cities, countries, and cultures, from neighbourhood meet-ups to celebrations that draw hundreds of thousands of people together."