When Will Pokemon GO Be Available Worldwide?

The app is expected for a release around the world in the coming weeks.

By Jonathon Dornbush

Pokemon GO has launched in Australia and New Zealand, but there's no word yet about when the augmented reality game will launch in other regions.

Niantic Labs has not responded to a request for comment about when the app will launch in other territories, but IGN will update this and the GO launch story should they provide further comment. The Pokemon Company had no official comment about when the app will release outside Australia and New Zealand, however, The Wall Street Journal's Takashi Mochizuki was told by The Pokemon Company that it is asking U.S. and Japanese players to "please wait a while" for the app to launch in their regions.

Despite the app, which allows players to capture Pokemon in the real world around them, not being officially available outside certain regions, users have already figured out how to download GO in other territories.

For Android users, as noted by Eurogamer, the game's APK file is available online from unofficial sources to allow players to download the game in the U.S. and the U.K. Directly clinking the link in the Google Play store at this time in the U.S. and Europe will not allow players to download the game properly.

iOS users can change the region of their App Store to New Zealand or Australia or create a new account directly tied to those territories — however, both App Store territories require local payment information of some kind to properly register an ID tied to either region.

So When Will Pokemon GO Officially Release Worldwide?

While there's no word from Niantic or the Pokemon Company about an exact release rollout, the way the game's field test beta was released, in conjunction with its initial debut in Australia and New Zealand, could suggest when other players will have official access to the app.

The field test originally began in Japan in March of this year, followed by Australia and New Zealand in April and then sign-ups in the United States launched in May, with the beta having come to an end in June. While Japan still doesn't have the fully released game, the staggered beta release schedule could indicate a similar region-by-region launch plan for the full app.

The debut of the app will likely happen along a much shorter timeline, though. Shigeru Miyamoto revealed during Nintendo's E3 livestream that the app is set to launch in or by July. It was later acknowledged in the stream that the app would need to be ready before its accompanying device, the Pokemon GO Plus Wristband. The GO Plus, which notifies users of nearby Pokemon, is already available for pre-order for $35 and is aiming for a July release, which would mean the app would likely be available worldwide in the coming weeks.

What We Know About Pokemon GO So Far

IGN Australia has already downloaded and begun playing the game. And a host of IGN editors took the game's beta out into the wild and recounted what they thought worked and could use improvement from the early version of the app.

For all the latest information about Pokemon GO, stay tuned to IGN's Pokemon GO Wiki as we discover more information while playing.

Jonathon Dornbush is itching to start catching some Pokemon around his neighborhood. Follow him as he laments not yet having Pokemon GO — and ultimately cries tears of joy when he does — on Twitter.

Let's block ads! (Why?)