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14 features we want to see in future Pokemon GO updates

What's on your wishlist?

14 features we want to see in future Pokemon GO updates
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| Pokemon GO

So Pokemon GO is taking the world by storm. That's cool.

But there are still loads of features we'd like to see added to the game. From trading to more monsters to better social features.

Got your own wish list? Chuck your best ideas in the comments below.

Improved "nearby" tracker Pidgeotto

The nearby tracker - that little box at the bottom of the screen that clues you in to nearby critters - isn't massively helpful.

It tells you how far away Pokemon are - but that's about it. A clue as to which direction you should travel, or which type of area (forest, water, industrial, etc) you should head toward would make it a lot more useful.

Trading

This one's coming. Niantic has confirmed that a future update to Pokemon GO will let you trade critters with other players. The question is - will you have to meet up with pals in real life or will you be able to do the deed over the web?

We hope we'll be able to attach an item, message, or photo to the outgoing Pokemon to sweeten the deal.

Player battles

Once trading is established, it's only a matter of time before we can battle each other outside of gyms. Players could drop down an item to open themselves up for battle and have other trainers come along and fight.

The winning player would walk away with a handful of candies, or some cash to spend in the shop.

Play in the background Electabuzz

Here: Pokemon GO is great but it only works when your phone is on and that's killing all our batteries.

The game needs to do something of value when you've got your phone off - even if it's just doing some background activity for measuring your egg hatching progress.

Show other players on the map

The Pokemon GO map looks awfully empty. Just you, the odd critter, and miles and miles of flat ground. Wouldn't it be cool if you could see other players roaming about?

I'm not sure how to do that without the already impoverished servers falling over and exploding. But, like a presidential candidate, I'm just spouting ideas. They don't have to be feasible, right?

Generation 2 Pokemon Miltank

This one's obvious. If Pokemon GO mania sticks around for any length of time, then we'll certainly see creatures from later games added to the mix.

Generation 2, from Pokemon Gold and Silver, will be the first batch of critters to come along. So expect to see Sudowoodo, Bellossom, and Mareep hanging about. We might have to wait until 2024 for Sun and Moon monsters like Lunala to appear, but we can wait.

Social stuff

Pokemon GO is all about encouraging real world communication. And that's cool, I guess? But what if you speak to someone and they're a racist or a sports fan? That would be horrible.

So maybe the game could add a friends list and chatting functionality. Or, or, or, you know that messaging thing in Dark Souls? Do that. Plop down a message that says "Time for Mankey" or "Porygon ahead, therefore time for Great Ball".

Apple Watch support

This one's never happening while Nintendo's selling out of Pokemon GO Plus devices at £35 a pop.

But in a utopian world we'd get an app on our Apple Watches that would tell us about the game with a quick glance, and let us witness the majesty of mother nature without constantly staring into a small glowing rectangle.

More character customisation Pokemon GO

When you start the game you can decide your gender, and pick from about three different hats and shoes. It's rubbish. We want way more clothes and options for hair, beards, outfit styles, and more.

The beauty of this stuff is that it can be sold for gold, or used as prizes in the gym, or come attached to Pokemon, or collected from a Pokestop.

Universal candies

Right now, it's really hard to level up or evolve a rare Pokemon. To boost a Cubone, for example, you need Cubone candy that comes from catching and transferring other Cubones.

That's fine for ultra common critters like Pidgeys and Weedles, but what about those rare monsters? Some kind of universal candy that will work on any monster (or, perhaps, grass candy and poison candy, etc) would make life a lot easier.

More buildings

Right now there are only Pokestops and Gyms on the map. Well how about Pokemon training centres where you can enter battles to level up your monsters? Or a breeding centre, where you can let your Pokemon have babies?

You could have day care, where you leave a Pokemon to get levelled up, or Pokemon Centers to heal injured critters.

Boss fights Mewtwo

We were promised this when the game was first announced, but it has yet to happen. Imagine if Niantic announced that Mewtwo was in Piccadilly Circus for six hours, and it would only be defeated if hundreds of players came together to do damage.

Considering the crowds we've seen already, it would be pande-flipping-monium.

Disability options

Right now, there are thousands of people who would love to play Pokemon GO but can't because of a disability. And that sucks.

It's hard to come up with ways to make the game accessible to those who can't walk, or can't walk very far, without completely changing the game. But any smart accessibility options would be welcomed by many.

It's worth pointing out that the game has been championed for providing mental health benefits, and that's rad.

Servers that aren't broken and terrible

Well. We couldn't make this list without mentioning those darn servers, could we?

Mark Brown
Mark Brown
Mark Brown is editor at large of Pocket Gamer