Pokémon GO

-3.05
Bad
Price: Free
Ads: No
In App Purchases: Yes

iOS App Store
Google Play App Store

Temporal Dark PatternsTemporal Dark Patterns

This game has 755 reported Temporal Dark Patterns. There are 185 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-3.52

166 votes
7 votes
Daily Rewards -
166 / 7 votes
Encourages return visits every day and punishes you for missing a day.

145 votes
12 votes
Playing by Appointment -
145 / 12 votes
Being forced to play according to the game's schedule instead of yours.

142 votes
9 votes
Grinding -
142 / 9 votes
Being required to perform repetitive and tedious tasks to advance.

128 votes
10 votes
Infinite Treadmill -
128 / 10 votes
Impossible to win or complete the game.

151 votes
32 votes
Wait To Play -
151 / 32 votes
In-game timers that make you arbitrarily wait for something.

17 votes
50 votes
Can't Pause or Save -
17 / 50 votes
The game does not allow you to stop playing whenever you want.

6 votes
65 votes
Advertisements -
6 / 65 votes
Forced to watch ads or given rewards for watching ads.

Monetary Dark PatternsMonetary Dark Patterns

This game has 972 reported Monetary Dark Patterns. There are 409 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-2.79

193 votes
1 votes
Premium Currency -
193 / 1 votes
Exchange rate between real money and in-game currency disguises the real price of items.

156 votes
3 votes
Artificial Scarcity -
156 / 3 votes
Limited time offers with unnecessary urgency.

181 votes
1 votes
Waste Aversion -
181 / 1 votes
Capped inventory forces you to destroy items or upgrade inventory. Also, having small amounts of left over premium currency.

159 votes
14 votes
Anchoring Tricks -
159 / 14 votes
Placing a cheap item next to an expensive item to make it look more affordable.

59 votes
11 votes
Pay to Win -
59 / 11 votes
A player can spend real money to purchase something that gives them an advantage in the game.

138 votes
32 votes
Pay to Skip -
138 / 32 votes
Spend money to avoid waiting for a timer to expire.

34 votes
36 votes
Gambling / Loot Boxes -
34 / 36 votes
Spending real money to play a game of chance for a reward.

23 votes
43 votes
Accidental Purchases -
23 / 43 votes
Making it easy to accidentally spend money with no confirmation or ability to undo or refund the action.

23 votes
48 votes
Power Creep -
23 / 48 votes
A permanently purchased item in the game becomes less valuable over time.

6 votes
148 votes
Recurring Fee -
6 / 148 votes
Encourages players to play as much as possible to get their money's worth.

72 votes
Pay Wall -
0 / 72 votes
The game becomes impossible to continue playing without payment.

Social Dark PatternsSocial Dark Patterns

This game has 553 reported Social Dark Patterns. There are 447 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-1.76

172 votes
5 votes
Reciprocity -
172 / 5 votes
Feeling obligated to return a favor, share resources, trade an item, etc.

77 votes
1 votes
Competition -
77 / 1 votes
The game makes you compete against other players.

174 votes
14 votes
Social Pyramid Scheme -
174 / 14 votes
You get a bonus for inviting your friends and then they have to invite their friends.

50 votes
23 votes
Social Obligation / Guilds -
50 / 23 votes
To avoid letting down your friends, you are obligated to play when you don't want to.

72 votes
68 votes
Fear of Missing Out -
72 / 68 votes
If you stop playing you'll miss out on something or be left behind and unable to catch up.

3 votes
158 votes
Friend Spam / Impersonation -
3 / 158 votes
The game sends spam to your contact list or social media account.

5 votes
178 votes
Encourages Anti-Social Behavior -
5 / 178 votes
The game incentivizes players to lie, cheat, or backstab other players to get ahead.

Psychological Dark PatternsPsychological Dark Patterns

This game has 591 reported Psychological Dark Patterns. There are 157 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-3.38

134 votes
5 votes
Invested / Endowed Value -
134 / 5 votes
Having already spent time and money to improve your status in the game, it's difficult to throw it away.

157 votes
1 votes
Badges / Endowed Progress -
157 / 1 votes
Reluctancy to abandon a partially completed goal, even one forced upon the player.

184 votes
3 votes
Complete the Collection -
184 / 3 votes
The urge to collect all the items, achievements or secrets in a game.

55 votes
16 votes
Variable Rewards -
55 / 16 votes
Unpredictable or random rewards are more addictive than a predictable schedule.

25 votes
36 votes
Optimism and Frequency Biases -
25 / 36 votes
Overestimating the frequency of something because we’ve seen it recently or memorably.

21 votes
48 votes
Aesthetic Manipulations -
21 / 48 votes
Trick questions or toying with emotions or our subconscious desires.

15 votes
48 votes
Illusion of Control -
15 / 48 votes
The game cheats or hides information to make you think you're better than you actually are.

App Store Ratings

iOS:  (3.50) with 429,230 votes.
Google Play:  (4.12) with 11,944,137 votes.



Recent Dark Pattern Reviews

Daily Rewards reported on Jul 27, 2023
Rewards logging in daily with streaks.
Gambling / Loot Boxes reported on Jul 27, 2023
There are loot boxes available in the store.
Playing by Appointment reported on Jul 27, 2023
Scheduled events with rewards that you'll miss if you don't play then. Different Pokémon show up at different times of day.
Competition reported on Jun 14, 2023
Optional battle league but it's pretty ok and gives you small rewards just for participating
Playing by Appointment reported on Feb 9, 2023
Events and Community days do not last long. I have a friend that used a vacation day from work, in order to play in a community day event.
Grinding reported on Feb 9, 2023
This game is 99% a grind.
Waste Aversion reported on Feb 9, 2023
I believe that that you need about $300 in order to max out one of the two inventories. I have a friend, who is addicted to the game (he speaks and thinks only about it), that he maxed out both inventories in one month with real money.
Reciprocity reported on Feb 9, 2023
You trade pokemon.
Anchoring Tricks reported on Feb 9, 2023
All the items are cheap in this game, but all are for single use, and some times you waste them by mistake, so you have to buy them again.
Wait To Play reported on Feb 9, 2023
You have to wait for long, unnecessary and unskipable animations for everything. You have to wait 2 minutes in order to play raids, even if you don't wait for anyone to join. Even the menus are designed to waste your time.


Report a Dark Pattern

Screenshot NEW! Its time to interact with your Pokémon like never beforePokémon GO has recently introduced GO Snapshot! Taking AR photos is a snap with this easy-to-use update. Youre now able to take photos of any Pokémon you have in your collection. Document your adventures by taking photos of your favorite Pokémon to share with friends or as a memento of your epic journey.

Join Trainers across the globe who are discovering Pokémon as they explore the world around them. Pokémon GO is the global gaming sensation that has been downloaded over 850 million times and named "Best Mobile Game" by The Game Developers Choice Awards and "Best App of the Year" by TechCrunch.

Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Pikachu, and many other Pokémon have been discovered!
Pokémon are out there, and you need to find them. As you walk around a neighborhood, your smartphone will vibrate when theres a Pokémon nearby. Take aim and throw a Poké Ball Youll have to stay alert, or it might get away!

Search far and wide for Pokémon and items
Certain Pokémon appear near their native environmentlook for Water-type Pokémon by lakes and oceans. Visit PokéStops and Gymsfound at interesting places like museums, art installations, historical markers, and monumentsto stock up on Poké Balls and helpful items.

Catching, hatching, evolving, and more
As you level up, youll be able to catch more-powerful Pokémon to complete your Pokédex. You can add to your collection by hatching Pokémon Eggs based on the distances you walk. Help your Pokémon evolve by catching many of the same kind. Choose a Buddy Pokémon to walk with and earn Candy that will help you make your Pokémon stronger.

Compete in epic Gym battles
Youll join one of three teams and battle for the ownership of Gyms with your Pokémon at your side. As your Charmander evolves to Charmeleon and then Charizard, you can battle together to defeat a Gym and assign your Pokémon to defend it against all comers.

Team up to defeat powerful Raid Bosses
A Raid Battle is a cooperative gameplay experience that encourages you to work with up to 20 other Trainers to defeat an extremely powerful Pokémon known as the Raid Boss. If you succeed in defeating it in battle, youll have the chance to catch an extra powerful Pokémon of your own!

Its time to get movingyour real-life adventures await!

Notes:

- This app is free-to-play and offers in-game purchases. It is optimized for smartphones, not tablets.
- Compatible with Android devices that have 2GB RAM or more and have Android Version 4.47.0+ installed.
- Compatibility is not guaranteed for devices without GPS capabilities or devices that are connected only to Wi-Fi networks.
- Compatibility with tablet devices is not guaranteed.
- Application may not run on certain devices even if they have compatible OS versions installed.
- It is recommended to play while connected to a network in order to obtain accurate location information.
- Compatibility information may be changed at any time.
- Please visit www.PokemonGO.com for additional compatibility information.
- Information current as of February 18, 2019