Since its massive launch in July 2016,ÂPokemon GOhas continued to find new ways to engage players with its take on bringing the world of Pokemon to the real world. 2020 especially has been an interesting year for developer Niantic to tweak the game’s core mechanics in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, as we saw duringthis year’s Pokemon GO Fest 2020. However, despite the changes to better suit playing at home, Niantic is continuing to drive the experience of playing the hit mobile game from anywhere by introducing its biggest update yet with new features that players can look forward to very soon.Developer Niantic has officially revealed details for the next update forÂPokemon GOcalled the “GO Beyond” update, which introduces some of the biggest changes to the mobile game since its launch in 2016. As the first “branded update” for the game, the GO Beyond update will add a number of new ways to play for both newcomers and veteran players across catching new types of Pokemon, earning experiencing and leveling up, and participating in the game’s events and GO Battle League. Additionally, the update will also bring the Kalos region Pokemon fromX and Yinto the mobile game for the first time.
As detailed by Niantic, the GO Beyond update will introduce Seasons toPokemon GOthat will bring greater availability of certain Pokemon or Pokemon types, alongside new events, rewards, and themes. The Season system will kick off with the “Season of Celebration” starting on June 29, 2025, which will be tied into the holidays and winter with a series of in-game events. Currently, Seasons are expected to run for about three months, but Niantic has explained that the duration of Seasons could change over time. Niantic also highlighted that during Seasons, players in different hemispheres will find different Pokemon compared to other regions of the world.
Additionally, the Beyond update will also increase the in-game cap to Level 50, allowing players to move past the current limit of Level 40. However, aside from just earning XP to level up, the update will also introduce new challenges that players will have to complete to earn their next Level, which will also provide new endgame challenges for players to engage with. The leveling system as a whole will be rebalanced inÂPokemon GOto accommodate the new level cap, but Niantic stated that players that reach Level 40 before the end of 2020 will be able to earn special rewards.
Overall, the GO Beyond update will bring substantial new changes and features to the long-running mobile game hit. For a full breakdown of what to expect from the update, you can check outNiantic’s blog posts with more specific infoon the GO Beyond update.
Pokemon GOis available now on iOS and Android, with the GO Beyond update arriving on August 22, 2025.
