Pokemon Go players celebrate 5th anniversary with their craziest stories
Niantic / The Pokemon CompanyPokemon Go has officially reached its fifth anniversary and to celebrate, fans around the world are sharing their wildest experiences playing the Niantic mobile title – and it will make you feel nostalgic.
When Pokemon Go made its debut in 2016, it quickly became a global cultural phenomenon. Millions of players around the world ventured outside of their homes to catch their favorite monsters in the real world.
On July 6, the popular game is gearing up to celebrate its fifth anniversary. Fans honored the milestone by opening up online about their craziest stories playing the mobile title for half a decade.
Niantic / The Pokemon CompanyPokemon Go players celebrate 5th anniversary
Unless you were there in 2016, it’s hard to convey the absolute chaos that ensued after the game launched publicly that summer. It wouldn’t be too shocking to suddenly see thousands of people sprinting through a local park when word got out that a rare Pokemon had spawned in Go.
Players reflected back on the game’s fifth anniversary such as Twitch streamer GamesCage who tweeted, “I’ll never forget what this fkn game did to people that summer LOL. Mfers running across highways, walking into churches for PokeStops, Massive stampedes for Legendaries, etc. It felt like this was the moment Pokemon GENUINELY.”
One user agreeing with his sentiment shared their experience: “I remember one night at a park a whole bunch of people were there for pokemon go so me and my friends went to where no one was and screamed Gyarados. got the whole park to run there and we joined in the crowd acting like there might be one, it was super funny.”
The thread inspired players to open up about their own experiences, such as a fan who replied, “I’ll never forget the time me & my friends crossed a lake to catch a Chimchar lol it was a great time.” Another had a similar story with a less happy ending: “I once jumped into a lake to catch Greninja and I broke my leg and nearly drowned. But I met a friend so thanks Pokemon Go.”
Most fans talked about how fun the summer of 2016 was due to so many people playing the Niantic game. “I fondly remember meeting up with my friends at sunrise and having excuses to get outside so we could find the 100th Pidgey that week, this was a huge moment for mobile games IMO,” another user tweeted.
Since its launch, there has been a handful of crazy Go stories that have made the news. From players physically assaulting each other over a Gym to Trainers having the police called on them while trying to catch their favorite ‘mon in the wild.
Despite everything, most fans genuinely seemed to feel nostalgic for the mobile title as it reached its fifth anniversary in 2021. Flaws aside, there is no denying that Go has had a monumental impact on not only the gaming industry, but the world.