Pokémon GO map is getting a large overhaul over the next few weeks, Niantic shared on the official Pokémon GO website. Niantic is making updates to the in-game map to more accurately reflect the environment, and they are adjusting Pokémon spawns globally – different Pokémon will appear in a greater variety of places.
Global map refresh
Niantic announced that the in-game map will be updated with local changes from recent years – old roads may be removed, new buildings and parks may appear, and the landscape inside Pokémon GO should reflect the real world with higher precision.
It’s been well over three years since the last map update – see our Pokémon GO 0.137.1 and OSM Map Updates are Live! article from 2019 – and we are anxious to see which updates will make the cut and appear in Pokémon GO.
Niantic is using data from the OpenStreetMap, a global open source map that anyone can edit, and that relies heavily on user input.
OpenStreetMap (OSM) publishes its data weekly, packaged as a massive “planet file”, and we’re quite interested to see which planet file Niantic is aiming to use. Hopefully, it’s a recent one, or, at the very least, a file with updates from 2022.
Pokémon will appear in more areas
As part of this change, global Pokémon spawns are also getting updated, with a focus on increased variety of places where Pokémon appear, better distribution in cities and more spawns for rural players:
- Different Pokémon will appear in even more places than before
- In densely populated areas, this could mean that you’ll see the same numbers of Pokémon as before, but they will be spread out more evenly
- You may also see Pokémon appear in different locations than before
- For Trainers in rural or rapidly expanding areas, this may also increase the number of Pokémon that appear overall
