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Pokémon GO

-2.87
Bad
Price: Free
Ads: No
In App Purchases: Yes

iOS App Store
Google Play App Store

Temporal Dark PatternsTemporal Dark Patterns

This game has 916 reported Temporal Dark Patterns. There are 294 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-3.2

176 votes
20 votes
Playing by Appointment -
176 / 20 votes
Being forced to play according to the game's schedule instead of yours.

197 votes
16 votes
Daily Rewards -
197 / 16 votes
Encourages return visits every day and punishes you for missing a day.

175 votes
16 votes
Grinding -
175 / 16 votes
Being required to perform repetitive and tedious tasks to advance.

159 votes
18 votes
Infinite Treadmill -
159 / 18 votes
Impossible to win or complete the game.

170 votes
50 votes
Wait To Play -
170 / 50 votes
In-game timers that make you arbitrarily wait for something.

25 votes
78 votes
Can't Pause or Save -
25 / 78 votes
The game does not allow you to stop playing whenever you want.

14 votes
96 votes
Advertisements -
14 / 96 votes
Forced to watch ads or given rewards for watching ads.

Monetary Dark PatternsMonetary Dark Patterns

This game has 1194 reported Monetary Dark Patterns. There are 591 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-2.54

232 votes
2 votes
Premium Currency -
232 / 2 votes
Exchange rate between real money and in-game currency disguises the real price of items.

187 votes
9 votes
Artificial Scarcity -
187 / 9 votes
Limited time offers with unnecessary urgency.

219 votes
2 votes
Waste Aversion -
219 / 2 votes
Capped inventory forces you to destroy items or upgrade inventory. Also, having small amounts of left over premium currency.

185 votes
23 votes
Anchoring Tricks -
185 / 23 votes
Placing a cheap item next to an expensive item to make it look more affordable.

86 votes
21 votes
Pay to Win -
86 / 21 votes
A player can spend real money to purchase something that gives them an advantage in the game.

153 votes
53 votes
Pay to Skip -
153 / 53 votes
Spend money to avoid waiting for a timer to expire.

48 votes
57 votes
Gambling / Loot Boxes -
48 / 57 votes
Spending real money to play a game of chance for a reward.

35 votes
68 votes
Accidental Purchases -
35 / 68 votes
Making it easy to accidentally spend money with no confirmation or ability to undo or refund the action.

33 votes
72 votes
Power Creep -
33 / 72 votes
A permanently purchased item in the game becomes less valuable over time.

13 votes
177 votes
Recurring Fee -
13 / 177 votes
Encourages players to play as much as possible to get their money's worth.

3 votes
107 votes
Pay Wall -
3 / 107 votes
The game becomes impossible to continue playing without payment.

Social Dark PatternsSocial Dark Patterns

This game has 712 reported Social Dark Patterns. There are 557 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-1.82

207 votes
9 votes
Reciprocity -
207 / 9 votes
Feeling obligated to return a favor, share resources, trade an item, etc.

116 votes
2 votes
Competition -
116 / 2 votes
The game makes you compete against other players.

200 votes
24 votes
Social Pyramid Scheme -
200 / 24 votes
You get a bonus for inviting your friends and then they have to invite their friends.

69 votes
41 votes
Social Obligation / Guilds -
69 / 41 votes
To avoid letting down your friends, you are obligated to play when you don't want to.

106 votes
74 votes
Fear of Missing Out -
106 / 74 votes
If you stop playing you'll miss out on something or be left behind and unable to catch up.

5 votes
194 votes
Friend Spam / Impersonation -
5 / 194 votes
The game sends spam to your contact list or social media account.

9 votes
213 votes
Encourages Anti-Social Behavior -
9 / 213 votes
The game incentivizes players to lie, cheat, or backstab other players to get ahead.

Psychological Dark PatternsPsychological Dark Patterns

This game has 761 reported Psychological Dark Patterns. There are 247 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-3.14

195 votes
1 votes
Badges / Endowed Progress -
195 / 1 votes
Reluctancy to abandon a partially completed goal, even one forced upon the player.

220 votes
7 votes
Complete the Collection -
220 / 7 votes
The urge to collect all the items, achievements or secrets in a game.

166 votes
12 votes
Invested / Endowed Value -
166 / 12 votes
Having already spent time and money to improve your status in the game, it's difficult to throw it away.

87 votes
22 votes
Variable Rewards -
87 / 22 votes
Unpredictable or random rewards are more addictive than a predictable schedule.

37 votes
56 votes
Optimism and Frequency Biases -
37 / 56 votes
Overestimating the frequency of something because we’ve seen it recently or memorably.

33 votes
74 votes
Aesthetic Manipulations -
33 / 74 votes
Trick questions or toying with emotions or our subconscious desires.

23 votes
75 votes
Illusion of Control -
23 / 75 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

Pay to Win reported on Jul 5, 2026
The P2W aspect comes from being able to have access to viably competitive Pokemon or ones that cannot be caught by the average player now/ever.
Badges / Endowed Progress reported on Jul 5, 2026
Medals based on specific accomplishments and caught Pokemon of a certain type
Recurring Fee reported on Jul 5, 2026
The recent Go Pass feature does just that.
Fear of Missing Out reported on Jul 5, 2026
Mainly some events and Pokemon not available until later/another event
Premium Currency reported on Jul 5, 2026
In-game currency can be earned by participating in Gym battles (leaving Pokemon there for a specific amount of time before they are knocked out), but it is hard limited to just 50 once a day.
Social Pyramid Scheme reported on Jul 5, 2026
Minor bonuses but I've not tried it and can't comment much further about this.
Competition reported on Jul 5, 2026
PVP, which I felt like is either very against you or just full of bots...
Waste Aversion reported on Jul 5, 2026
Again, it's mostly based on the amount of Pokecoins (the ingame currency) you have in order to purchase more inventory space. Although lately, they were a bit more generous with the inventory bonuses but not by much.
Wait To Play reported on Apr 18, 2026
For raids
Waste Aversion reported on Apr 18, 2026
Pokémon & item storage is limited and can be upgraded via in-game store


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