Pokémon GO marks 10th anniversary with massive Times Square event

More than 1,000 players gathered in Times Square on July 10, 2026, to defeat Mega Mewtwo Y in a coordinated raid, celebrating the tenth anniversary of Pokémon GO Source: La Vanguardia. The event, which synchronized nearly all of the iconic square's screens, was one of the largest in-person raids in the game's history and was livestreamed globally Source: El Nacional.

A decade of highs and lows

Pokémon GO launched in July 2016 to record-breaking success: 130 million downloads in its first month, a peak of 232 million active players, and almost $1 billion in revenue Source: Infobae/EFE. Over the decade, the game has amassed over 800 million players who have collectively walked more than 100 billion kilometers Source: Infobae. However, active users have since stabilized at around 55 million as of 2023, according to Sensor Tower and Statista Source: Infobae/EFE. Michael Steranka, vice president of product, noted that the game saw a resurgence during the pandemic thanks to remote raid features Source: Infobae/EFE. He also refuted the notion that players are only long-time fans, stating that "each month we see millions of new people entering the game" Source: El Nacional.

Privacy and AI concerns

The game's location scanning has drawn criticism for training AI models. In 2021, Niantic incentivized players to upload location scans, and later that year, Niantic Spatial partnered with Vantor, a military drone software company Source: Infobae/EFE. Both companies clarified that terrestrial scans were not directly provided to Vantor but admitted that civic data had already been used to train AI models Source: Infobae/EFE. Niantic sold its gaming division to Scopely for $3.5 billion in 2025 Source: Infobae/EFE.

What's next

Celebrations continue with the global Pokémon GO Fest 2026 on July 11–12, offering free in-game events and the mythical Pokémon Zeraora Source: Infobae. In-person community events are also scheduled in cities like Barcelona Source: Infobae.