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New Pokemon Go update brings an improvement so many players have been dying for

Published May 2nd, 2017 12:37PM EDT
Pokemon Go News Today
Image: Niantic | The Pokemon Company

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Niantic is hardly done upgrading the overall Pokemon Go experience, as millions of people around the world continue their quests to catch ’em all. Now, the company is finally ready to make it easier for a certain category of gamers to actually have a chance of getting all the creatures they’ve been dying to capture.

Unlike Pokemon Go players who live in densely populated cities filled with Pokemon spawn sites, gamers who are based in rural and suburban areas aren’t as lucky when it comes to finding new Pokemon spawn sites. But Niantic plans to fix that, at least for American players. SlashGear reports that users who live in areas with few or no Pokestops or Pokemon Gym locations have noticed a 10% to 15% increase in Pokemon spawns. The regular locations won’t change much, but you’ll see more creatures popping up. That means your chances of catching Pokemon in rural areas will significantly increase, at least in the US.

Furthermore, according to a Reddit user, Niantic made other changes to the way Pokemon spawn in rural and suburban areas. Now, there’s a 30-minute spawn rate in place, and Pokemon remain there for anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes. Finally, Pokemon will not run away and then spawn again in the same spot after 15 minutes.

If you have Pokemon Go installed on your device, don’t go looking for a software update. These are server-side changes to Pokemon Go that should be available right away. Also, if you’re reading this from Japan, then you should know that Niantic and McDonald’s are hosting a special “Golden Week” event in your country.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.