Pokémon Go is five years old today Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Pokémon Go is five years old today And has now Pika'd up $5bn revenue. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Updated on 6 Jul 2021 4 comments Smash hit mobile game Pokémon Go celebrates its fifth anniversary today. Yes, it really has been that long. The game is celebrating with a new event featuring a flying Pikachu held aloft by birthday balloons, a new Collection Challenge, the return of the Mythical Shiny Meltan and more. Since its huge pop culture moment in the summer of 2016, Pokémon Go has accumulated $5bn in player spending. Five years on, the app is still setting new records. Watch on YouTube Sensor Tower data shows Pokémon Go raked in $1.3bn in player spending in 2020, a 41 percent rise year-on-year, as parts of the game were adapted to make it easier to play from home. (Remote raid passes, I choose you!) That spending boost has continued into 2021, too. App store data from January to June shows Pokémon Go is having its best first-half of a year ever. So, what's next? Pokémon Go celebrates the summer with its annual Go Fest event later in July - and as with last year, it's a global event. After that, the game will begin rolling back many of its pandemic-era bonuses in some countries, which has sparked criticism from some players. It's also worth looking back on how far Pokémon Go has come. From the early additions of now-integral features such as raiding and buddy Pokémon, to 2018's research questlines and battling, to 2019's appearance of Team Rocket, and to last year's boosted level cap, Mega Evolution and new seasonal model. 2021 has already added the checklist-style Collection Challenges, raid achievements and a vastly improved Pokédex. What's next? Hopefully, some new Pokémon. Thank you to every single Trainer who joined us in exploring the world in search of Pokémon! We're glad to have made some amazing friends and memories along the way. Here's to you, Trainers! Happy #PokemonGO5YearAnniversary! pic.twitter.com/KzNlPSklzW- Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) July 6, 2021 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 3 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 3 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store