Pokémon GO quietly removes a feature players have been using for years - GAMINGbible
By Google News Technology ·
Pokémon GO's latest update removes special wild encounters at Power Spots whilst upgrading the Explorer Gadget and other gameplay features.
Amidst a big update for long-running mobile game Pokémon GO has surprisingly removed a feature that’s been around for almost two years, buried further down a list of improvements like the new Explorer Gadget.
Since launching a decade ago in 2016, the free-to-play title has brought in a plethora of features to keep Trainers engaged, get more interested, and find ways to get relapsed players to come back over the years: PvP battles, community events, special raids, and constantly evolving maps.
Before developer Niantic was bought by Scopely in 2025, there were a couple of special additions brought to Pokémon GO to integrate Sword & Shield’s Dynamax Pokémon and Max Battles, which ended up being a big hit with players.
Following a new November 2 update, however, one of those features has been taken out whilst tweaking the Explorer Gadget.
Scopely has confirmed that certain bonus Pokémon encounters associated with Power Spots have been removed from GO.
For context, whenever you would visit a Power Spot or defeat the sitting Pokémon there in a Max Battle, you would also have a chance of unlocking extra spawns around said spot, depending on what Dynmax Pokémon you’d leave — like the Kanto starters (Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle), Galar starters (Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble), and other Galar Pokémon like Wooloo or the regional variant of Slowpoke.
In its latest announcement on the Pokémon GO site, the team explained: “To improve the consistency of wild encounters for all players, visiting a Power Spot or placing a Pokémon at a Power Spot after winning a Max Battle will no longer trigger special wild encounters around the…
Originally published by Google News Technology