Pokemon Go player “living in the future” with wild glitch

Scott Baird
Pikachu time travels Pokemon

A Pokemon Go player has accidentally crossed the boundaries of time, as they’ve been given in-game achievements from the future.

The Pokemon series has mostly been restricted to Nintendo platforms, which means that fans have never had the chance to earn in-game achievements (like PlayStation trophies) by beating the hardest challenges in the game.

Some Pokemon games have included in-game achievements, but those are locked to those titles. The only Pokemon game where fans truly care about their achievements is the Medals in Pokemon Go, as it’s an ongoing live service game that fans will be playing for years to come.

The Medals in Pokemon Go also have extra value due to how difficult it can be to unlock some of them. There are some Medals that seem impossible to unlock, but that’s only because they’re restricted to a specific time and place.

Pokemon Go gives Medals from the future

A user on the Pokemon Go Reddit shared an image of a Medal they unlocked on February 17, 2024. As of the time of writing, this is over a week away, which means they’ve been sent a Medal from the future, possibly from Celebi or Dialga as part of some plot to save the world.

Or not. As other users in the thread pointed out, you can receive Pokemon Go Medals from the future by buying tickets for certain real-world Pokemon Go events, with the unlock date connected to the event date.

“At Osaka GO fest last year the medal was the entry ticket to the park event, I got my medal about a week before the event,” one user said, and the OP confirmed the Medal was gained, “By buying the ticket for the in person Sinnoh Tour.”

It wouldn’t be too surprising to see Pokemon Go Medals with glitchy dates, as the game has ongoing bug problems tied to new events. In this case, it’s a common occurrence for people who attend in-person Pokemon Go events and has no bearing on the gameplay.

So, this player isn’t the new Doctor Who or Crono, but they are someone with an early Pokemon Go Medal that’s unavailable to many people who play the game, unless they’re willing to travel for the chance to catch some ‘Mons.