What’s coming to Pokemon Go in 2020? Battle League, Gen 6, more

Paul Cot
Pokemon Company

It has been another big year for Pokemon Go, proving ever-popular with fans of the series amid more exciting additions to the game. What can we look forward to in 2020, though?

2019 was arguably the biggest year to date for Pokemon Go, with the game evolving more than ever before. Events were commonplace throughout the year and the game added new features such as Go SnapShot and the long awaited arrival of Team Rocket.

The popular mobile game is far more sophisticated than when it first released in 2016, begging the question: what can we expect from Niantic and Pokemon Go in 2020? It will be a tough act to follow.

@PokemonGoApp2019 was a big year for Pokemon Go…

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GO Battle League

There are sure to be a slew of additions to Pokemon Go, which have yet to even be teased. There may be some things that Niantic haven’t even planned yet, either.

One thing that has been confirmed, however, is the introduction of the GO Battle League. This will be available in “early 2020“.

Essentially, the new Battle League will take competition to the next level in Pokemon Go. There will be three leagues: Great League, Ultra League, and Master League.

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These aren’t based on rank, but rather three separate competitions for players to master. Only one will be available at any given time, rotating throughout the season. How long a season will last has yet to be announced.

Your rank will increase as you win battles in these various leagues, ranging from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. It looks like Niantic are really trying to make Pokemon Go more than just a destination to catch Pokemon and, once again, bring battling to the forefront. After all, battles are synonymous with the series.

LevelSkipWill the likes of Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie come to Pokemon Go in 2020?

Gen 6

While Generation 6 isn’t confirmed officially, trainers can expect its arrival at some point in 2020. New generations have been ushered into the Pokemon Go world on nearly yearly basis.

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We are still only a third of the way through the release of the Gen 5 species ,so logically, Gen 6 is still several months away. The first Pokemon from the Unova region were added in September, and there are now a total of 53 that can be caught.

It’s difficult to put an exact date on when Pokemon from the iconic Kalos region could arrive, but given previous patterns, it will likely be sometime during the summer. July seems the most probably date, as it will have been 10 months after the introduction of the likes of Snivy, Oshawott and Tepig.

@PokemonGoAppTeam Rocket’s arrival in Pokemon Go was probably the highlight of 2019…

The next stage of Team Rocket

It’s no secret that Niantic have put a lot of thought and effort into Team Rocket’s arrival in Pokemon Go. What was initially a slow roll-out has since introduced more features and added more Shadow Pokemon.

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With Giovanni finally in the game, it’s perhaps a little difficult to see where Niantic will go next. However, Team Rocket are clearly here to stay, and it seems more than likely there will be more wrinkles to come.

What else?

There will no doubt be plenty more to expect, too. Every year since Pokemon Go released, there has been an ever increasing stream of new content, with in-game events in particular becoming more and more frequent.

Elsewhere, there will, of course, be monthly Community Days to look forward to. With 24 of these now in the books, maybe Niantic will revamp them in some way. After all, they will eventually run out of starter Pokemon to use as headliners!

We may not know the answer as to what is coming in 2020, but come the end of the year, Pokemon Go may look quite different to what it is, currently. Much like many of the Pokemon, it continues to evolve, leaving fans chomping at the bit for what’s next.