Pokémon Go fans in China celebrate as game briefly available – before the country is blocked again

Pokémon Go enthusiasts in China recently experienced a moment of joy as the game became briefly playable, despite the long-standing geo-blocking that typically restricts access across the country. This rare event allowed players to engage in regular gameplay, a significant change from the usual restrictions.

Reports gathered from the Pokémon Go community reveal players were able to send in-game postcards from notable locations, such as Tiananmen Square in Beijing. This area, known for the tragic 1989 student protests, is heavily monitored and censored by the Chinese government.

For years, Pokémon Go has remained unplayable in vast regions of China, with many tourists documenting their frustrations when attempting to access the game during their visits. When they loaded the app, no Pokémon appeared to catch, and the game map remained empty.

However, this situation changed briefly on a Sunday evening when a glitch seemingly restored gameplay access across the nation.

Meanwhile, in Russia, where gameplay had been suspended by the developer since March 2022, the same glitch allowed players to engage with the game once again. Interestingly, in-game locations for both China and Russia still exist in the developer’s database, but it seems unlikely that normal access will be restored any time soon.

In response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the developer expressed solidarity with the global community, indicating that their games would no longer be available for download in Russia and Belarus, with gameplay also being suspended shortly thereafter.

Despite inquiries regarding the brief restoration of gameplay, the developer chose not to comment on the matter.

As the Pokémon Go community anticipates the biggest event of the year, Go Fest 2024, which is scheduled for this weekend, there is excitement surrounding the general release of the Mythical Pokémon Marshadow. Additionally, the game is poised to introduce significant content from Pokémon’s eighth generation, likely featuring the Dynamax mechanic.