A complete guide to playing Pokemon Go in Pakistan

Pokemon Go is the phenomenon that is making the world literally walk miles to catch magical creatures. Pakistanis are not ones to be left behind either! Despite the unavailability of the game, thousands of Pakistanis have united in playing the game and a whole community has propped up.

Live in Pakistan and want to play Pokemon Go? Here, we have compiled a complete guide to playing Pokemon Go in Pakistan, including downloading the game, finding Pokestops and gyms, a map to find Pokemons near you and lots more.

How to install Pokemon Go in Pakistan

The game, although not officially available yet, is still playable in Pakistan.
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Android

1. Download the APK for the game on your device.
2. Go to the Downloads folder using any file explorer.
3. Tap on the downloaded file.
4. Tap on Install.

Note: The game supports Android 4.4 KitKat and above. Also, note that not all APK files are safe to install. The link given here is from a trusted Android blog but still, proceed at your own risk.
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You can refer to this guide if you don’t know how to install an APK file on Android.

iPhone

1. Open App Store and tap on Apple ID (your current email).
2. Tap on Sign Out.
3. Go to the Settings app.
4. Tap on General.
5. ­ Tap on Language & Region near the bottom.
6. Tap on Region
7. Check off United States.
8. Go to the Pokémon Go listing on the App Store on your iPhone or iPad. (Tap Change Store if it stays stuck on your old region and says the item isn’t available in the current store.)
9. Tap on Get and then on Install.
10. Tap Create New Apple ID.
11. Check United States if it isn’t already checked.
12. Fill out the required information.
13. Tap None for billing information (Pokémon Go is free).
14. Verify your email address by opening the verification email sent to you.
15. Download Pokémon Go.
16. Login to your new U.S. iTunes Account if you aren’t already logged in.
17. Repeat the Get and Install steps if you have to.

You can refer to this guide for more help.

How to find Pokestops and Gyms

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Started by Imdad Khan, a number of helpful Pokemon Go players have pooled their information together to plot all the known Gyms and Pokestops on a map.

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How to request for new Pokestops and Gyms

No Pokestops or Gyms near your house? You can also request for one now.
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1. Head over to this Support Page.
2. Fill in the required information about you.
3. In the text box titled “Reason”, choose “No Pokestops or Gyms near me”.

1. Enter a name, address, and exact location for where you would like one. Additionally, you can also enter an image for the exact spot.
2. Click on “Submit”.

Note: Previously, the Reason box had an option for “How do I create a new Pokestop or Gym”. Now it only allows you to request for a new Pokestop or Gym if they are not present near you.

How to find every Pokemon near you (using a map)

1. Head over to PokeVision.
2. Just beside the search box on the top-right, click on the little GPS icon (and grant permission for location if needed).
3. It will take you to your current location. Now click on the red button below the map to scan.

Note: The map isn’t ideal for finding Pokemons in Pakistan right now, but it still works. It wasn’t working yesterday but today, I tried it out with my location and it showed me at least three Pokemons near my house. It also showed a timer after which they will de-spawn. There was one more issue where it wouldn’t let me zoom in much and would show a “Map data not yet available” error if I did so.

Finding other Pokemon Go players in Pakistan

While Pokemon Go isn’t really a true multiplayer game, it is still fun to have a whole community of players to talk to and compare your Pokemons with. One of the most helpful Pokemon Go groups on Facebook, consisting of only Pakistani players, has around 3,000 members as of this moment.

Here is a link to the Facebook group: Pokemon Go Pakistan (The Original)

The members are really helpful and the group admins have done a great job of keeping the group posts relevant and useful.

Pokemon Go hacks

There are a number of cool Pokemon Go hacks, including starting the game with Pikachu, hatching eggs without moving at all, recovering Pokeballs and more. You can click on the link given below to a full list of Pokemon Go hacks,

­ How to start Pokemon Go with Pikachu and other hacks

In just a few weeks, Pokemon Go has taken over the world. People are ditching their comfy sofas and TV screens to walk around in parks and streets for once. On the other hand, brands too have jumped on the bandwagon to use the game’s popularity as a way to lure in more customers. The question we are trying to answer right now is that, is it just a one-time fad, or will it last? Only time will tell.