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From microtransaction concerns to repetitive spawns, explore 6 key issues that frustrated Pokemon GO players in 2024.
As Pokemon GO heads into 2025 with the Dual Destiny update, many players in the community continue to voice concerns over the state of the game. While the game added highly anticipated features, such as Gigantamax and Dynamax Pokemon with the Max Out update, many in the community feel that these new additions have failed to address the issues plaguing the game.
From growing microtransactions to the execution of new mechanics, frustration has been building over what many players perceive as a move away from player-friendly gameplay. Here are some issues that left players frustrated with Pokemon GO in 2024.
1. Too Many Ticketed Events
In previous years, tickets were only sold for annual events like the GO Tour. However, more recently, Niantic has begun offering tickets for nearly every event. This move has garnered widespread backlash from free-to-play players, who feel that the focus on microtransactions has created a barrier that prevents them from enjoying the game.
Many players share Reddit user WraithTDK’s frustration with the game locking content behind a paywall:
“The store currently has the Wonder Ticket for $9.99, the GO Fest 2024 ticket for $14.99 and the Verdent Wonder Ticket is inbound for $7.99. I’ve always been fine with the cash shop for items and resources, but pay-walling research, which is the games’ only real content, is starting to really add up.”
The frequency of ticketed events has players feeling that the game is fully embracing the pay-to-win model.
2. Repetitive Wild Spawns
Pokemon, especially from the Kanto region, still dominate the spawn pool. Players complain about encountering and catching the same Pokemon, like Spearow and Machop, over and over.
User OwnPace2611 on Reddit had this to say on the Pokemon pool variety:
“Idk why the pokemon pool isnt more varied… there should be 100 different pokemon at a minimum at all times and more legendaries in the wild than the lake trio.”
Besides, what has amplified the annoyance among players is the fact that common wild spawns also appear frequently as event spawns. The most notorious example is Mankey, the pig monkey Pokemon, who not only appeared across many events in 2024 but also recently had a Community Day during the Max Out season.
Unfortunately, even the new Dual Destiny update has left players like JuneCrossStitch on Reddit underwhelmed. He said:
“You’re done rediscovering Kanto when they say you’re done rediscovering Kanto”
Read More: How To Get Shiny Mankey in Pokemon GO
3. Implementation of Dynamax Pokemon
With the Max Out season update, players were given the opportunity to battle powerful Dynamax Pokemon at Power Spots. The much-awaited mechanic received a lukewarm response from the community for several reasons, the biggest being that only Dynamax Pokemon could be used to battle at the Power Spots.
Reddit user Sr_Peido_Cosmico posts this about Dynamax Pokemon:
“What’s the real point of having a Dynamax Pokémon? I’m not really sure…“
Outside of battle, the Dynamax feature cannot be used elsewhere. Mega-evolved Pokemon can be used in raids, gym battles, Team Rocket encounters, and sometimes even in the GBL. They provide passive bonuses like increased catch candy and a higher chance of XL candy when active. While Dynamax Pokemon can help players earn candies by being assigned to a Power Spot, the feature cannot be used anywhere other than Dynamax battles.
4. Gigantamax Battles
Gigantamax battles function the same way as Dynamax battles, however, the significantly higher difficulty of defeating Gigantamax Pokemon draws criticism from players. Generally, it takes 10-40 well-prepared trainers to beat the G-Max beasts, which is a problem for many players like Reddit user Die_Legende, who struggle to team up with other trainers. He said
“I don’t understand the whole thing, 10 to 40 People?? In my area, there are maybe 8 other people and we don’t know each other and its impossible to do dese Gigantamax raids, when you’re not living in a big city.”
Niantic recently released a new item, called Max Mushrooms, which doubles the damage players do in a max battle for 30 minutes. The game offers a free 5-minute sample of mushrooms. However, beyond that, the only way to acquire them is through the game’s shop.
These new items can be particularly helpful for smaller groups, but they come with a hefty price tag. Single-use mushrooms cost 400 Pokecoins, whereas a bundle of three can be purchased for 1000, much to the dismay of players like SleeplessShinigami on Reddit:
“Thats 8 days of gyms for one mushroom. I’d rather use it on 2 storage upgrades.”
5. Pokemon Debuting In Eggs
Some Pokemon, such as Varoom, Galarian Corsola, Toxel, and Charcadet, can only be hatched from eggs, sometimes only during specific events. For example, getting a 10 km egg from Pokestops is rare, and even then, there’s a chance players might not hatch the Pokemon they are hunting.
On a post about hatching Toxel, Reddit user TarzanKitty comments:
“I paid and have hatched at least 40 purple eggs and still don’t have one.”
Egg-related events and debuts have further exacerbated players’ dissatisfaction with incubators and RNG. In the community, they are viewed as examples of Niantic prioritizing monetization over gameplay.
6. Bug-ridden GBL
Niantic shook the GO Battle League meta with the Max Out season update, which saw the handful of top battlers get significantly nerfed. While the move helped Niantic earn rare praise from the community, many bugs and glitches continued to hinder GBL.
Reddit user CatchAmongUs had this to say about the state of PvP:
“It really has gotten way worse lately. I used to be able to do all 5 sets for the day and notice frame drops and lag during maybe 3-4 of the matches tops. Now, it’s almost every single match…”
These persistent issues have led to growing frustration among players, who state they’ve lost the motivation to battle.
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