Pokémon GO player exposes grim reality of rural areas, not a single Pokémon spawn in sight

Playing Pokémon GO in a big city is like hitting the jackpot. The game offers a ton of spawns, rare monsters, and shiny sprites right at your doorstep. Even if you’re not a hardcore player, the city’s got you covered. But if you’re living outside a busy city, it’s a different story.

Rural Pokémon GO players have been speaking up for a long time, but not much has changed. Niantic seems to focus on big cities, saying they have what it takes to support a lot of players. That’s not much comfort if you’re in a rural area. Sure, you can request new PokéStops, but the process is long and only works if other players help approve your request.

Having fewer PokéStops leads to fewer spawns, making the game less fun in many ways. It’s harder to complete tasks, level up, and get in-game items without spending real money. And while city players are enjoying new game updates, rural players are getting the short end of the stick. Niantic’s recent changes to remote raiding have made it even harder for rural players to join in on the best raids.

A recent discussion on the Pokémon GO Reddit shows just how tough it is for rural players. Picture this, you log into the game and see an empty map. No spawns, no PokéStops, nothing. It almost looks like a theme for the upcoming Halloween 2023 event.

This is why I have so much time to complain about how Niantic treats rural players. ‘Stop being lazy and waaallkkk’
byu/Glacial_Shield_W inpokemongo

Are you a rural Pokémon GO player? How do you deal with the game’s focus on city life? We’d love to hear from you. What suggestions do you have for Niantic to make the game better for rural players? Drop your thoughts below, and let’s make Pokémon GO better for everyone.