Pokémon GO sees massive outage, tens of thousands of users report problems on Downdetector: What we know

Pokémon GO reportedly experienced an outage on Friday (local time), with thousands of users reporting issues. According to Downdetector.com, over 20,000 people reported problems with the platform at around 3:27 p.m. PT (3:57 a.m. IST the next day).

Downdetector is a website that tracks service outages and disruptions for popular websites, apps, telecom networks, and online services by collecting status reports from several sources.

Most users who reported problems to Downdetector said they were experiencing issues launching the game. At 3:53 p.m. PT, 40,000 users reported an issue, while at 4:13 p.m. PT, over 53,000 users were experiencing issues with the game.

According to reports, most users reported encountering a “Network Error 2” message, indicating that the game was unable to establish a connection with its servers when they attempted to launch it.

The “Network Error 2” is a general network-related error that can occur when Pokémon GO has difficulty connecting to its servers. The issue may prevent players from launching the game, logging in, or maintaining a connection.

According to Downdetector, 63 per cent of users reported problems launching the game, while 28 per cent faced login issues and eight per cent faced server connection issues in the United States.

Social media users fume over Pokémon GO outage

Several users took to social media platforms, including X, to report issues with the game, with many wondering if this was a device issue rather than an outage. Some other users shared game-related memes to highlight their concerns, while others sought compensation from the company.

One user wrote, “That scream you're hearing now is the scream of millions of Pokemon Go trainers realizing #PokemonGo is down. What does it mean to be outside when you can't catch Pokémon? What is life?”

Another wrote, “When you want to go for a walk but PokemonGoApp is down, so you have to wait until it's working. Gotta earn those candies and get my route done for the day.”

A third wrote, “Better investigate giving us something to make up for our money lost during this.”

Pokémon GO's parent company responds

Scopely Explore, the company’s support account on X, acknowledged the outage. In a post on X, the support account wrote, “Trainers, we’re investigating an issue affecting Pokémon GO gameplay. Our team is working to resolve it as quickly as possible, and we’ll provide an update once it’s resolved. Thank you for your patience.”

Pokémon GO, developed by Niantic, is an augmented-reality mobile game that uses GPS technology to help players locate, capture, train, and battle virtual Pokémon in real-world locations using their smartphones.