8 best highlights from each year of Pokemon GO's existence

Pokemon GO is rapidly approaching its eighth anniversary, and plenty of good times have been had in the lead-up to the moment. Since Niantic's mobile title launched in 2016, it has seen its highs and lows, but players enjoy it to this day. Moreover, GO has evolved substantially over its lifespan, culminating in some truly exciting and enjoyable moments over nearly eight years of gameplay.

With that in mind, it doesn't hurt to take a look at some of Pokemon GO's highlights from each year of its existence shortly before its eighth anniversary.

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8 best highlights from each year of Pokemon GO's existence

1) Pokemon GO Takes the World by Storm (2016)

Pokemon GO's launch date was unlike anything seen in mobile gaming (Image via Niantic)

Mobile gaming was already in a good place before the arrival of Pokemon GO in July 2016 changed the landscape of the industry forever. Millions poured out into the world to catch virtual Pocket Monsters, to the extent of overloading the game servers. While this did cause some frustration from players, it stood as a testament to the game's immediate success.

The server issues were eventually resolved, and GO enjoyed a massive reception with countless players worldwide joining together to catch Pocket Monsters like they never had before.

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2) The Johto Region Comes Alive (2017)

A new region of creatures for Pokemon GO arrived in February 2017 (Image via Niantic)

When Pokemon GO first launched, fans certainly wanted more Pocket Monsters to capture from the core game series, but they weren't sure when or if they would arrive. Fortunately, in February 2017, the floodgates opened and allowed a large number of Johto region Pokemon to join their Kanto region counterparts in GO.

Not only was this incredibly exciting for fans, but it also helped Niantic make it clear to players that more Pokemon would be on the way for years to come.

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3) Mewtwo Joins Standard Raids (2018)

The elusive Mewtwo became available to all Pokemon GO players in 2018 (Image via Niantic)

During Pokemon GO's earliest years, Mewtwo was obtainable, but only via exclusive raids like those that took place in the GO Stadium event in Japan. This mechanic was overhauled in September 2018 when Mewtwo finally made its way to the standard raiding rotation, allowing trainers who couldn't travel to exclusive events, a fairer shot at the legendary fan-favorite.

Mewtwo remains one of the most popular creatures in GO to this day thanks to its firepower, but its popularity in the mobile title might not have been as likely if it had remained exclusive.

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4) Team GO Rocket Invades (2019)

The villainous Team GO Rocket and their Shadow Pokemon emerged in July 2019 (Image via Niantic)

Every good game needs a good villain, and Pokemon GO got theirs in the form of Team GO Rocket in 2019. As part of their invasion, Team GO Rocket's grunts, leaders, and its boss Giovanni began to appear on the game map complete with corrupted Shadow Pokemon for trainers to battle and capture. The purification mechanic was also introduced to remove the corruption of the Shadow Pokemon.

Team GO Rocket's arrival heralded an expansion of Pokemon GO's PvE gameplay while also introducing a new twist to the battle meta, as Shadow Pokemon remain some of the best offensive options in the game.

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5) Remote Raiding Arrives at a World-Shaking Time (2020)

Remote raids changed Pokemon GO for the better in the turbulence of 2020 (Image via Niantic)

Pokemon GO's ethos of going out into the world with friends was thrown into catastrophe with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Niantic adjusted with one of its most beloved features in the game in the form of remote raiding. By using remote raid passes, players could raid powerful Pokemon together without being at risk of infection as a result.

Unfortunately, remote raiding has been reduced to a shell of its former self, but during a worldwide epidemic, it was the feature that helped keep the game's community together.

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6) Luminous Legends X and Y (2021)

Luminous Legends was undoubtedly one of Pokemon GO's greatest two-part events (Image via Niantic)

2021 wasn't the most well-received year for Pokemon GO, as it saw a decline in new content compared to previous years. However, one of the undoubted highlights of the year came in May 2021's Luminous Legends X and Y events, which worked in tandem to introduce several new Pokemon and shinies alongside plenty of raids and research to take part in.

The legendary Kalos Pokemon Xerneas and Yveltal made their debut alongside Dragon-types like Goomy while other beloved Dragon-types like Dratini and Bagon were easy to find. New Shadow Pokemon appeared on Team GO Rocket teams, and plenty of trainers returned to real-world participation.

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7) Invasion of the Ultra Beasts (2022)

Ultra Beasts headlined a content-packed GO calendar in 2022 (Image via Niantic)

Although one could argue that the arrival of the majority of Alolan Pokemon in 2022 could take this spot, the sudden appearance of Generation VII's Ultra Beasts may have been even more exciting. Although not every Ultra Beast appeared at once, many could be obtained from both raids and research. Many of the extradimensional creatures remain popular to this day.

All in all, 2022 had plenty of content to appreciate, but the Ultra Beasts signified a new type of creature that hadn't appeared in prior years. They may be classified as Pokemon by many fans, but Ultra Beasts are shrouded in mystery and may not be Pocket Monsters at all.

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8) GO Catches Up to the Core Series with Paldean Pokemon (2023)

The core games and GO aligned with Paldean Pokemon's arrival in 2023 (Image via Niantic)

Since Pokemon GO's arrival, countless trainers wondered if and when the game would catch up to the current generation of Pokemon as seen in the core series. That's exactly what happened in 2023 when Pokemon from the Paldea region of the Generation IX Scarlet and Violet games made their way to Niantic's mobile title.

Some trainers have questioned why Paldea's Pokemon arrived before the prior region from Generation VIII (Galar) even had their starter creatures introduced. Regardless, Pokemon GO finally caught up to the pace of the series it's spinning off from. Whether it will continue to do so though remains to be seen.