Starting Pokemon GO can feel overwhelming with its many features, mechanics, and activities. This Pokemon GO getting started guide for new players covers everything you need to know to begin your journey as a Pokemon trainer and avoid common beginner mistakes.
Choose Your Starter Pokemon
When you first open Pokemon GO, Professor Willow asks you to catch one of three starter Pokemon: Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle. Your choice doesn’t matter long-term since you’ll catch all three eventually, but many players choose Charmander because Charizard is popular.
Pro tip: If you walk away from the starters four times without catching them, Pikachu appears as a secret fourth option. This is purely cosmetic but fun for Pikachu fans.
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SubscribeUnderstanding the Basics
Catching Pokemon: Tap wild Pokemon on your map to enter catch mode. Swipe your Pokeball toward the Pokemon to throw it. Colored rings indicate difficulty—green is easy, yellow is moderate, red is hard. Smaller rings give bonus XP for “Nice,” “Great,” or “Excellent” throws.
PokeStops and Gyms: Blue markers are PokeStops that give items (Pokeballs, potions, berries). Spin the photo disc to collect rewards. Gyms are tall structures where you battle other players’ Pokemon once you reach level 5.
Trainer Level: Your trainer level determines which Pokemon you can catch and power up. Gain XP by catching Pokemon, spinning PokeStops, completing research tasks, and battling. Higher levels unlock better items and features.
What to Do in Your First Week
Priority 1: Catch Everything Don’t be picky about which Pokemon you catch. Every catch gives XP, Stardust (used for powering up), and candy (used for evolving). Even common Pokemon like Pidgey and Rattata are valuable for XP.
Priority 2: Spin PokeStops You need Pokeballs constantly. Spin every PokeStop you see to build your item supply. Running out of Pokeballs stops your progress completely.
Priority 3: Complete Research Tasks The “Today” tab shows daily research tasks. Completing these gives valuable rewards including rare Pokemon encounters, XP, and items. Always complete your daily tasks.
Priority 4: Add Friends Tap your avatar, go to Friends, and add people using friend codes. Friends send gifts containing items and XP. You need friends for trading and raid battles later.
Priority 5: Join a Team at Level 5 At level 5, you choose Team Mystic (blue), Valor (red), or Instinct (yellow). This determines which gyms you can join. Choose whichever appeals to you—all teams are equal mechanically.
Essential Early Game Tips
Save your Stardust: Don’t power up Pokemon until level 20+. Early game Pokemon become obsolete quickly as you catch stronger ones. Stardust is precious—save it for later.
Evolve for XP, not strength: Use Lucky Eggs (double XP for 30 minutes) when evolving multiple Pokemon for massive XP gains. This is the fastest way to level up.
Don’t waste rare candy: Rare candy can become candy for any Pokemon. Save it for legendary Pokemon you can’t walk as buddies. Don’t use it on common Pokemon.
Walk with a buddy: Assign a buddy Pokemon that walks with you and earns candy. This is free candy for Pokemon you want to evolve or power up.
Participate in Community Days: Monthly Community Day events (usually one weekend day) feature boosted spawns of specific Pokemon with exclusive moves. These are the best events for new players to build their collection.
Avoid Shortcuts and Build Legitimately
The early grind can feel slow, and some players might be tempted to look for shortcuts. You might come across pogo accounts being sold online with high levels and rare Pokemon, but this is a mistake. Account trading violates Niantic’s Terms of Service and results in permanent bans when detected. More importantly, the early progression teaches essential game mechanics—catching techniques, resource management, and battle strategies. Skipping this learning phase means you won’t understand how to properly manage your account as you progress.
Building your account from scratch ensures you develop the skills needed for long-term success and actually enjoy the journey of becoming a Pokemon trainer.
Common Beginner Mistakes
Don’t transfer your starter Pokemon (you can’t get another easily). Don’t ignore gyms and raids (they’re major content). Don’t buy Pokeballs with Pokecoins (earn them from PokeStops instead). Don’t evolve Pokemon before checking if they’re needed for research tasks.
Your First Month Goals
Reach level 20-25, catch 500+ different Pokemon, complete your first raid battle, make 10+ friends, participate in Community Day, and save 50,000+ Stardust. These milestones set you up for mid-game content.
Pokemon GO rewards daily play more than marathon sessions. Spend 15-30 minutes daily catching Pokemon, spinning stops, and completing tasks. Consistency builds your collection and levels faster than occasional long sessions.
