Last week we did a deep dive on how Pokémon GO’s new (and long overdue) player-versus-player battle system would work. The only thing we didn’t know at the time was when, exactly, it would actually start rolling out.
The answer: tonight.
Just a few days ago, Niantic started shipping an update to the app that contained everything required for PvP, but they’d yet to actually flip the switch to turn it on. According to a tweet that just went live from the Pokémon GO account, it seems said switches have just been flipped:
Calling all level 40 Trainers. Your time has come to #GOBattle
Trainers of lower levels, please stand by, as we will be rolling Trainer Battles out to more levels soon. pic.twitter.com/Rf6NmFygE6
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) December 13, 2018
One catch (but one noted as likely in our initial post) is that it’s not available to everyone right off the bat. As with many of GO’s newer features, it’ll go live for higher level players first. More specifically, only players who’ve hit the level cap of 40 will get access to PvP immediately, with plans to roll it out to others in the coming days. It’s done like this partly to reward the most dedicated players for their efforts… but it’s also an easy way for them to roll things out gradually to double check that nothing explodes.
Update: Well, that was quick. Within an hour of launch, Niantic has opened PvP up to anyone over level 20.
(If you’re a sufficient level and for some reason don’t see the PvP stuff, Niantic says a reset of your app should fix it.)
Waiting for it to be rolled out to your level? Want a refresher on how it’ll all work while you wait? Here’s our breakdown.