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Pokémon GO adds at-home Raid Battles and Adventure Sync updates amid COVID-19

Pokémon GO continues to adapt to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to changes announced earlier this month, Niantic is also planning to let users partake in Raid Battles from home and more.

In a blog post today, Niantic has offered a handful of additional details on how Pokémon GO gameplay is adapting to COVID-19 and associated social distancing and shelter in place orders. First off, the company says it is making improvements to Adventure Sync to better track indoor activity — for instance, you can run on a treadmill and have that count towards in-game achievements:

You can track your steps indoor with Adventure Sync so activities like cleaning your house and running on a treadmill count toward game achievements. We’re going to make improvements to Adventure Sync so it works even better with indoor movement and activities.

But perhaps most notably, Niantic says you’ll soon be able to participate in Raid Battles with other people, directly from the comfort of your own home:

We’re enhancing our in-game virtual social features to enable players to stay in touch when they can’t meet in real life. You’ll soon be able to team up with friends and take on Raid Battles together in Pokémon GO from the comfort of home.

All of today’s announcements are in addition to changes Niantic made to Pokémon GO earlier this month, which were also focused on adapting gameplay for the COVID-19 social environment. You can read more details on the changes to Pokémon GO, Ingress Portals, and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite on the Niantic blog right here.

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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

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