(Update: live in the USA and Germany) Pokémon GO finally launches

Update, July 13: Pokémon GO is now available in Germany. We expect other European countries to follow shortly.

Update, July 7: US readers, go check the Play Store, Pokémon GO is now available in your country!

Original post, July 6: It looks like Pokémon GO is finally launching in the Play Store, at least in some regions.

For now, only Australia and New Zealand are confirmed to be part of the rollout. We looked the game up in the Play Store in Europe and Canada, with no luck. According to WSJ journalist Takashi Mochizuki, who spoke to reps of The Pokémon Company, the game will be “coming shortly” to the United States and Japan. That makes it sound like it’s a matter of hours, but it could also be days. Let’s hope for a quick, incident-free rollout.

Pokémon GO is co-developed by The Pokémon Company and Alphabet-owned Niantic Labs. The fact that Niantic is involved should tip you off about the mechanics of the game: like in Ingress, Pokémon GO players will have to explore the real world to find new pokémons, battle other players, and capture and protect Gyms. Players will be able to join one of three allegiances and will have to work with team members to hold Gyms against assaults from other teams.

Beyond that, you can expect to be immersed in the full Pokémon universe, complete with hundreds of pokémons, familiar avatars, and all the beloved lore.

Here’s a gameplay video of the beta version that shows what to expect from Pokémon GO.

And here are some screenshots:

Pokémon GO is free to play, with in-app purchases for things like Poké balls, incense, coins, eggs, and various upgrades. IAPs will cost between 99 cents and 99 dollars, but hopefully, they won’t be essential for enjoying the game.

You can try to download Pokémon GO from the Play Store: the listing is live, but you will only be to download the game if it’s been made available in your country.

We’ll keep you posted on any developments. Please check the Play Store and let us know if Pokémon GO is available in your country!