A year and half after its initial release, Pokémon GO players are finally seeing the third generation of Pokémon. The starter Pokémon of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip will be available later this week, for a total of 50 Pokémon from Hoenn. More Gen 3 Pokémon will be added in the coming weeks.

Another interesting addition to Pokémon GO are new weather effects. Now the AR mobile game will track and emulate the real-world weather in your area. These weather conditions will impact gameplay in a variety of ways, including which Pokémon are available, temporary CP increase, and bonus Stardust rewards. For example, Charizard’s Fire Spin will work better on sunny days.

Certain Pokémon are more likely to appear in their favorable weather conditions. Examples include Mudkip in the rain, Cacnea in the sun, and Snorunt in the snow. This means certain Pokémon will mostly be found during specific seasons of the year, like ice Pokémon in winter.

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were given the 3D remake treatment in Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby for Nintendo 3DS in 2014. That generation of main Pokémon games is often considered among the best.

Pokémon GO initially launched in July 2016, becoming a cultural phenomen. The mobile game has received numerous updates and events in the months since, most recently revamping its new cooperative raid system.


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Eric has been writing for over nine years with bylines at Dicebreaker, Pixelkin, Polygon, PC Gamer, Tabletop Gaming magazine, and more covering movies, TV shows, video games, tabletop games, and tech. He reviews and live streams D&D adventures every week on his YouTube channel. He also makes a mean tuna quesadilla.