how to request a pokestop

How to Request a PokéStop: A Comprehensive Guide to Enhancing Your Community

For trainers within the world of Pokémon GO, PokéStops are far more than just in-game icons; they are vital hubs of activity. They provide essential items like Poké Balls and Potions, offer opportunities for research tasks, and often serve as the focal points for community gatherings and events. However, many areas, particularly in rural or newly developed neighborhoods, suffer from a lack of these crucial points of interest. This guide is dedicated to the process of requesting a new PokéStop, empowering you to directly contribute to and enrich both the game and your local community.

Table of Contents

Understanding the Criteria: What Makes a Great PokéStop? The Submission Process: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough Crafting a Successful Nomination: Tips and Strategies The Review Process and Community Collaboration Beyond the Game: The Real-World Impact

Understanding the Criteria: What Makes a Great PokéStop?

The foundation of a successful PokéStop nomination lies in a thorough understanding of Niantic's acceptance criteria. The primary goal is to identify locations that encourage exploration, exercise, and real-world social interaction. Ideal candidates are publicly accessible places with a strong cultural, historical, or communal significance. Common examples include public parks with unique playgrounds or gazebos, historical markers and plaques, notable architecture like libraries or places of worship, and permanent public art installations such as murals and sculptures. These locations are deemed eligible because they are safe, permanent, and foster gathering.

Equally important is recognizing what does not qualify. Nominations are typically rejected if they are on private residential property, including farms and single-family homes. Locations that pose safety risks, such as busy intersections without pedestrian pathways, emergency service buildings, or areas with restricted public access, are also ineligible. Furthermore, generic or temporary objects like standard street signs, most commercial businesses unless they are iconic community landmarks, and seasonal decorations will not meet the criteria. The core principle is permanence and significance.

The Submission Process: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough

To begin the submission process, you must be a trainer of at least level 37 in Pokémon GO. This requirement ensures submitters have substantial experience with the game's mechanics and geography. Once eligible, access the nomination feature directly from the game's main menu under the "PokéStop Nominations" section. The interface will guide you through several key steps that require careful attention.

First, you will be prompted to physically visit the location you wish to nominate. This is mandatory, as the submission tool uses your device's GPS to pinpoint the exact coordinates. You will then need to take a clear, well-framed photograph of the candidate object or location. This primary photo should be taken during daylight hours, be free of obstructions like people or vehicles, and clearly showcase why the spot is noteworthy. A second photo providing a wider context of the surrounding area is also required to help reviewers verify the location's accessibility and safety.

The final and perhaps most critical step is providing a title and description. The title should be concise and accurate, directly naming the object or place. The description is your opportunity to sell the nomination's significance. Explain why this location is important to your community. Is it a historic town hall? A beautiful mosaic created by a local artist? A popular community garden? This text, along with a supplemental information field for additional context, is what transforms a simple location into a compelling point of interest.

Crafting a Successful Nomination: Tips and Strategies

Success in PokéStop nomination is an art that goes beyond merely meeting the basic criteria. The quality of your submission directly influences its chance of approval by the volunteer reviewer network. Start with exceptional photography. Your main photo should be high-resolution, centered on the subject, and visually appealing. Avoid glare, shadows that obscure details, and including people or license plates. The supporting photo should clearly show the subject within its safe, pedestrian-accessible environment.

The textual components are where you can truly make your case. Use the description field to state factual, verifiable information. Instead of writing "a cool mural," specify "‘The River’s Journey’ mural painted by local artist Jane Doe in 2022, depicting the history of our town’s founding." This provides concrete, researchable details. In the supplemental information, address potential concerns a reviewer might have. For example, if the nomination is in a public park but not visible from satellite maps, note that. Explicitly state that the location is on public parkland, has safe pedestrian pathways, and is accessible to all. This proactive approach builds a stronger, more credible nomination.

The Review Process and Community Collaboration

Once submitted, your nomination enters the Niantic Wayfarer review system. This is a platform where experienced players from around the world volunteer to evaluate submissions based on the publicly available criteria. The review process can take several weeks or even months, depending on the density of nominations in your area. Patience is essential. You can track the status of your submission within the Pokémon GO app.

Engaging with the Wayfarer community itself can be immensely beneficial. By creating a Wayfarer account and reviewing nominations from other areas, you gain a deeper, firsthand understanding of what makes a submission pass or fail. This experience is invaluable when crafting your own nominations. Furthermore, a culture of collaboration within your local player group can be powerful. Organize nomination workshops, share successful examples, and discuss potential candidates. By working together to identify and properly document local gems, you increase the quality and quantity of submissions for your entire region, benefiting every trainer.

Beyond the Game: The Real-World Impact

The act of requesting a PokéStop extends its impact far beyond the digital confines of Pokémon GO. It encourages players to become more engaged observers of their own communities. The process requires you to research local history, appreciate public art, and identify communal spaces you may have previously overlooked. This heightened awareness fosters a stronger sense of place and civic pride.

Successfully establishing new PokéStops and Gyms can physically reshape community habits. It draws people to local parks, historical sites, and small businesses they might not have otherwise visited, potentially boosting local engagement and commerce. These digital landmarks become modern-day town squares, facilitating serendipitous meetings and strengthening the social fabric of the player community. Ultimately, learning how to request a PokéStop is not just about acquiring more in-game resources; it is about becoming an active contributor to the shared map of the real world. It is a unique intersection of gaming and community stewardship, where your efforts leave a lasting, positive mark on both your gameplay experience and the physical world you explore.

9 dead as truck topples over vehicle in central India
G20 Summit to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa
U.S. withdrawal contradicts fundamental principles of multilateralism: UNESCO head
Tariffs spark slowdown as U.S. firms, consumers brace for economic pain
2 killed, several critically wounded in U.S. North Carolina shooting