This Is the Only Pokémon Go Map You Need to Catch 'Em All


Update: The developer has released several new updates to the app, including the ability to generate fully functional map links you can view in your phone's browser. In other words, this thing got even more useful.

Given the number of bugs in the wildly popular Pokémon Go game, players will take any advantage they can get in their real-world hunt for rare Pokémon. Well, get ready to have your minds blown, because there's a new map that taps into the game data to provide the precise locations of every Pokémon around you -- and unlike other Pokémon Go live location maps, this one's an absolute breeze to install.

Developed by Reddit user icer5k, the app's as straightforward as it gets: all you have to do is download either the OSX or Windows-compatible version from his GitHub page, unzip the file, and run the program. You'll be prompted to sign into your Pokémon Go account (either with Google or your Pokemon Trainer), and once that's done, you're taken to a map that zeroes in on your location and populates with all the Pokémon in your vicinity. Not only that, you can click on a Pokémon to see how long it'll remain at its current location. It's astonishingly accurate.

Unfortunately, the app's only available on your desktop computer for now, so you'll have to do your research at home before heading out into the world -- or, if you're a real badass, take your laptop and use a mobile WiFi hotspot for total Poké-domination. Does this remove some of the mystery from the game? Yes. Will you use it anyway? Also yes.

Of course, there's no telling how soon Niantic will catch on and put the kibosh on this, so you'll wanna try it out for yourself ASAP before the hammer comes down.

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Gianni Jaccoma is an editor at Thrillist. He once saw an Aerodactyl in Astoria, but his app froze because God is dead. Follow his wild hunt on Twitter @gjaccoma.