Pokemon Go Guide: What Are Pokestops and How to Use Them

Have you, like millions of other gamers, been playing tons of Pokemon Go? If so, you’ve probably noticed the blue pin looking items on the map. In case you didn’t already know, these are Pokestops. They’re actually a hugely important part of the Pokemon Go experience, so you’d better know what to do with them. Well, we’re here to help. Here’s our guide to answer the important questions of what are Pokestops and how to use them.

Pokestops are essentially free item drops placed around the world. They are mostly stationed at important cultural spots, such as statues, public buildings, or other types of locations. You should be able to see exactly where the Pokestop is just by tapping on it on your screen. This will give you a handy picture to help direct you where to go.

Thankfully, you don’t have to go exactly to the location, instead just needing to be pretty close to it. Once you are the Pokestop should change shape on your Pokemon Go screen. Spin the circle in the middle and it should load up a selection of random items. Tap these items to add them to your inventory. This should give you a lot of free Pokeballs, potions, and other important items.

Afterward the Pokestop should turn purple, indicating that you have used it recently. You can now go to a different Pokestop or wait for this one to refresh. Luckily it should just take about 5 minutes to do so, and you can pop it again for some more free items. You don’t even have to leave the location to do this, just wait for it to refresh.

Using Pokestops will totally change your Pokemon Go experience, giving you those all important items that you need to become a Pokemon master. Hopefully this is all you need to know about Pokestops, but let us know in the comments if you have any other questions. Or check out our other guides for all things Pokemon Go.