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Home of Krewe of Play
Best Pokémon GO Alternatives in 2026 (Ranked by Gameplay)
Updated October 2026 · First posted March 16, 2026
Pokémon GO is ten years old and still the biggest location game. If you want something different, here are six alternatives that were all still being updated in October 2026, ranked by how much game there is.
What makes a good alternative
- You have to move in the real world to play.
- Progress means something.
- There are people to play with.
- It’s still being developed.
- It takes cheating seriously.
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1
Free · iPhone and Android
Ingress
Best for: territory and team strategy
Niantic’s first game is still the deepest strategy game in the genre: capture portals at real landmarks, link them into fields and work with your team across the city. Niantic Spatial runs it now, and the player base is smaller than at its peak.
2
Free · iPhone and Android
Orna
Best for: RPG depth
A full turn-based RPG tied to where you walk, with classes, kingdoms, dungeons and raids. Northern Forge Studios has run it for eight years. It feels like a complete game that happens to use GPS.
3
Free · iPhone and Android
Monster Hunter Now
Best for: action
Capcom’s monster hunts on a real map, with combat that rewards timing. Scopely Explore makes it with Capcom, and it’s still adding events in 2026.
4
Free · iPhone and Android
Pikmin Bloom
Best for: easy walking
Walk to grow Pikmin, plant flowers around your neighborhood and join community events. No combat and no competition. Good for families and anyone who wants a reason to walk.
5
Free · iPhone and Android
ATLAS:EARTH
Best for: people who like collecting places
Buy virtual parcels tied to real places and earn small amounts of virtual rent. It’s closer to a collecting app than a game, reviewers say the payouts are tiny, and a parcel is a license inside the app, not real property.
6
Free · iPhone (iOS 26 or later)
Tripwire Recon
Best for: team capture-the-flag in New Orleans
The newest and smallest game here. Four New Orleans factions capture flags at real places, with clans, chat, leaderboards and an AR view. It came out in March 2026.
Disclosure: Tripwire Recon is made by Edge Orbital, the company behind Krewe of Play.
A word on cheating
Every location game on this list, Tripwire Recon included, depends on the location your phone reports, and spoofing apps can fake it. Games fight back with server checks and bans; Pokémon GO has used a three-strike policy since 2018. No game has solved it completely.
How games catch GPS spoofing →
The bottom line
- Casual walking: Pikmin Bloom
- Team strategy: Ingress
- RPG depth: Orna
- Action: Monster Hunter Now
Related reading
- Best GPS and location-based games in 2026
- Pokémon GO Halloween 2026 in New Orleans
- Best geocaching apps in 2026
Sources (checked October 18, 2026)
- TechCrunch: Niantic sells its games to Scopely (Mar 2025)
- Ingress: Year 13 (name back to “Ingress”)
- PocketGamer: Orna’s 8th anniversary (May 2026)
- PocketGamer.biz: Monster Hunter Now at three years
- The Budget Diet: Atlas Earth review
- Inverse: Pokémon GO’s three-strike policy (2018)
- App Store: Tripwire Recon
- App Store listings for each game (last updated dates)
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Krewe of Play players are 18+, kind, and go at walking pace. Games are about places and objects, never strangers. Respect residents, businesses and private property.