A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Run Pokémon GO on a Windows PC

Pokémon GO, a blockbuster reality game, is gaining a lot of popularity all over the world.

With this easy-to-follow guide, we will help you get started and enjoy playing it without getting out of your comfort zone. It is true that many Pokémon GO players have been into dangerous situations because of this game, but you don’t need to worry about this because you will be able to explore every corner of the world from the comfort of your couch.

As long as you have a PC running Windows and you are determined to get started, get ready to join all the other gamers and collect plenty of Pokémons. Even though Pokemon is not normally available for the PC, you can do this thanks to the many gba pokemon roms available for the Windows platform.

Before getting into action, you must know that GPS spoofing is needed. This technique breaks the Terms of Service of Nintendo. You need to use it with caution and at your own risk, as you will be exposed to getting temporarily or permanently banned from the game.

Getting Started

First of all, to play Pokémon GO on your PC, you need to root your device. During this process, every step is safe; there is no need to worry about breaking your device. Here is a list of the requirements that you need to have at the beginning of this procedure:

KingRoot, an excellent tool for Rooting Android devices.
FakeGPS to spoof your location
BlueStacks, the most famous Android emulator, for Windows 7 or later (the game may not work with the Windows 10 version)
Lucky Patcher to modify the application permissions
Windows PC with admin rights for software installation
Pokémon GO (duh!)

Here you got all the necessary tools and requirements to run this fascinating game on your PC. However, you need to make sure to be ready to use the game before installing and playing it. If not, you may find some difficulty playing it as it won’t run properly.

To make the process easier, it is better to put all the downloaded files in one single folder, that will undoubtedly save you a lot of time. Now that you are determined to play Pokémon GO on your PC, follow the next simple instructions carefully to avoid any inconveniences or hassles

Setting Everything Up

Install the Emulator

Install the Android emulator BlueStacks and connect to your google account. Now you are ready to use your PC as a fully functional Android device.

Take Care of the Rooting Process

Download KingRoot APK and install it. With this powerful tool, you will gain full access and have admin rights for greater customization.

Here is the link where you can download the app: https://kingroot.net.

To install KingRoot, follow these steps:

Open BlueStacks then click on the APK symbol. Once you open the APK, the installation should begin.
Run the app then click on “Try It”.
Click on “Optimize Now” while the app is running and before closing it.

That’s it. Now you have a rooted device, and you don’t need to rerun KingRoot.

Restart the Emulator

Now, you need to restart the emulator. To do so, look for a cogwheel on the top-right corner and click on it. A list will pop-up, where you need to choose “Restart Android Plugin”, and the process will begin. This step is easy, yet crucial, as you will need to restart BlueStacks more often in the future.

Spoof the GPS

On the left of the side of the Android emulator, there is a sidebar. Look for a folder icon and click on it. Next, run FakeGPS. It will be copied to BlueStacks right away.
Lucky patcher is an essential app that will help you gain full access to any app permissions. Once installed, run the app. For first time users, a pop-up will show, and you need to click on “Allow” to gain access. Now, search for Rebuild and Install option at the bottom right.
To install Lucky Patcher and be able to run it, follow the same steps shown in step 2 for installing KingRoot. To make it simpler, on the left-hand side of the emulator window, click on “APK” then select the dedicated APK file on your device. Once selected, the installation should begin. Then, run the app and click on Allow to grant the app access. That is how you give root access to Lucky Patcher. This procedure should be done once at the first time running the app.
Next, here are the steps you need to follow to install FakeGPS as a system application:
1. Browse to SD Card> Windows> BstSharedFolder
1. Look for the dedicated APK and click on it.
1. Once installed, make sure to restart BlueStacks before taking any changes.
Now, we will work on setting the location. To get excellent results, we are looking for High Accuracy location mode. Before making any changes, make sure to turn off the Windows Location Service to avoid any possible issues with the Android emulator. If you have a problem setting it off, go to Settings (you can find Settings on Start Menu or click on Windows key+ I) click on Privacy then choose Location. To disable the service, change the location option to OFF.
Run Lucky Patcher then look for FakeGPS in the apps list. To make sure it is a system app, click on Filters on the Search bar, check System Apps option then click on Apply. Before using FakeGPS, read the instructions. That will help you to use the app correctly.

To use FakeGPS, click on the three-dotted button on the top-right corner then choose Settings> Expert mode. A warning message will pop-up, read it then click OK.
Next, click on the back arrow located on the top-left corner. A map will show up, and you will be able to pin your location anywhere you want. It is suitable to choose an area with a high-density population, or you can select your favorite place from all around the world. Now, you are ready to spoof your location by choosing Save.

It’s Time to Play!

Once you have done all the previous steps properly, you should be able to play the game with no issues. It is easy to setup Pokémon GO. It is like running an app on your Android or iOS device. If your Pokémon GO account is linked to your google account, you will be able to load any previously set up app just by logging in to Google.

Once you launch the game, you will be able to play in your preferred fake location. A significant notice is that you need to follow step 6 again every time you restart BlueStacks. Also, you have the freedom to change your fake location whenever you want. So, get ready to catch ‘em all!

During the game, make sure to turn on the augmented reality or AR mode because the camera fails once the first Pokémon is caught if you don’t do so. Just click on YES, and you will find your favorite Pokémon floating in the virtual space. You can use the touch screen to throw the Poke balls.

How to Troubleshoot Common Issues

If you are facing any problems during the setup of this AR game, check this troubleshooting to solve any possible problem:

Turn OFF the Location Mode on your Windows PC.
Change to a new fake location when you run FakeGPS.
Restarting BlueStacks can be useful to solve some problems.
Turn OFF location history on BlueStacks while High Accuracy mode is still ON.
Choose a registered location on your device, which you have visited before.
Make sure that Expert Mode is ON in FakeGPS app.

Verdict

It is true that Pokémon GO doesn’t exist on the Windows Store. However, it’s not impossible to run this game on a Windows PC.

A petition has been created to urge Nintendo to build this fantastic AR game on Windows 10. It has reached 25,000 votes so far and still counting. You don’t need to wait longer to play your favorite game on your PC. Just follow the steps above and get ready to merge with the fascinating virtual world of Pokémon GO.

ROM Emulator Game Hacks – Pokemon Jupiter

This is something that I have not mentioned yet but actually its one of the coolest things about playing games on an emulator. Of course its great fun playing games on your PC that were meant for different consoles. Its also great fun playing old games that are no longer available on current consoles. However, by far the best thing about emulators is that you can play modified games that you simply cannot play anywhere else. In fact, some of these games don’t officially exist anywhere else. This is really cool as you can imagine.

Pokemon Ruby – the modified version

This is the perfect example of a game that has been modified specifically for a ROM emulator. Pokemon Ruby is a popular game that was produced and sold for the Nintendo and the Game Boy Advanced. The game was first released back in 2002 when it came out in Japan. So it is a pretty old game anyway, and it had fantastic game play. In fact its one of those games that should, and hopefully will, live on forever.

However, there were some things about the game that were not that great, and maybe because of this, or maybe just for the pure entertainment value, someone decided to “hack” the game and release a custom version in the form of a ROM image, made for the emulator.

The hacked version of the game was named Pokemon Jupiter and it was produced in 2008 and subsequently released in 2009 by Corvus of the Black Night. This is the “online handle” of a Poke Community member and the person who is responsible for this amazing game.

Pokemon Jupiter ROM is essentially a combination of the original Pokemon series and the Golden Sun series. The Golden Sun series were known for involving a lot of tactical game play and required advanced gaming skills, to say the least. Equally, the original Pokemon series also made the original game-play a lot more challenging.decent tactical games that require advanced skills. Meanwhile, the original Pokemon series accentuate certain aspects of the same game and make them more challenging.

The Jupiter game hack featured a full texture redesign as well, so the game had a completely new look and feel, as well as some cool new in-game features and amazing game-play.

Overall it pretty much felt like you were playing a brand new game, but at the same time it had all of the cool story-line and the addictive game-play of the original Pokemon Ruby game.

I can only recommend that you download a Nintendo emulator and get yourself a copy of this game to try it out. It is a must if you have ever played the original game and even if you haven’t its a great game in its own right, and well worth a short.

You can download the game from ROM Universe using this link – http://www.romsuniverse.com/download/gameboy-advance/pokemon-jupiter-6-04-rom20

You can play it using one of these GBA emulators (Game Boy Advanced) – https://www.emuparadise.me/Nintendo_Gameboy_Advance_Emulators/Windows/31

Yuzu: Nintendo Switch Emulator

Nintendo are arguably one of the best producers of console gaming to ever exist. They have come up with some of the most iconic games. A great example of this would be the Mario Brothers series. This has lasted almost as long as computer gaming itself, and is still going to this day.

Nintendo have also been around for a very long time and they are still producing amazing games consoles, and the games that go with them, just like they were back in the old days when console gaming was just becoming a thing.

The Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch is the latest console to be released by Nintendo. It is an incredibly innovative gaming console that demands attention and has indeed taken the gaming world by storm. The best thing about the Switch is that it can be both a traditional games console that you connect to your television, and it can also be a handheld games device that you can take out on car trips.

For this reason, kids and adults love this new console – kids love it because it means they can continue playing their favorite game both in and outside of the house. Parents and adults love it because of its versatility – it has multiple uses and therefor its much better value for money.

Why Emulate the Nintendo Switch?

Well, thats all good and well if you can afford a Nintendo Switch. But what if you just bought a PlayStation and you want to still play some Nintendo games? That is where emulation comes in handy. With a Nintendo Switch Emulator you can still play your favorite Nintendo games, using your PC.

Yuzu: The best Nintendo Switch Emulator

I tested a few different emulators for the Switch but I found the Yuzu to be the best by far. Of course, I should mention that the Switch is a very new console and as such, even the Yuzu is still in its development stages. For this reason there are bugs and issues with quite a few of the games, but these bugs are being ironed out rapidly and it won’t be long before the Switch emulator works seamlessly with all of the games available for the Switch.

If you want to have a go for yourself, then you can download the emulator from the official website. The emulator is easy to install on a computer running Windows and the requirements are fairly basic, so you shouldn’t have any issues as long as your computer is less than 3-4 years old.

Once installed you can check out the game compatibility list. And find out which games are working well with the emulator.

Downloading the ROM images

There are various sites where you can download the actual games themselves. A good example is ROM Universe. From there you can download some of the most popular games that have been released for the Nintendo Switch. You can then load the ROM images into the Yuzu emulator software and get playing your games.

I would definitely advise that if a game has bugs and does not play well, to keep checking back on the official website and keep an eye on the compatibility page. As bugs are reported they are constantly releasing patches for the emulator in order to fix those bugs so just because a game does not work well the first time you play it, that doesn’t mean they wont sort out that issue fairly quickly – so don’t give up.

A Quick Introduction to ROM Emulators

A ROM Emulator is really just a software program that runs on your PC and allows you to play games that were built for different devices such as PlayStation or Nintendo DS, for example. That is the simple definition.

In more complicated terms, the ROM emulator actually mimics another type of gaming device – a games console for example – and then you load an actual game from that console, in the form of a ROM image, into the emulator and it will play exactly as it would on the console. In fact, the game itself thinks it is playing on the console – because the software is emulating (or pretending to be) that console.

What are ROMs?

ROM is a computer term that stands for Read Only Memory. A good example of ROM is a CD – not one of the more modern CDs that you can write to multiple times, but the traditional CD disk that you could only write to once. After you had written data to this disk, it could not be changed, but rather it could only be read from. Hence the name; read only. The opposite to ROM media is RAM. An example of RAM is the memory that is stored in your computer and used to write temporary data to – this type of media can be written to and read from and the name RAM stands for Random Access Memory.

Console games are also written to ROM media whether that is a CD or a cassette. the console reads the game data from the media but cannot write to it. In fact, that’s why a lot of consoles come with memory sticks for saving game data – because they are writable.

In order to play the game on another device, we take a copy of this ROM, or the game data, and transport it to another storage medium – typically the computer hard drive. We save this ROM in the form of an ISO. Whilst we may keep it in a read only format for the emulator, we may also chose to edit the ROM image first of all, to make it compatible with the emulator – as once we have removed it from the ROM media (the games original CD for example) then technically speaking it is no longer read only, and we can edit it as required.

How does an emulator work?

Once we have a copy of the game on the computer, we can set the emulator to read that game. Clever people have reversed engineered all different types of games consoles in order to understand how they work, how they read the data from the games and how they translate that to the screen and the controllers for that console. Using that information they have essentially built their own version of that console from the ground up, but instead of building a physical device, they have done so in software form.

So the end result is a software version of each different type of games console. For this reason you tend to get different emulators that are dedicated to running games from a particular games console. For example, you get emulators made specifically to run Nintendo Switch console games.

You then plug in an actual game from that console, into the software – this is done in the form of a ROM or an ISO image of the original game. The emulator then loads that game into its memory in very much the same way as the original console would have done. It will then play the game just like the console. If we assumed the game had its own thought process, it would think it was being played on the console; it would not know any different.