Niantic encourages players to jump into their AR titles for National Walking Day

• Niantic has revealed new stats from Monster Hunter Now and Pokémon Go for National Walking Day
• It shows how their players use their games to get out into the fresh air
• Niantic want to encourage players to get out and move more

Niantic wants you to get out and walk. Big surprise there, right? Well, it's not just because it's the major selling point of their games either. As part of National Walking Day in the US, Niantic has unveiled stats about how their flagship game helped players get out and into the fresh air!

The developer unveiled new stats for Pokémon Go, which reveals some interesting facts. Apparently, 65% of players say the game helped them exercise more, 57% state it had improved their physical fitness and a whopping 75% have said it helped them create friendships and social connections.

It can be easy to dismiss the social appeal of games like Pokémon Go, but these stats are an important reminder that the AR aspect isn't just some random feature, it's the main selling point for many. And as much as some may scoff at the idea that Pokémon Go was what people needed to make friends, it still shows that it can have a positive effect.

These boots were made for walking

Unfortunately, we don't have more statistics for Niantic's other games, but I'd hazard a guess that they'd be similar to the ones given here. Although they're vague it does offer an indication of just how important the social aspect of the Pokémon Go games has been, and why I reckon a few other AR games have lagged behind since few other series so naturally translate to community-facing events.

Want to see what other great games have caught our eye? Then why not jump into the latest entry in our regular feature of the top five new mobile games to try this week?

Better yet you can always dig into our own mega-list of the best mobile games of 2024 (so far) for even more options.