8 ways to tell if someone is playing Pokemon Go

Strange disappearances. Erratic behavior. Unexplainable mysteries. No, this isn't the X-Files. It's just Pokemon Go.

The game has got its fans doing whatever it takes to nab their favorite adorable creatures. And given the peculiar places that they might show up, that means doing some decidedly weird things. So if you notice any of these changes in your loved ones, don't fret. They're probably just trailing an Eevee. 

1. They’re suddenly very eager to run errands.

“Did you need something from the shop? Or the mall across town? Or... Montana?”

2. Their willingness to walk into traffic has increased dramatically.

Please don’t do this. There will be other zubats, we promise.

3. They disappear at odd hours.

Don’t worry, they’re not having an affair. They’re just checking the alley behind the house for weedles.

4. They’ve stopped checking Facebook, answering texts, and streaming music because they need to save their battery.

Priorities!

5. You can hear squeals of delight coming from odd places in the house.

Look, we all enjoy a good visit to the bathroom, but cries of “Aw, yeah, I DID IT!” are highly suspect.

6. You see six people staring at their phones in a semi-circle outside the same library in the middle of the night but making no motion to go into the library.

Guys. You’re all playing the same game. At least all say hello. And stop freaking everyone out at the library. Wait, why was I at the library in the middle of the night? No reason, shut, up, don’t worry about it I wasn’t looking for Ghastly.

7. Young man and woman run face first into each other in the middle of a grocery store, phones held out in front like some kind of horrifying 21st century jouster.

This is not the 2016 equivalent of planking or the ice bucket challenge. These are two people chasing a Butterfree into the dairy aisle.

8. Walk into a concert hall and see one of those pay charging stations literally overflowing with phones tethered together.

Evening revelers are not obsessed with getting a blurry 30 seconds of Death Cab For Cutie covering LCD Soundsystem. They are all prepping to have full batteries when Meowth appears on the amp stacks.

12DOVE was first founded in 1999, and since then has been dedicated to delivering video game-related news, reviews, previews, features, and more. Since late 2014, the website has been the online home of Total Film, SFX, Edge, and PLAY magazines, with comics site Newsarama joining the fold in 2020. Our aim as the global GamesRadar Staff team is to take you closer to the games, movies, TV shows, and comics that you love. We want to upgrade your downtime, and help you make the most of your time, money, and skills. We always aim to entertain, inform, and inspire through our mix of content - which includes news, reviews, features, tips, buying guides, and videos.

Latest in Games
Beyond the Ice Palace 2
After 37 years, this Commodore 64 classic returns with a new Metroidvania sequel that gives serious old-school Castlevania vibes
an ancient spaceship in the pixel art style of ftl
I just watched the first 10 seconds of this indie roguelike’s trailer, and it's not even trying to be subtle about being an unlicensed 40K game
Umaga is a key player in The Bloodline Showcase
How to unlock all wrestlers in WWE 2K25
Official art for Hopetown, featuring a group of miners looking towards the camera.
The battle to steal the Disco Elysium successor's spotlight continues as former and current ZA/UM devs reveal teasers for their new RPGs simultaneously
Fortnite's Lara croft skin in front of a building
Fortnite has had Tomb Raider's Lara Croft locked away in battle pass exclusivity jail for almost 4 years, but she's reportedly getting a new skin very soon
The Last of Us 2
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann sounds like he's contemplating the end of his career: "When is it time to stop?"
Latest in Features
Marvel Rivals Spider-Man
Spider-Man has become every Marvel Rivals player's worst nightmare
The Punisher holding two machine guns in the rain
Daredevil: Born Again - Learn the bullet-riddled comic book history of the Punisher before he officially joins the MCU
A woman in a underwater machine waving during the cinematic teaser for Subnautica 2.
Subnautica 2: Everything we know about the new underwater survival game
The AMD Ryzen 7 8700G being held above a motherboard by a reviewer
AMD's pro-consumer 9070 strategies are exactly why it's primed to dominate the CPU market in 2025
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Shadows' transmog looks set to combine the best of Odyssey and Vahalla to make changing my drip easier than ever
Split Fiction screenshot of Zoe and Mio in a fantasy world
Split Fiction feels like a Mass Effect-meets-Fable platformer and I'm obsessed with it after just one hour