What is Pokémon Sleep?

Pokémon can make anything fun, including tracking your sleep hours. And with the upcoming mobile release of Pokémon Sleep, you can do just that. 

If you missed out on the 2023 Pokémon Day broadcast, one of the biggest announcements was that this long-awaited spin-off game is finally coming soon. The idea is just what the name suggests: a companion app to help get your sleep back on track and catch some Pokémon while you’re at it. 

Pokémon Sleep announcement 

Originally announced back in 2019 as a game that would help track players’ sleep hours, Pokémon Sleep‘s release remained uncertain for years, with only tiny bits of information being teased or found over the years. In 2022, data miners even found some possible connections to Pokémon Go in the game files. But after all this time, fans were skeptical of whether it was still on the horizon or not. 

And the 2023 Pokémon Day broadcast surprised everyone with more details and the news that Pokémon Sleep is set to be released this summer. 

What is Pokémon Sleep? 

In this weirdly cool Pokémon spin-off, players can track their sleep by setting times to sleep and wake up, then leaving their mobile devices next to their pillows when the time comes. You get to encounter Snorlax and, depending on your type of sleep, you can be put in one of three categories (dozing, snoozing, and slumbering) by Professor Neroli, a specialist in that field. Each category has its own species that you can unlock over time. 

Pokémon Sleep integrates with Pokémon Go with a new device called Pokémon Go Plus+, which is similar but expands on the original Pokémon Go Plus. It is set to be released on July 14. Data shared between these apps includes new ways to help catch Pokémon, with more details to be released in the coming months.

Insomniacs will probably have a hard time with this new title, while those who have sleeping as a favorite activity will get their shot at becoming the very best. But who knows, maybe the Pikachu lullabies and alarms are just what you needed to get a good night’s sleep.