Pokémon GO is now available to download on iOS and Android in the UK
The new game has taken the world by storm - and now it's officially been launched in the UK.
The smartphone game, which lets you hunt Pokémon creatures in real life, has already dominated download charts in the US and Australia.
Now the game has officially arrived in the UK and Ireland too - and can be downloaded from the iOS App Store and Google Play for Android.
An official statement was posted at just after 9.30am today on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
It read: "UK Trainers, the wait is over. is now officially available to be installed from Google Play or iTunes."
So there's no longer any need to use unofficial ways to get hold of the game whether you're using an iPhone or an Android device.
While is free to play, players who want to enhance their experience can do so by buying certain items and features via in-app purchases.
How to get the game 'officially'
Like any other app or game, is available to download either in the Google Play store or in Apple's App Store.
You can find the app by searching for it or navigating to the current charts where it is sure to be somewhere near the top.
The app is free to download, although there are in-app purchases such as 'lures' which attract Pokémon to you.
Pokémon GO review
We've given our .
As a role-playing game, doesn't have the greatest depth but it's strength is easily going to be the community-driven side of the game.
At the moment it's undeniably buggy and in the early stages. Niantec (the developer) has staggered the games release to avoid their servers being overwhelmed.
Over the next few weeks as it arrives properly in Europe and takes hold, we're expecting it to flourish even further.
What is Pokémon GO?
Players can scan their surroundings while out and about and if they’re lucky, a wild Pokémon might pop up on their screen for them to grab.
They can then throw a ‘Poke Ball’ at it in an attempt to capture the Pokémon and add it to their collection.
The game is already proving insanely popular. Within 24 hours of its launch, it crashed company servers and caused shares in Nintendo to surge by 10 per cent.
How to find Pikachu
When you start the game, the Professor will ask you to catch your
first Pokémon - traditionally Squirtle, Charmander or Bulbasaur.But rather than catch one of them, you can walk away - in real life - until your phone vibrates. You'll be prompted again to catch one of them.
Walk away again until you get the next prompt and repeat this process five times. Then Pikachu will appear and you'll be able to capture it as your starter.
How users got the game 'unofficially' before release
It is much easier for Android users than those using an iPhone to get hold of games before they're released in the UK.Apple users have to create a US iTunes account and download the game that way.
Android users could download the APK directly and install it themselves.
But before installing on your phone, ensure your Android device is able to install apps outside of Google Play by visiting Settings > Security on your device and tap the toggle for Unknown Sources to "on". Otherwise it won’t work.
Once that’s done, tap on file in your Downloads folder to install the app and you're ready to catch ‘em all!
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