The Phantom PokeStop Phenomenon in Pokemon GO, Explained

If you’ve been playing Pokemon GO for a while, you may be familiar with the mystery of phantom PokeStops. These ghostly PokeStops appear to exist through evidence like gifts tagged from the location, but something isn’t quite right. Today, we’re diving into the phantom PokeStops to explain what’s going on with these mysterious locations.

What Is a Phantom PokeStop in Pokemon GO?

If you haven’t seen a phantom PokeStop or heard the term, you may be wondering what it means. And no, it isn’t a location where you can catch more ghost-type Pokemon. “Phantom PokeStop” or “ghost PokeStop” is a term some Pokemon GO fans use to refer to PokeStops that, for one reason or another, don’t quite fully exist either in the game or in real life.

There are two main kinds of phantom PokeStops that fans have noticed over the years. The first is a PokeStop that seems to have existed once but has disappeared from the map. Players notice these based on receiving gifts tagged from a specific location, only to go there themselves and see no PokeStop showing up at that spot on the in-game map.

The second type of Phantom PokeStop is one where there is an actual PokeStop in the game itself, but the landmark or object it’s linked to in the real world doesn’t exist. This may be a memorial bench, a sign, or some other item that is what designated that spot as a PokeStop in the first place. However, it has vanished… if it was ever there at all.

PokeStops That Aren’t On the Map, Explained

First, let’s dig into those PokeStops that don’t show up on the map, even though in-game evidence like gift tags or prior experience says that it should. While Niantic has not formally addressed this phenomenon, players have noticed several reasons that may cause these mysterious phantom PokeStops.

One reason is simply that a stop used to exist, but was deleted. Niantic uses user-submitted information to create their PokeStops, and there is a review process that sometimes results in PokeStops being removed.

Some other causes for ghostly PokeStops are glitches or issues with synching map updates in the game. Sometimes, if PokeStops are close together on the map, one of them may not show up even though your Pokemon might grab gifts from that location. Similarly, if a PokeStop was recently added, it may not consistently populate on the map.

Players also speculate that some phantom PokeStops are caused by unintended crossover with other Niantic game maps. If a location is tagged as a key spot for something like Pikmin Bloom, some data may transfer unintentionally in Pokemon GO and cause it to behave like a PokeStop in some cases, but not others.

PokeStops That Don’t Exist In Real Life, Explained

If you’ve ever been standing at a PokeStop and realized that its real-life analog did not exist, users tricking Niantic with fake submissions is one possible explanation.

Of course, it’s also possible that certain landmarks have simply been removed or relocated since the original PokeStop was created. I experienced this myself with an art installation of a dinosaur, which was later moved down the street. Long afterward, the PokeStop continued to show up in the dino’s previous spot.

However, some gamers will use tricky tactics to try and get a PokeStop close to them or in a location that may not have a PokeStop-worthy landmark. According to a thread about ghost PokeStops on Reddit, players have occasionally noticed intentional tricks involving moving small landmarks such as signs to many different locations.

In this case, a user allegedly posted the same sign on a tree and in a few other locations, likely with the goal of creating multiple PokeStops in the game. The stops were approved, but the sign is no longer there, leaving many locations with no physical evidence of the designation that once caused them to be PokeStops. This isn’t a one-off phenomenon, as commenters state they’ve seen similar antics in their area. And who could forget the fake beaches that some players started creating to catch Wiglett with the recent biome update?

In all, there are many reasons why a ghostly apparition of a PokeStop may be appearing in Pokemon GO. If you’ve come across one, this may explain how it came to be.