Pokémon GO vs PPSSPP
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pokémon GO
Explore your surroundings to discover and catch virtual creatures. Journey with your companions, battle in gyms, and team up with others for powerful raids. Get moving for real-life adventures!
- Discover Pokémon in the real world
- Catch Pokémon to complete Pokédex
- Journey with Buddy Pokémon
- Compete in Gym battles
- Team up for Raid Battles
- Utilize Adventure Sync for walking distance
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Join Trainers across the globe who are discovering Pokémon as they explore the world around them. Pokémon GO is the global gaming sensation that has been downloaded over 1 billion times and named “Best Mobile Game” by the Game Developers Choice Awards and “Best App of the Year” by TechCrunch. _______________ UNCOVER THE WORLD OF POKÉMON: Explore and discover Pokémon wherever you are! CATCH more Pokémon to complete your Pokédex! JOURNEY alongside your Buddy Pokémon to help make your Pokémon stronger and earn rewards! COMPETE in epic Gym battles and... TEAM UP and UNITE with other Trainers to catch powerful Pokémon during Raid Battles! It’s time to get moving—your real-life adventures await! Let’s GO! _______________ With the player’s permission, Adventure Sync uses the Health app to enable the player to earn walking distance when the app is closed. Notes: - This app is free-to-play and offers in-game purchases. It is optimized for smartphones, not tablets. - It is recommended to play while connected to a network in order to obtain accurate location information. - Compatibility is not guaranteed for devices without GPS capabilities or devices that are connected only to Wi-Fi networks. - Compatibility information may be changed at any time. - Information current as of July 11, 2019. - Compatible with iPhone® 5s / SE / 6 / 6s / 6 Plus / 6s Plus / 7 / 7 Plus / 8 / 8 Plus / X devices with iOS Version 9 or later installed. - Not compatible with 5th generation iPod Touch devices or iPhone 5c or earlier iPhone devices. - Please visit PokemonGO.com for additional compatibility information. - Compatibility is not guaranteed for all devices. - Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically reduce battery life.
PPSSPP
Experience your favorite PSP titles on your iOS device with high-definition graphics and enhanced features. This emulator allows you to play a vast library of PSP games with excellent performance. Access your own game files or explore free homebrew titles.
- Play PSP games on iOS
- High-definition graphics
- Extra features
- High performance
- Supports ISO/CSO files
- Built-in Homebrew Store
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Play PSP games on your iOS device, in high definition with extra features! PPSSPP is the original and only PSP emulator for mobile devices. It can run nearly all PSP games with great performance on iOS. No games are included with this download. Use your own real PSP games and turn them into .ISO or .CSO files (see the homepage for instructions), or simply play free homemade games, which are available in the built-in "Homebrew Store". PSP is a trademark of Sony. The PPSSPP project is in no way affiliated with Sony.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PPSSPP at 4.5 against Pokémon GO's 4.0. PPSSPP also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (72% vs 44%). Pokémon GO's advantage is ratings volume (656K vs 2.8K) and update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Pokémon GO sells 21 one-off in-app purchases and PPSSPP sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
PPSSPP holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pokémon GO has 656K ratings behind it against 2.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Pokémon GO's written reviews are positive against 72% of PPSSPP's.
Pokémon GO ships an update weekly, PPSSPP every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | Pokémon GO | PPSSPP |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (656K ratings) | 4.5 (2.8K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 43.6% of reviews | 72.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 656K — better | 2.8K |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #1 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 390 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Scopely Explore, Inc. | Henrik Rydgård |
Customer experience
Pokémon GO
PPSSPP
User reviews
Pokémon GO
From 656K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Addictive and fun gameplay
- 👍 Encourages outdoor activity
- 🚀 Frequent updates and new content
- 👍 Brings people together
- 🚀 Innovative AR features
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with data collection
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🚫 Inaccessible for rural/disabled players
PPSSPP
From 2.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Supports controllers
- 🎮 Able to play classic PSP games
- 🔥 Amazing emulation experience
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🤔 Compatibility problems with certain games
- 🔇 Sound issues with some games
Bugs and requests
Pokémon GO
Reported bugs
4 issues- GPS/location issues causing gameplay problems
- Bugs with egg hatching and buddy Pokémon
- Inconsistent performance across devices
- Glitches with raid battles and rewards
Requested features
5 requests- In-game chat/communication system
- Ability to trade items between players
- More customization options for avatars
- Improved tracking and spawn system
- Easier access to rare/legendary Pokémon
PPSSPP
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes when trying to load save files
- Controller mapping not working properly
- Certain games not launching or freezing
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for PS2 and PS3 emulation
- Improve save state functionality
- Implement haptic feedback for on-screen controls
- Allow customization of button mapping
- Add portrait mode support
In-app purchases
Pokémon GO
- 100 PokéCoins$0.99
- Event Bonus$0.99
- Small Box$1.99
Show 18 moreShow fewer
- Evergreen Ticket 1$1.99
- Event Ticket3 variants$1.99
- Event Ticket5 variants$4.99
- 550 PokéCoins$4.99
- Ticket$4.99
- Event Ticket$7.99
- 1,200 PokéCoins$9.99
- Event Pass Deluxe Plus Points$9.99
- Finale Pass$14.99
- Event Pass Deluxe$14.99
- GO Fest Ticket$14.99
- Finale Pass Plus Points$19.99
- GO Pass Deluxe$19.99
- 2,500 PokéCoins$19.99
- Event Pass Deluxe Plus Points$19.99
- GO Pass Deluxe Plus Points$24.99
- 5,200 PokéCoins$39.99
- 14,500 PokéCoins$99.99
PPSSPP
- PPSSPP Gold$3.99









