Is ‘Pokémon Go’ Free To Download And Play? Earning PokéCoins Without Paying And Everything You Need To Know

POkePOkeMon — Using real money isn't the only way to earn PokéKoins in "Pokémon Go." Getty Images

“Pokémon Go” generated excitement when it debuted in the App store last week. To make things even better, the refurbished 90s game is free! That's right. It doesn’t cost any money to download the App-- but there are some things that users have to pay for.

While a player can get by without using any money, putting cash into the game makes it easier. After all, it’s essentially a virtual reality game. It only makes sense that players would spend real money.

Instead of cash, though, the money is called PokéCoins. They can be used to buy power-ups and items like Eggs and Poké Balls. So how much money are we talking? Every 100 PokéCoins costs $1.49. Players can spend up to $99 on each purchase.

It is possible to earn PokéCoins without purchasing them. One way is to visit Poké Stops. Once inside a Poké Stop, the player must swipe the Photo Disc with the touchpad. Doing this will drop items, which can then be collected. New items can be collected every five to 10 minutes. After they have been collected, the icon on the Poké Stop will change from purple to blue.

Defending the gym is another good way to earn PokéCoins. Aside from hunting pocket monsters in the wild, another part of the game is to take Pokémon to the gym so they can level up. In order to “work out” there, the gym must be captured. Once it has been taken over, Pokémon need to defend it from rivals. If they successfully do so, they are awarded with a Defense Bonus. Putting Pokémon in a gym earns a player 10 Gold PokéCoins. Owning 10 gyms will earn a player 100 PokéCoins.

Here is how much some of the items in “Pokémon Go” cost: