Pokemon GO down: Fans go into meltdown as servers crash after phenomenal demand

Crash: Pikachus were allowed to roam free this afternoon
Niantic / Pokemon Company
Sebastian Mann17 July 2016

Thousands of Pokemon GO users despaired this afternoon as servers struggled to cope with the incredible popularity of the smartphone app.

Fans across Britain and Europe were forced to let the game’s virtual monsters roam free for hours as engineers tried to fix the major glitch.

The craze, an augmented reality game which allows players to “catch” Pokemon creatures in the real world, has taken off since launching officially in the UK on Thursday.

Despairing – and at times hysterical – Pokemon hunters vented their frustrations on social media amid the technical difficulties.

Twitter user @Drxpdead-curtis wrote: "The Pokemon go servers are down again what is this hell."

Another, @TomBMax19, posted: "when the british summer weather is actually perfect for once and its the weekend and you're ready to catch pokemon and the servers are down."

The Pokemon GO app Twitter account said: “Trainers! We have been working to fix the #PokemonGO server issues. Thank you for your patience. We'll post an update soon.”

The app has been the subject of controversy since it was launched in the UK earlier this week.

Three students were robbed at knifepoint of their mobile phones while playing the game in Hulme, Manchester, on Friday night just hours after Greater Manchester Police warned of the dangers of using the app.

The force had said it was concerned that the app could provide another online avenue for criminals to exploit.

Elsewhere, four teenagers had to be rescued after getting lost in a mine complex for about six hours while hunting for creatures.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT