Snooze With Snorlax: Pokémon Sleep Finally Arrives Later This Year

It’s been a long time coming, but Pokémon Sleep and Pokémon GO Plus+—a sleep-tracking app and compatible accessory—will launch in 2023 on iOS and Android.

“We know we’ve kept you all waiting, but at last we can bring Pokémon Sleep to you later this year,” Takto Utsunomiya, chief operating officer of The Pokémon Company, said in a company announcement(Opens in a new window). “The idea behind Pokémon Sleep is to be a game that makes you look forward to waking up in the morning.”

(Credit: The Official Pokémon YouTube Channel)

Gameplay is simple: Get a good night’s sleep. Leave your smartphone by your pillow when you go to bed, and your sleep will be measured, recorded, and analyzed, then categorized into one of three “sleep types”: dozing, snoozing, or slumbering. Pokémon that tend to sleep in the same way gather around Snorlax on a virtual island, where users can discover rare in-game sleep styles, including goofy, droopy-eared, one-eyed, curled-up, and sunbathing siestas.

“By using the Pokémon Sleep app regularly, you can have fun while tracking the regularity of your sleep, or ‘rest rhythm,’ according to Utsunomiya.

(Credit: The Official Pokémon YouTube Channel)

Also coming this summer is the Pokémon GO Plus+ accessory, which pairs with Pokémon Sleep with Pokémon GO. A sort of flattened Poke ball, the red-and-white device features a button to press when you go to bed and wake up—essentially clocking in and out of sleep. Users are greeted by Pikachu, who can sing lullabies, grow friendlier, and unlock new alarm sounds.

The accessory also works when playing Pokémon GO, standing in for your phone by spinning PokeStops and throwing Poke Blls, Great Balls, and Ultra balls. The Pokémon Company is also eyeing ways to use sleep data in Pokémon GO.

“By linking the Pokémon GO Plus+ to your Pokémon GO game, you’ll get access to special research in Pokémon GO that will allow you to encounter a Snorlax wearing a nightcap,” according to Utsunomiya, who teased “more news to come” about Pokémon Sleep and Pokémon GO Plus+.