Pokémon Go has now been downloaded 1bn times

Mobile game phenomenon Pokémon Go has now been downloaded more than a billion times. Which is even more times than there are Pokémon.

Pokémon Go launched in the summer of 2016, when the world seemed a friendlier place for a few months while everyone, seemingly, was playing. Back then, it took just three months for the game to notch up 500 million downloads.

It's taken since October 2016 to rack up the remaining 500 million downloads - but Pokémon Go is hardly ready to wrap up.

Today's new total (thanks, Gamasutra via Serebii) comes just a week after 2019's biggest update so far, which has seen the nefarious Team Rocket infiltrate the game and bring with them new Shadow Pokémon to capture and cleanse. Team Rocket battles have proven a fun and challenging new addition for even seasoned players, and there are now new medals and research rewards to go hunt down.

After a quiet start to the year, August has brought a raft of quality-of-life changes to the game as well, including an improved appraisal system , better PVP battle mechanics and more Pokémon storage space. Yet more Shadow Pokémon are expected to debut shortly, before the game rolls into releasing the start of Gen 5 later this year.

This weekend sees Pyschic-type critter Ralts take the stage for August's Community Day, 4-7pm local time around the world. Oh, and this guy is now in raids. He's a fan-favourite.