Pokemon Go has been one of the most popular mobile games since its release in 2016. It gives fans of the beloved series a chance to really ‘Catch ’em all’.
When it was first released, Pokemon Go took the world by storm, with fans all over the globe travelling to various different locations to catch their favourite Pokemon.
Even though the game is free to play, many people still try to cheat the system to help them in catching the creatures. However, cheating is a serious offence in Niantic’s, the games developers, eyes.
Doing multiple actions can make you ‘soft banned’ from the game. Let’s take a look at how long a soft ban from Pokemon Go is and some other handy information about the barring.
How long is a soft ban from Pokemon Go?
There’s no confirmed answer to the length of a soft ban in Pokemon Go and varies from player to player. However, they rarely stretch longer than 12 hours and for some players just a few minutes.
What is a soft ban?
A soft ban will stop you from being able to carry on playing the game for a limited amount of time. You will be able to access Pokemon Go but certain actions will be limited, and you won’t be able to successfully catch any Pokemon.
A soft ban is the lowest form of ban from Pokemon Go. Niantic has been known to permanently ban players for being repeat offenders but that can be contested if it does happen.
What can cause a ban?
There are a few different things you can do to cause your Pokemon Go to be on a soft ban, they include:
- GPS spoofing, moving you location to a faraway place in a short amount of time
- Travelling too fast, even if you’re in public transport or a passenger in a car. This is to combat driving and playing
- Sharing accounts
When you attempt to catch Pokemon, no matter what you use, you will not be successful. The Pokemon will escape the ball and run away, giving you no time to attempt to catch the Pokemon again.
You also won’t be able to loot from any Pokestops. However, despite being soft banned, players can still join in Raid Battles and catch Raid Bosses currently.
How long is a soft ban from Pokemon Go?
While there is no definite answer as to how long a soft ban lasts for, it doesn’t seem to stretch any longer than 12 hours, depending on the offence committed. Some players have seen themselves shut out of the game for only a few hours.
How to remove your soft ban?
Usually, it’s just best to let the ban take its cause and come back to the game at a later time. If you are desperate to catch those Pokemon, remove whatever you suspect game you the ban in the first place. I.e., if you changed location, put yourself back to your current area.
In future, make sure you take some serious thought into whether you cheat within the game. Niantic takes cheating in their game very serious. If you get three soft bans, you run the risk of being completely banned from Pokemon Go in the future.
