What does it cost to build an app like Pokémon GO?
Sample range · freelance
$45k–$104k
An agency would be $81k–$200k for the same scope. This is a pre-computed sample, not your estimate. Your version is probably smaller.
Where the money goes
Why this kind of app is expensive
Augmented reality that reliably places a creature on a real camera feed across every phone model is a graphics and device-compatibility problem most apps never touch.
The game runs on a live real-world map, which means geospatial infrastructure serving millions of concurrent players' positions, not a static level.
Location spoofing is adversarial from day one and has to be actively detected or the in-game economy breaks.
Live seasonal events need a content pipeline that ships new assets and rules on a schedule, closer to running a live-service game than shipping an app once.
The cheapest honest version of this idea is single city launch, no live events, basic anti-cheat only. That lands nearer $33k–$76k.
Your app is not Pokémon GO. Get the range for what you are actually building.
Not open yet
Launching this weekend.
The free range, the $79 spec and the $199 execution pack all open then. Nothing to sign up for — come back and paste your idea.
Same maths, other archetypes