Pokémon Go backpacks get bigger to hold more of your ‘mons

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If there’s a point to the Pokémon games, it’s that you’ve gotta catch ‘em all. In Pokémon Go, the player is consistently incentivized to catch critters — even if they have a Pikachu in their Pokédex, there are reasons to capture more of them. The app’s developer, Niantic, has announced that players will have more space to carry both items and Pokémon. Players can get these inventory upgrades with PokéCoins, or premium currency.

Both Pokémon and item storage have been raised by 500, putting the new Pokémon storage cap at 9,300. The Item bag, once upgraded, can now hold 8,300 items. Each inventory upgrade costs 200 PokéCoins, which can be earned by capturing Gyms. 

If you’re a dedicated player who’s regularly spinning stops and catching Pokémon around your neighborhood, this is a helpful boost that means you can toss less stuff into the trash. Research Tasks often have the player catching Pokémon, so it’s difficult to simply stop collecting if you want to advance. Some new activities added over the years, like Routes, also provide rewards that can quickly eat up inventory space.

This has been a long-requested addition by fans, who have been feeling inventory limits as they continue to play the augmented reality game. Not only has Niantic added new Pokémon and encounters to the game over the years, but they’ve also added new costumes for Pokémon already on the roster. (Alas, some fan requests, like Caterpie wearing a cowboy hat, have yet to be fulfilled.)