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Just about any rural Pokemon GO players will go on at length about the experience not being ideal compared to trainers in cities or other highly-populated areas. Still, there are a few perks to being a rural player, and the Redditor u/Galarianzapdos shared one such example in a May 5, 2024 post to the game's subreddit that showed them winning multiple Pokestop showcases, stating:
Pokestop Showcases were only recently introduced to Pokemon GO, but it's understandable why rural players are having an easy time with it. Living in a low-population area means fewer entrants per Pokestop, making it easier to find high-quality Pokemon to put in showcases without the threat of challengers being as looming as they would be in major metropolitan areas.
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Many Pokemon GO fans in the Reddit thread agreed and remarked that while Pokestop Showcase rewards aren't the best, they're a great way to rack up some solid items like Super Incubators, Rare Candies, and lure modules, among others. Plus, the experience gains are great for grinding trainer levels, making the existence as a rural player a little more bearable.
Rural gameplay in GO is difficult, as the ability to build and sustain a community is incredibly tough due to lower population density. This makes cooperative activities like Party Play or raids tougher to collect a group for, and in some situations, gyms may even be outright abandoned and result in their defenders being stuck indefinitely without any means of recall.
Still, if nothing else, at least players know that they can perform quite well in Pokestop Showcases in certain rural areas compared to trainers living in high-population areas. It's a small victory, to be sure, but a victory nonetheless.
Are there other perks to playing in rural areas in Pokemon GO?
While easily winning Pokestop Showcases is one upside of rural gameplay in Pokemon GO, there are certainly others despite the massive drawbacks elsewhere. For example, a lower player population makes taking over and holding gyms somewhat easier, as trainers aren't regularly passing by the gym and attempting to capture it for their team as often.
Being able to capture and hold gyms more often means more Pokecoins for trainers to collect, though lacking the ability to recall defenders does run the risk of leaving them in a gym for longer than intended. Once more, this upside doesn't necessarily outweigh the many negatives of being a rural player in GO, but fans who continue to play in rural areas, unfortunately, have to take what they can get.
