How Much Storage Does Pokémon GO Need on iPhone?

Pokémon GO is listed at about 430 MB in the App Store as of October 2026, but that figure is only the download. The game keeps saving more content to your iPhone as you play, so the space it really uses is larger and keeps changing. There is no official minimum for free storage. A practical rule of thumb is to have at least 1 GB free before you install, and more if you plan to download all of the game’s assets at once.

The shortest way to see the real number on your own phone is Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Pokémon GO.

What you need before you install

Storage is only one of the requirements. The Supported Devices page in the Pokémon GO Help Center lists these for iPhone:

• iPhone 6s or later. Some Bluetooth accessories, such as the Pokémon GO Plus +, need an iPhone 7 or later.
• iOS 15 or later. The game may not work on beta versions of iOS.
• 2 GB or more of RAM. RAM is the working memory the phone uses while an app is open. It is not the same thing as storage, and you cannot add more of it.
• GPS and Location Services, plus a strong internet connection on Wi-Fi or cellular.
• A phone that is not jailbroken. Jailbroken devices are not supported.

The help center also says it cannot guarantee that every device meeting this list will run the game. The App Store listing shows the current download size and iOS requirement under Information. Check it before you install, because the size changes from version to version.

Download size versus the space the game really uses

The number in the App Store tells you how big the app download is. It does not include the content the game saves afterward. That extra content is why a phone that has had the game installed for a long time usually shows a much larger total than the App Store does.

Three things make the total grow:

• Game assets download as you play. Assets are the files the game needs to show Pokémon, items, and other in-game content. By default they are downloaded gradually over time instead of all at once.
• Download All Assets. This optional setting saves every available asset to your phone in one go. It is off by default. It helps reduce mobile data use later, but it takes up more storage right away.
• Updates. The app is updated often, and your iPhone needs free space to download and install each new version.

Because of this, two iPhones running the same version of Pokémon GO can show different totals. It depends on what each phone has downloaded.

How to check how much space Pokémon GO uses

These steps follow Apple’s current instructions for iPhone. The menu names are the same on recent iOS versions.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap iPhone Storage. The available storage is shown at the top of the screen. Below it is a list of apps with the space each one uses. The list can take a moment to load.
4. Scroll down and tap Pokémon GO. The detail screen shows the app’s storage and separates the app itself from its documents and data, which is where downloaded game content is counted.

The same screen has two buttons, Offload App and Delete App. Do not tap either one yet. They do different things, and both are explained below. Apple describes this screen in How to check the storage on your iPhone and iPad, and notes that cached and temporary data might not be counted in an app’s usage.

How to make room before you install or update

If the App Store will not download the game, or you see a Storage Almost Full alert, clear some space first. Apple lists the most common sources of storage use in Manage storage on iPhone. Start with the items that free the most space for the least effort.

• Use the recommendations. On the iPhone Storage screen, your phone may offer suggestions. Tap Show All to see them, read each description, then tap Enable or open the suggestion to review what can be removed. Our guide on how to check and free up storage on iPhone covers this screen in more detail.
• Offload apps you rarely use. Go to Settings > Apps > App Store and turn on Offload Unused Apps. When storage is low, iPhone removes unused apps but keeps their data. The icon stays on the Home Screen with a cloud symbol, and tapping it reinstalls the app. On older iOS versions this switch may be in a slightly different place in Settings.
• Move photos and videos off the phone. Back them up to iCloud, then remove them from the device. You can also stop Pokémon GO from saving snapshots to your photo library so new pictures do not pile up.
• Delete old conversations and attachments in Messages.
• Remove downloaded videos you have already watched in the TV app and other streaming apps.
• Delete apps you no longer use. See how to delete apps on iPhone.

iPhones do not have a memory card slot, so you cannot add storage for the game with an SD card. The space has to come from the phone’s built-in storage.

How to shrink Pokémon GO itself

The help center does not describe a setting for clearing the game’s downloaded content, and Apple’s storage screen does not offer a way to clear one app’s data on its own. That leaves two options on the iPhone Storage screen.

Offload App

Offloading removes the app but keeps its documents and data. For Pokémon GO, that means you get back the space used by the app itself, but not the space used by downloaded game content. It is useful when you want to stop playing for a while without starting the downloads over. To undo it, tap the game’s icon on the Home Screen and wait for it to reinstall.

Delete App, then reinstall

Before you delete: make sure you know which sign-in method your Pokémon GO account uses and that you can still sign in with it. You will need it to get back into your account. If you are not sure how you signed up, sort that out first.

1. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Pokémon GO.
2. Tap Delete App, then confirm. This removes the app and the data it stored on the phone.
3. Open the App Store, find Pokémon GO, and download it again.
4. Open the game and sign in with the same method as before.

The Pokémon GO Help Center’s iOS troubleshooting guide says your game progress is not lost when you uninstall and reinstall, because all progress is stored online. The game will start downloading assets again as you play, so the saving is temporary. For more detail, see how to delete Pokémon GO from your iPhone.

Should you use Download All Assets?

It is a trade between storage and mobile data. If your iPhone has plenty of free space, downloading everything on Wi-Fi means the game needs less mobile data when you are out exploring. The help center adds that it may improve gameplay at live events and during in-game events such as Community Day. If your phone is nearly full, leave it off and let the game download content gradually.

To use it, according to the Download All Assets help page:

1. Connect to Wi-Fi and check that you have free space.
2. In Map View, tap the Main Menu button.
3. Tap Settings at the top right.
4. Tap Advanced Settings.
5. Scroll to Download All Assets and tap it to start the download.

The help page does not say how large the download is, and available assets change as in-game content changes. Check iPhone Storage before and after if you want to see the difference on your phone. The help page does not describe an option to remove the assets again, so deleting and reinstalling the app is the way to undo it.

Troubleshooting

• The game will not install or update. Free up space with the steps above and try again. To update manually, open the App Store, tap your profile button at the top of the screen, find Pokémon GO, and tap Update.
• Pokémon GO is not in the iPhone Storage list. Wait for the list to finish loading, then scroll. Apps are listed with the space they use, so the game may be far down the list on a phone with a lot of photos or videos.
• The total did not drop after deleting something. Apple notes that it may take a moment for available storage to update after you delete an app.
• The game loads slowly or behaves oddly. The help center suggests Settings > Advanced Settings > Refresh Game Data inside the game. This is a fix for gameplay problems, not a storage cleaner, and it may turn off Adventure Sync, so check that setting afterward. Here is how to turn Adventure Sync on or off in Pokémon GO. See how to refresh game data in Pokémon GO and what to do if Pokémon GO is stuck loading.
• The map shows fog along the horizon. The Supported Devices page says older or lower end devices may not fully render the Map View. That is a device limit, not a storage problem.

Frequently asked questions

Is the App Store size enough free space to install Pokémon GO?

It may be enough to download the app, but not to play comfortably. The game saves more content the first time you open it and keeps adding to it, and each update needs room too. Aim for at least 1 GB free as a rule of thumb. That figure is general guidance, not an official requirement.

Does buying a Pokémon Storage upgrade use more iPhone storage?

No, these are two different things. Pokémon Storage is the in-game limit on how many Pokémon your account can hold. iPhone storage is the space on your phone. Game progress is stored online, so transferring Pokémon to make room in the game is not a way to free up space on your phone.

Why is my Pokémon GO bigger than my friend’s?

The total depends on what each phone has downloaded. A phone that has used Download All Assets, or has had the game installed for a long time, will usually show more than a phone with a fresh install of the same version.

Will I lose my Pokémon if I delete the app to save space?

No. The Pokémon GO Help Center says all game progress is stored online, so deleting and reinstalling does not remove it. You do need to sign in again with the same account.

Does Pokémon GO use a lot of data too?

It uses data while you play. Downloading assets on Wi-Fi can reduce how much mobile data it needs later. See how much data Pokémon GO uses.

Can I play on an iPad instead?

Possibly, but the help center warns that many tablets, including those without built-in mobile data, do not have GPS sensors, and the game needs GPS. If your iPad’s storage is filling up with System Data, see how to clear System Data on iPad.

Next step

Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage and compare your available space with the size in the App Store listing. If you have 1 GB or more to spare, install the game. If not, work through the storage recommendations first, then come back and download it on Wi-Fi.