The first public beta for Pokemon Unite – the hotly anticipated Pokemon MOBA for Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch – is set to release in March. After its surprise announcement last June, fans have been waiting to play the game for themselves, and now they’ll finally have a chance.
This latest entry into the Pokemon franchise will be a MOBA, a multiplayer online battle arena like League of Legends, and will feature real-time Pokemon battles that are more like those in the anime than the main games’ turn-based fights. Pokemon Unite will pit two teams of five players against each other, and will apparently feature elements of the classic catching and leveling-up that fans are used to.
Developed in a collaboration between the Pokemon Company and TiMi Studios, Pokemon Unite looks very different to every other Pokemon game currently out there. Both companies will likely be hoping it catches on like Pokemon Go, and not some of their other mobile games (we're looking at you Pokemon Duel).
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How do I access the Pokemon Unite beta?
If you want to take part in the beta we have some bad news for most of you. Unless you live in Canada and are also aged 16 or older, you’ll have to wait a little longer to play Pokemon Unite. Additionally, this is only a beta for the Android version of the game, so iOS and Switch fans will also be out of luck, at least for the time being
Can I change my Play Store to Canada to play Pokemon Unite?
You can change your Play Store country, using a VPN to change your IP address location, but changes can only be made once per year.
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On top of that, the Google Play help page warns that you could lose access to some of your purchases, and you won’t be able to use your Google Play balance in the new country.
However, if you're really that desperate and are willing to use the Canadian Play Store for the next 12 months, here’s how you change it.
- First, turn on a VPN and set yourself as being in your country of choice
- Open up your Play Store App
- Tap on the Menu button and go to the Account tab
- Look for ‘Country and profiles’ on the first page and ‘Switch to the Canadian Play Store’
- If you don’t have a payment method for that region, you’ll have to add one, either PayPal or a debit/credit card
- Follow the on-screen instructions, and the store change should happen within 24-48 hours
Now you should be ready to play Pokemon Unite when it launches – we hope you enjoy pretending to be in Canada for a year.
