While Pokémon Go May Not Be WorldWide Yet, Someone Has Figured Out a Hack for South Africa

For those of you late to the biggest gaming news since Super Mario 64, Nintendo launched Pokémon Go last week, and millennials everywhere are going crazy for the free app.

According to The Verge, it’s given the gaming company it’s biggest stock surge since 1983 and has added $7.5 billion to its market value.

The viral phenomenon blends reality with the virtual world of the classic video game franchise. Using your phone’s geo-location, you can capture Pokemon characters and collect items that appear in your real-world whether by the water, in a park or taking a rest on your porcelain throne.

While Pokémon Go hasn’t been released worldwide yet, someone in South Africa has figured out a hack enabling you to get around geographic restrictions.

Here’s how to play if you have an Android device (sorry, this doesn’t work on Apple quite yet), according to Telkom Gaming:

To run it in your region simply download the APK File online and transfer it to your device – you can simply email the APK link to yourself and download it onto your phone.

All phones are factory set to block unofficial APK files so you will need to turn this setting off before you can install it.

Go to Settings on your phone and switch to the “general” tab, if needed.

Tap on the “Security” option.

Tick the checkbox next to the “Unknown Sources” option.

Confirm the warning message by tapping on “OK”

Once that is done, you can go into your phone’s file browser and it will allow the APK to be run. The application will now take you to an installation screen, featuring the Pokemon GO logo and its background music (something that almost killed my ears at 100 percent Volume). Once that is complete you will be taken to a date of birth screen.

Once you have read the basic introductions to the game you will be asked to choose your characters gender, along with some character design details. When you have done all of that,and accepted the terms and condition,s you are well on your way to exploring the outside world.

Happy gaming, South Africans!