Pokémon GO will finally introduce some long-awaited features to the game starting this week - including trading and friends. Currently, most Pokémon fans are caught up in the excitement of Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, the two new Pokémon RPGs for Nintendo Switch that are coming later this year. Of course, those games will be heavily influenced by 2016's breakout mobile app Pokémon GO, which reinvented certain mechanics that will now crossover to the new titles. But while the Switch games may be in the spotlight, the mobile title has some exciting news as well.

This year, Mew was added to Pokémon GO, finally completing the process of all 151 original Pokémon joining the game. So far, the first three Generations of Pokémon have been added while new features to the game have slowly come aboard over the years. But some crucial components of the Pokémon experience are still missing, like battling other trainers and trading. These features were teased when Pokémon GO was first announced, and now some of them are finally going to appear in the game.

Pokémon GO Live, the game's official site, has announced that trading, friends, and gifting will all be coming to the game soon. The friends feature will be added this week, with players able to add people using a special code. From there, players will be able to gift trainers and trade Pokémon with them if they're friends and within a certain distance (so no global trading, yet). The trading of Pokémon will cost Stardust, with Pokémon Candy being given in return. The feature will be unlocked once a player reaches Level 10 and seems to cost less the higher the level and the 'stronger' a friendship is.

The gifts will include Eggs featuring Alolan forms of Pokémon, who can be caught in the game but are rare. As for the friendship, it seems to grow thanks to gifts and battling together in Gyms and Raids. The mechanism should also make the future addition of battling a lot easier as the kinks of peer-to-peer play can be worked out now. Not only that, but with all the attention on the Let's Go games, it makes sense for Pokémon GO to start working more like a traditional Pokémon RPG.

The trading component will be an exciting one for players, especially those looking to build their Kanto roster before November. Those Pokémon will be the only ones available to transfer into the Let's Go games, along with the Alolan forms that will appear in Gifts. And that includes Pokémon GO's recent addition, as Mew comes with the Poké Ball Plus that will allow users to blend the two games in new ways.

The news also comes as Nintendo confirmed an online subscription is needed for Pokémon trading in the Let's Go games. While this will be disappointing to many longtime players who have grown accustomed to free trading, at least Pokémon GO won't be charging extra. That said, it seems a high Stardust fee will be paid, so it still won't be as easy as the core games. Still, the fulfillment of something fans have been waiting years for should go over well when Pokémon GO adds the new features.

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Source: Pokémon GO Live