Dina Bader: Want to find a spawn nest in Pokémon GO? There are still a few maps around

Though most of the Pokémon Go Maps and Trackers have gone dark, a few still remain.

When Pokémon Go first launched, many ambitious players invested time and resources into setting up interactive Maps and Trackers to assist players in finding everything in the game, from Gyms and Pokéstops, to rare Pokémon spawns. While some of this was great for everyone involved, it also put a lot of strain on Niantic and brought up concerns about cheating. Through a concerted effort on Niantic's part involving changes to the back end of the game that make it more difficult for Trackers and Maps to work, many cease and desist letters and a plethora of straight-up bans on players caught using the game in prohibited ways, most of the Maps and Trackers are no longer online and many more are now quite limited in scope compared to what they once were.

Still, a few sites have persisted in finding legitimate ways to provide players with guidance to finding things in-game. And we're here to walk you through the remaining options.

Why use a Pokémon Go Map or Tracker in the first place?

While the information each Map or Tracker can provide varies and the quality of that information can be spotty in many areas, these tools can give players direction and save them a lot of time. If you're trying to find a Machop nest so you can power up your Machamp, there are Maps that lay out all of the nests in an area and what Pokémon are spawning there. If you're looking for a particular Raid boss, there are Maps for that. If you're visiting a new area and just want to know where the biggest clusters of Gyms and Pokéstops are, there are Maps for that too. Some players even use these tools to track down rare Pokémon spawns.

While some players consider some or even all of these tools to be cheating, they can provide invaluable guidance for those who use them. Of those that are still up and running, four stand out.

Go Map

Go Map is a collaborative, real-time map that lists Pokéstops and Gyms, as well as Pokémon spawns. Because this site relies on players to report locations and spawns, it is more useful in some areas than others. This site also offers an interactive Pokédex with statistics and in-depth details about each Pokémon. They offer a PVP guide that not only provides step-by-step instructions but also a break down of their preferred Pokémon for PVP battles. For those who also play Harry Potter Wizards Unite, they offer a Map for that game.

PokeHunter

PokeHunter is another Map and Tracker that runs remarkably well. They offer detailed information on Gyms, including which Team has control at any moment, how many spaces remain in a Gym and where Raids are happening. It'd be a perfect tool save for one massive downside: it only works for a handful of cities in three US states and, for some reason, a city in Lithuania. If you happen to live or work in one of the following cities, this is a fantastic tool:

California (Cupertino, Downtown Campbell, Mountain View, North San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale)
Minnesota (North Saint Paul, Apple Valley, Eagan, Savage, Burnsville, Prior Lake, South Minneapolis, Lakeville)
Oregon (Downtown Portland, Happy Valley, Gresham, Downtown Salem)
Lithuania (Moletai)

PoGoMap

PoGoMap is a comprehensive map of all Gyms, Pokéstops, and Nests and one of my personal favorites for one particular reason: it differentiates between normal Gyms and Gyms that have the potential to hand out EX Raid Passes. While this Map has the ability to report lots of useful details, such as which Pokémon are spawning in a current Nest, when Team Go Rocket has invaded a Pokéstop or even which Research tasks any particular Pokéstop is handing out, I found these features to be underutilized in my area despite being near multiple large cities. In some areas with more active players, these tools could be extremely useful but even without them, I find the information on this particular Map to be super helpful. They also have a Map for Harry Potter Wizards Unite players.

The Silph Road

The Silph Road has remained the biggest and best-organized site for Pokémon Go players to collaborate. In addition to their comprehensive Pokédex and countless guides on Pokémon Go, they have Maps that have all the Nest locations with both confirmed and rumored Nest spawns, and an unofficial League Map that provides locations for real-world meet-ups of all varieties. Their site provides more information on Pokémon Go than any other I've found and the people running it from all around the world are some of the most knowledgeable and dedicated players in the game. It's easy to see why they are the go-to authority on all things Pokémon Go.

Other options

Maybe, for some reason or another, these tools just aren't cutting it for you. While there will never be the number or quality of tools for Pokémon Go players as existed in its early days, there are still other options. Namely, the best thing you can do for real-time information on Pokémon Go is to connect with other local players. Many social platforms, such as Facebook and Reddit, run local Pokémon Go communities. These groups often have active Facebook Messengers Groups and Discord Chats where you can connect with other local players who share locations of rare Pokémon spawns, Raids, coveted Research tasks and more. If these tools just aren't enough, your best bet is to connect with other players through these groups.

Questions about Maps and Trackers in Pokémon Go?

Do you have any questions on how to use these tools to up your Pokémon Go game? Have you found another Map or Tracker that isn't listed here to be particularly useful? Drop us a comment below and be sure to check out our other Pokémon Go Guides!