It’s no doubt that at some point, you’ve heard of Pokémon, and likely, the newest hit: Pokémon Go. Long-time fans have been waiting for the app to release, but that doesn’t exclude those foreign to the games.

I’ll admit, I’ve played a bit of some of the games, however with the excitement for Pokémon Go I’ve found myself playing both this new hit, as well as pre-ordering Pokémon Moon, which is scheduled for a mid-November release.

Pokémon master or not, anyone is welcome to begin their Pokémon journey: Pokémon Go is available for both Android and iOS devices, free on the app store or google play store. In-game purchases are optional, and according to statistics, Pokémon Go rakes in over 10 million dollars in revenue a day. With more than 500 million downloads since its initial launch on July 6th, Pokémon Go is the biggest U.S. mobile game with about 20 million daily active users.

Pokémon Go is a location-based app, which means where you are in real life directly shows where you are in-game. Different real-world areas will be specific to certain Pokemon, so some Pokémon can only be found in certain places around the world. The game can sometimes bug out, and I haven’t found it to be too difficult, but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem

First, you will be walked through your journey by Professor Willow. You will be able to customize your character anytime. The name you choose, however, can only be changed once, so keep that in mind. This character and name will be visible to others when they see it in a Pokémon gym.

Your phone will vibrate to let you know that you’re by a Pokémon. Tap on the Pokémon to initiate the battle. When you’ve encountered the Pokémon and are in a battle with it, use your touch screen and flick upwards towards the Pokémon to throw your poké ball.

As you encounter and catch these Pokémon, your Pokédex, used to record data about Pokémon, will fill up. When you believe you are ready to battle in gyms, you will get to choose a team: Mystic, Valor or Instinct.

When I got the app, my brother had gotten to choose his team first. He and his friends chose Mystic. I ended up doing the same, and so did my friends. Choosing the same team as your friends is really useful because if you’re all on the same team, as a group you can easily take down gyms.

Whether you choose to begin your Pokémon journey or not, there’s always a journey to be had in the Pokémon world. Please visit http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-video-games/ pokemon-go/ for more information about the Pokémon Go app.